Help with slab thickness

[Magic Motor Works]

I'm looking at purchasing a metal building to use as a hobby car workshop/storage place and need help in understanding if the slab will allow the use of either a 2 post lift or a four post lift. I don't live in the area and have asked the real estate agent for more details on how the slab was constructed. So far all I've gotten back is the following pictures taken when the slab was poured.

Can anyone look at these and give me any indications if I might have problems putting a lift on this slab? Most of my work with be with cars and occasional SUV, but no heavy trucks. BendPak lists 3.5" to 4" min. for their lifts. If the slab in this building is too thin then I might need to rethink my purchase.

Thanks

 

[Fastback]

Ask the local building inspector, he may Remember that project if you show him these pics

 

[socapots]

is there a chance that engineered drawings were required to build.
If permits were required there will probably be a paper trail of what was done.
Then you just have to hope that it was done they way they said it was.

 

[Falcon67]

As said - check for a permit and inspection, look for the local requirements or ask the building inspector. It'd be rather unusual to find any slab under 4" unless it was a sidewalk. Looks like they were digging decent footers.

 

[nehog]

I did a bit of enlarging of the third photo. It shows the forms, and that has a clue--it appears to be about 4" thick. Two suggestions, if you have really good pictures, rescan in the highest resolution and post it, and second see if you can figure out who poured it. They may remember or have records. Personally it appears that the slab was professionally done, and as such would meet minimum requirements for the lift.

 

[cityhick]

If its to much of a concern....just cut out small squares that the posts would sit dig down and prep the hole and pour small pads the thickness you want.....little bit of work but not too bad and you wont be second guessing yourself standing under a raised car

 

[Falcon67]

If its to much of a concern....just cut out small squares that the posts would sit dig down and prep the hole and pour small pads the thickness you want.....little bit of work but not too bad and you wont be second guessing yourself standing under a raised car

If you do that, be sure you make them large - drill and epoxy bar into the surrounding slab to tie the pads back into the floor. Anything less is a rather large safety issue.

 

[cityhick]

If you do that, be sure you make them large - drill and epoxy bar into the surrounding slab to tie the pads back into the floor. Anything less is a rather large safety issue.

That is what I meant by ...Prep the hole...thank you for further explaining this, I actually got on to post more because I felt I left unfinished advice. The whole area repoured should be reinforced with rod and pinned to the original slab

 

[Magic Motor Works]

Thanks for the comments everyone.

Would love to go forward with many of the above suggestions, but my situation is that I don't currently live in the area or for that matter even live in the US. I'm on work assignment overseas, but plan on being back to the US soon and am thinking about building retirement home. Was looking at a parcel of land such that I could have house, Inlaws apartment and of course my workshop/car storage all together. Problem is the area we like is around a golf course the developemebt might have a deed restriction problem with doing all of this together (mainly large workshop). I don't want the headaches of having neighbors complain about my workshop/car activities which might happen in this area. Looks like not many car people around as neighbors.

While looking on the internet for real estate came across a commercial metal building/lot located fairly close by in town that is zoned for the activities I want to do. This started me thinking that it might be best to find a seperate area for my workshop/car storage away from my planned house that allows all that I want to do and not limited to what your deed restrictions say.

In rationaliziing buying a seperate workshop one concern that came up is if you build a big workshop adjacant to your home you might find it limits potential buyers down the road when you decide to say it's time to really downsize (assisted living) and move. By having the workshop in town, it gives me a place to actually get up, leave the house each day and go to my own office/workspace. Much like having a job. When I decide to or have to give up on cars I can then sell the workshop and not have the burden of finding the righ buyer who wants a workshop when I need to sell the house at a later point.

Wish I could be back in the States to do an inspection of the property in person, but right now it looks like an over the internet purchase will be the only way I can at least get this dream started. I do have a real estate guy helping out who I trust to be objective about this, but so far the details of exactly how the building was built/engineered coming from the seller are left to just a few pictures. Metal building is a basic 40x60 shop with office area built out upfront and work shop area in back.

Sounds like the slab will be OK for a four post lift and I would need visual confirmation of slab or more work before looking at using a two post lift.

Besides the slab are there any other questions I should ask concerning the metal building/consturction itself? Was constructed in 2008.

Thanks,
Magic

 

[CamarosRus]

Can someone link me to other threads that show specific, concrete footings, materials and prep for 10K two post lifts,

I need to retrofit existing 4" slab to adequtely support 2 post lift

Thanks