Cement curb inside garage

[matty d]

I have a cement 'curb' on 3 sides of my garage where baseboard should be. It is a new home.

Its annoying because I have to hang floor cabinets/shelves on the wall, or else they jut out away from the wall about 5-6 inches.

Why did the planners/architects do this?

I cant figure it out. Its so ugly. Where it is more visable, Im thinking of covering it with diamond plate corner edging or painting it someday.

 

[LawnDart79]

I'm guessing it was done to keep the sill plate from rotting, but that's only a guess...I'm no expert. My attached garage is the same way and my house is 50+ years old.

 

[LEVE]

I like it... I can hose the floor off with no problems with the sheet-rock.

 

[dodge610]

I'm guessing it was done to keep the sill plate from rotting, but that's only a guess...I'm no expert. My attached garage is the same way and my house is 50+ years old.

Mine is the same way too my house is 20 plus years old but have worked around it just got cabinets with legs from swap meets and craigs list put wood on top of curb cut back legs so that cabinets are flush with the wall so far its worked for the last 10 years

 

[Bones35]

More than likely has to do with a grade change from one side to the other. It's easier to just be safe and block it up tahn have to fight grade down the road when you cant fix it.

 

[srmofo]

Thats part of the stem wall. The floor will be poured at a grade to shed water from it. You build on top of the stem wall as it will be level. Its much easier to build square level things on top of square level things.

Stem walls are a necessary evil IMO, some are poured with slab and some are built from block. But they all keep water and moisture from wicking up your wall and turning it into a giant moldy piece of drywall

Most areas also have codes about floor slope.

You have three choices:
1)Build your cabinets around the curb
2)Hang them on the wall using french cleats
3)Add adjustable legs to the cabinets, If you make them fixed legs you wont be able to move them to different area in the garage because the slope will be at different heights compared to the stem wall

 

[kbs2244]

An attached garage has to have a foundation wall around the perimeter.
This is to keep it tied into the house foundation and keep it from “floating” with frost heaving and causing stress, even separation, where the framing meets the house proper.

What you are seeing is the top of the perimeter foundation wall.
The garage floor is “floating” inside it.

Be glad it is there.
It is saving you more problems then it is causing.

 

[bczygan]

I don't like them either, especially when they don't match the thickness of the wall. It's easier to make them wider than the wall, rather than match a thin wall. It is an opportunity, during initial construction, to build a thicker insulated wall. We always built a larger garage, say 24x26 or so, with a 4" step up curb on one side (3'wide) and 4' deep or more in the far end. This does a couple of things. It creates storage areas. It keeps water, snow and slush in the car parking area. It provides a step up towards the house finish floor level. And it gives a flat pedestal to build the walls on, far enough above grade to protect from termites and water ingress to the wall structure (Snow and water splashing).

 

[ddawg16]

Pictures? I'm having a hard time understanding your problem......

 

[LIVELY]

you can always cut a notch in the back of the cabinet and fit over the ledge

 

[darkk]

just put a piece of pressure treated lumber the correct thickness under the front of the cabinet and the rear of the cabinet on that curb...

 

[steve in nj]

^^^ that's what I did with the lower cabinets; pressure treated 4x4 legs. I have a higher counter height by 4 or 5 inches. I store things under the cabinets for now.

 

[strnge]

 

[bczygan]

Either like this with a block wall, or similar with a formed and poured wall. The supported frame wall is narrower causing a shelf.

 

[LocoCoco]

^ Mine's just like the one pictured. Yeah, it's a bit of a PITA as floor cabinets are about 2" out from the wall but then I read a bunch of threads about rotten sills and realize I'd take my problem over theirs.


LC.

 

[matty d]

FINALLY Heres some pics everyone's requested...thanks for enlightening me guys...

 

[bczygan]

It is considered a "feature" because it allows the owner to wash down the floor without water getting to the stud wall and drywall.
If I was building new I would do similar but make stud wall same width to get more insulation.
If I had a house with it already there it is an opportunity to add either rigid insulation or narrow shelf or wall mounted storage systems.
If installing cabinets I would raise them up to create a toe kick in the front. That would work because I'm 6'3" and the higher top would be better. If the cabinets were raised on legs there is space under for storage. Or you could close in the toe kick to avoid a trash catcher under there.

 

[dirttracker18]

They look like they were done well with a good finish. Many people wish they had done that when they built. I agree they could have put the wall on the edge to make it cleaner but at least you shouldn't never have to worry about rotten sills

 

[IH82BL8]

Its annoying because I have to hang floor cabinets/shelves on the wall, or else they jut out away from the wall about 5-6 inches.

Why did the planners/architects do this?

I also have poured concrete foundation walls, but my framed walls are more or less flush with the foundation walls. It sound to me like your contractor screwed up. In any case, lumber, including base sabinets, in direct contact with concrete should be pressure-treated. You should cut off the bottoms of the cabinets at the top of the kickboard, build a PT frame base and set the cabinets on it. That way the base will fit both the foundation wall and the cabinets.

 

[gamama]

I have the same situation, except the concrete has started to crumble a bit on the side and top of a portion of the wall. Does anyone have a suggestion to fix this problem?

 

[ddawg16]

I have the same situation, except the concrete has started to crumble a bit on the side and top of a portion of the wall. Does anyone have a suggestion to fix this problem?

Gamama.....welcome to GJ....

Since you're new, you didn't know that we typically encourage your type of posts to be in their own thread. That way the threads don't get mixed up and off original topic.

You have a unique problem which is deserving of it's own thread. So I would create a new post in the Flooring forum since it's more concrete related. Also, post some pics. Tons of experience over there. You will get more responses and help there.

Once again, welcome....and while you're at it...update your profile with your general location. It helps to give you accurate answers.

 

[ddawg16]

FINALLY Heres some pics everyone's requested...thanks for enlightening me guys...

The pics help a lot.

I have an 8' stem wall on my garage and I used that as that as a 'ledge' to rest my lower cabinets on.

In your case, I'd say mount the cabinets higher and leave the space open below. It makes for great storage of things like a floor jack.
This is of course assumes your lower cabinets don't need support in the front.

I painted my stem wall with a darker gray.
This pic is about the best shot I have showing how the bottom lines up with the stem wall.

 

[nadogail]

I built a level plinth to compensate for the slope in the floor and set my cabinets on top of the plinth.

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

For you guys that have perimeter “curb” which is actually the stem wall or foundation for your garage walls with a separate floor slab placed within, be thankful.

my prior 90+ year old garage in Pasadena was built in a flat slab that had cracked and heaved BAADLY over the years. There was nothing I could do to truly repair it.