Garage Door Wall Framing Getting Wet

[vins0010]

So, I have a 2.5 car garage where the framing around all the walls is built up on cinder blocks except for the wall that contains the door. The framing for the small portions of wall (about a foot on one side, maybe 6 or so feet on the other) are not built up on cinder blocks but is at ground level. I live in MN, so the winters are pretty bad here and snow can pile up on the outside of the garage door, plus, the inside of the garage gets sloppy wet with snow/slush/salt mixture from cars and the snow blower. I've noticed that the garage slush mixture makes it to this wood a little bit; I have a lesser concern about rain (the outside of the garage here is concrete that slopes away from the garage). The wood framing at the bottom looks fine but it is a bit grayish whereas the rest of the lumber in the garage is golden-colored lumber.

I'm wondering if I should a) do nothing and not worry or b) do something before it becomes an issue. I was thinking that, in the spring, when dry, I could caulk all along the floor/wood, to try and seal up where the water is coming from on both the inside of the garage (so, along the floor where the lumber meets the floor) and along the outside, between the siding and the concrete slab out there. This would be the cheap option but, being so, I also wonder if it would actually work or just make things worse in some way. I wonder if another option would be to have someone come in an either put in cinder blocks on these small portions and/or use treated lumber. Obviously, this would be more expensive. Any thoughts or other solutions?

 

[Kevin54]

First off....WELCOME to Garage Journal!!!!

I'm trying to envision as to what you have. If I'm understanding you correctly, the front walls with the garage doors...the bottom plate is sitting directly on the slab? If so, there is not much you can do with it other than wait for the weather to break and then modify the front. You could do this by drilling for some rebar, supporting your wall, then either add a course of block, or form it up and add a solid concrete wall.

Just out of curiosity, why was three walls formed or block laid up and nothing dome with the front? Contractor slip up, or homeowner slip up?

If possible, can you post a pic up of what you are dealing with.

One other thing....if you get a chance, can you change your profile so it shows at least what state you live in? It makes things easier for other members (and me) when it comes to answering questions if they come down as insulation, buried water lines and so on.

Again, Welcome!!!!!! We hope you stay around for a while.

 

[vins0010]

Kevin, Yes, for the front wall only, the one with the garage door, the bottom plate/piece of wood is sitting directly on the slab. It looks a little grayish but otherwise intact compared to the rest of the lumber (this is what concerned me). The rest of the walls are all sitting on concrete blocks. I'll take a pic later and post, when I'm home. I don't know why the garage was built without the blocks in this part. This is not the original garage (our house was built in 1926), so someone did go through the trouble to have this built special. I am unsure of how old it is, I suspect that it was built in 91/92, when a lot of other updates were done to the house - as it was built to match that.

 

[upndown]

Unfortunately it sounds like it was built more like a carport and the garage door was an after thought. Maybe try some window or roof flashing fastened to the wood and siliconed to the floor..Anything to keep moisture away from the wood, or you will have problems in the future..