Garage Pit Construction

[seaton]

So here is the deal.

1. I live where there are Tornados.
2. Basements are not common here due to the water table.
3. I am in ETJ, so there are no permits, inspections or ACA issues to deal with

So my plan is this. I have a very big garage, I plan on putting in a pit at the front side of one of the three stalls. Still plenty of room to park in front of it. The pit is multi purpose
1. provides easy access to the crawl space.
2. a tornado shelter in a pinch
3. a place to do oil changes or whatever.

Construction details
Pipe around the pit, and a sump hole in the low spot in case of water.
Both walls have a big Lip so that the pit can be covered with thick planks when not in use.
Stairs formed in the end going into the crawlspace.
Rebar steps on two ends of garage for egress
Vapor Proof lights front and aft to provide safe lighting, even though there is no reason I should have gas issues, no propane or any crazy things like that there.
An air line to go out to the compressor

I thought about putting in piping so that I could do venting if desired, though I really see no situation where I would ever need it.

Ok, let me have it. now tell me that I need a lift in the garage, and that it is much more convient to place pads, jack up the vehicle and roll under it than to walk down a set of stairs and pull the drain plug.

I am sure some other genius has some better way for me to be safe from tornados, I guess I could chain myself to the lift.

The long and short of it, I have the space, have had one before and loved it, and its useful. There are no inspections, and its my @#$%$# house.

Let er rip !! Any useful ideas or suggestions ?

I am thinking of trying to form it and do it in a single pour to avoid cold joints.

 

[rburke65]

Sounds like a plan to me! And don't forget.....no wood burners in your garage!

 

[GMCGarage]

All was good till you called everyone jack wagons. Nice first post. Good For You

 

[readhead]

Going to insult us and then ask for comments? Classy.

 

[seaton]

Sounds like a plan to me! And don't forget.....no wood burners in your garage!

Thanks.

I have seen some really nice pictures of well done pits. Not sure if I have the advanced forming skills to pull off some of these, but am sure hoping to make one I can be proud of.

I love the looks of welded grates, and the pit I attached. The thing I don't like about grates, is I don't want things dripping in there to make it messy. I need to somehow combine the two.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Usually the tornado shelters have steel plates across the top, I believe one slides back for entrance / egress... Perhaps you could figure out a way to have it covered and possibly lock in case of a tornado, but have the plates slide completely out of the way when you are working on cars?

If you also want it to act as a tornado shelter, perhaps a small recessed area or compartment too for a first-aid kit, water bottles, and flashlights?

 

[jeffg]

maybe a lift in the pit, just in case something heavy falls across the top of it in the tornado?

seriously though, there are a lot of articles about people getting trapped in their shelters by debris.

 

[seaton]

All was good till you called everyone jack wagons. Nice first post. Good For You

Sorry, my brand of sarcastic humor. I have read never ending threads on this forum where all someone wanted was a pit. The threads turn into a big pit bashing fest, and a lift sales session.

I love lifts, and I think they are a solid recommendation in most cases, and probably better than a pit. HOWEVER, they won't do ya much good when the F5 rips your house off the hill. Its a real deal, we had 3 tornados here less than a month back, and well Canton got tore up. So while a lift is cool, and I may have both, a pit is a good option also in the right situation.

 

[seaton]

Usually the tornado shelters have steel plates across the top, I believe one slides back for entrance / egress... Perhaps you could figure out a way to have it covered and possibly lock in case of a tornado, but have the plates slide completely out of the way when you are working on cars?

If you also want it to act as a tornado shelter, perhaps a small recessed area or compartment too for a first-aid kit, water bottles, and flashlights?

Wow, I am glad I asked. storage flashlights and such are a good idea, along with a good place to sit. My wife veto'd the 65 inch lcd TV. I have not figured out the top. I would love to have the protection of something heavy to protect a person, but I don't want to be wearing the plate smooshed at the end of an event

 

[seaton]

maybe a lift in the pit, just in case something heavy falls across the top of it in the tornado?

seriously though, there are a lot of articles about people getting trapped in their shelters by debris.

Yeah, I hear ya. Better trapped than dead, but yeah. Not sure if I have it covered or not. My pit goes under my garage wall to my crawlspace. So I should be able to exit into the garage or crawlspace. In theory I could get out through whatever was left of the house, but yeah, could very well be trapped.

good point

 

[Falcon67]

IMHO, good way to end up in a pit with the entire building on top of you, alternately to be sucked out of said pit with the building. A proper shelter needs to be under the dirt, or self contained and under the slab. We're considering one and I would put it behind the shop, below ground level with the access outside the building, then cover the shelter with a slab extension.

I'd recommend reviewing the damage from 1999 OKC and Jarrell tornado before picking a shelter design.

 

[GMCGarage]

Sorry, my brand of sarcastic humor. I have read never ending threads on this forum where all someone wanted was a pit. The threads turn into a big pit bashing fest, and a lift sales session.

I love lifts, and I think they are a solid recommendation in most cases, and probably better than a pit. HOWEVER, they won't do ya much good when the F5 rips your house off the hill. Its a real deal, we had 3 tornados here less than a month back, and well Canton got tore up. So while a lift is cool, and I may have both, a pit is a good option also in the right situation.

In that case then have a door with a room off to one side, that way you dont get covered in debris. Then also have a way of someone knowing your down there.

 

[LX-Markham]

... just in case something heavy falls across the top of it in the tornado?

Like in the movie Twister? I seem to remember them hiding in a pit and a car falls on top of them.

 

[EOC_Jason]

Yeah, if you don't have the top covered then pretty much anything could fall in. However, even a basic shelter like that uncovered is still better protection than being in the house.

If anything the tornado will want to **** the plate away, that's why it needs to be secured and only slide back & forth.

 

[APEowner]

Vapor Proof lights front and aft to provide safe lighting, even though there is no reason I should have gas issues, no propane or any crazy things like that there.

Just so you know, the gas issues that vapor proof lighst are for aren't related to propane or other bottled gases. The problem is that gasoline vapors (along with the vapors from some thinners and solvents) are heavier than air and can settle in the pit and stay there for a very long time. That's why ventilation of some sort is a good idea.

 

[GH85Carrera]

If you plan to have it useful as a tornado shelter you will want some sort of sturdy cover.

Also have a 5 gallon bucket down there full of bottled water that you change out on occasion, a plastic bag and some bathroom spray odor killer. The bucket can be used as a toilet if NECESSARY but it will be stinky.

 

[rsanter]

I lift is more convenient as you do not have to go up and down the stairs.
However you know what it is like using a pit and you like them, so no problem.
Also you have an alternative use for the pit so that's good too.

What I don't like about pits is that they can be very tight on space. If you look at the pits they use at the oil change places, the put is the size of the car including width. The there are steel rails thatnthe vehicle would be pulled onto that are at ground level.

If you have access to the crawl,space from the pit, then I would for sure provide a second direction of egress out of the pit should something happen that would pin you I tothe pit area.
You may even want to make a small shelter room between the pit and the house/crawl space that you could secure yourself in for added protection. With all the excavation work you will be doing it doesn't seem like it would be much harder to *** the safe room to the plan

Bob

 

[bmxdad]

Make sure you put either a fan or some way to know if there is air down there. A running car could fill up a pit pretty quick. You go down, and don't come back up because you passed out ... then you die.

Just something to be aware of.

 

[Mr_B]

Lol, I have had a pit for 40 years and never used any ventilation and still alive. They super useful and work well if designed right width and length. worth making lips for boards wide enough for a jacking beam, I done mine so jack beam turns over flush as boards when close pit up, they better and faster than a lift for some jobs and certainly better than nothing lol.
Multi-use of yours seems unique and worth doing proper job on .

 

[Fastfish]

Just want to mention another useful feature of a pit. I have a 10k lbs 2 post lift but it is useless for my 24' class C Camper and believe me I spend a plenty of time crawling under it for repairs and service. It is frustrating to have the lift and it be no use for that. I understand that gas vapors collect in low areas but I wish I had one.

 

[lakeroadster]

My grandfather had a "grease pit" at his farm. He built it into an earthen bank and the pit was open on the end so you could simply walk out of it.

It was handy, mostly for oil changes and clutch / transmission removals... that kind of stuff.

That being said, a pit is a poor substitute for a lift. Brake work, tire rotation, replacing leaf springs / rear axles / shock absorbers, etc. aren't very conducive to a pit.

 

[ynned]

I don't know how humid it is in your neck of Texas, but be aware that even with good drainage, humid air will tend to pool in low areas; the pit in my brother's garage was always damp and clammy. Mold may be a problem, in addition to the afore mentioned danger of petrochemical vapors collecting. In extreme, very rare cases, there may be a sleight danger of suffocation, too.
It was always cooler, too, and condensation was always a problem.

 

[seaton]

Yeah, if you don't have the top covered then pretty much anything could fall in. However, even a basic shelter like that uncovered is still better protection than being in the house.

If anything the tornado will want to **** the plate away, that's why it needs to be secured and only slide back & forth.

My thinking exactly. Yeah, maybe I should put some J-Bolts in the track for securing the plates

 

[ms fowler]

My only concern would be with the sump pump. A horror story told to me some years ago about a guy who built a pit and outfitted it well, including a sump pit. One day he knocked over a 5 gallon gas can and it all dumped into the pit, ran into the sump and filled it. When the pump kicked "on" the spark ignited all the gas fumes in the pit.
So at least put a switch on the sump pit outlet so you can kill the power in a hurry, if required.

 

[Farrier]

Look at it this way..... If you get killed by tornado debris, drown, or blow yourself up with gas fumes, at least your family can bury you the pit. It a win, win for everyone!

 

[johninct]

Maybe put angle iron over the concrete corner edges to protect them.