Is this garage salvageable?

[Omphaloskeptic]

"End goal is safe, dry, and flat. can i do it for $15k?"

Looking at your pictures, my first thought was, if it were mine, I'd hire not a mason, but a 'Soils Engineer' to offer guidance on remediation of the hillside problem. To my eye, the existing building is unsalvageable and you would be 'throwing good money after bad' to have a mason try to 'fix' it. I'd tear it down, fix the hillside problem with a proper retaining wall system and only then consider what can be built on the remaining space. With the hill at your back, the sloped driveway, and set-backs to consider, you probably are 'between a rock and a hard place'. Good luck!

 

[dent]

Got a few more requests for information out there and I'm awaiting feedback. I'm also going to try to talk with the town tomorrow.

The one mason intends to support the roof and take down wall portions at a time and excavate that way (from inside). When laying block back up (this time filling and rebar'ing as opposed to the hollow cinder that is currently there) he was going to tar and lay the membrane for water mitigation and backfill with gravel.

Yeah it sounds like it would still be acting as a sort of retaining wall but i was wondering how is that all that much different from most basements of existing houses?

I'll keep you up to date on progress.

 

[TheEquineFencer]

One note on the excavation cost: Anybody notice the 2'+ diameter tree stump just to the left? That tree is mostly responsible for the damage to the left wall, imo. That stump will have to go, and unless the tree has been removed for a lot longer time than it appears it has, that will be a lot of work. Most of the work needed here is exactly what mini-excavators were made for, but that stump is going to give any excavator small enough to maneuver around that back wall fits to remove.

Good catch

 

[Bib Overalls]

That garage is a liability on the land. Is your mason quoting labor or labor plus materials?

 

[ishiboo]

It's repairable, but I don't think its worth it. For sure the area behind the garage needs to be excavated and plenty of proper drainage installed. Waterproofing can ONLY be done on this back wall, block or poured, if you have access. The back fill goes "straight" to the garage, but the areas around it all slope more steeply... this is how the grading should be done behind the garage as well, which alleviates a lot of pressure.

I think it makes the most sense to tear it down... it can be patched but it's a substantial investment and will still not be "right". I would have at least the back 1/3rd or so of a new garage poured with plenty of steel inside.

 

[InPrimer]

My son's garage is in a similar situation. personally in my case I'd tear down the garage, move the garage pad area forward about 4 feet and excavate the hill out of there. Depending on regional costs a 20X20 garage is in the 15K range concrete slab 4K and dirt removal another 3 K . Personally a wood structure will last at least 50 yrs given if it's away from the hill, and any repairs in block work will always be a PITA. water will always migrate into the wall no matter what kind of membrane or? to keep water out, just my opinion good luck

 

[dent]

Spoke with the town.

They are OK with repair in place. If it was torn down and either rebuilt or moved it would have to follow new setbacks. Currently it sits 1.5ft from the side and 6ft from the rear. New setbacks are 20 and 25 respectively. Moving it isn't really an option unless i want a garage in the middle of the backyard.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Spoke with the town.

They are OK with repair in place. If it was torn down and either rebuilt or moved it would have to follow new setbacks. Currently it sits 1.5ft from the side and 6ft from the rear. New setbacks are 20 and 25 respectively. Moving it isn't really an option unless i want a garage in the middle of the backyard.

Well I guess you know what you have to do then to keep your garage. Best of luck and make sure to take plenty of pics while it's getting worked on.

OTOH, your setbacks are 20 & 25 feet ? That would kill some the land developers in some areas. I know we've all seen those houses that are an arm's reach apart.

 

[CoconutPete]

Spoke with the town.

They are OK with repair in place. If it was torn down and either rebuilt or moved it would have to follow new setbacks. Currently it sits 1.5ft from the side and 6ft from the rear. New setbacks are 20 and 25 respectively. Moving it isn't really an option unless i want a garage in the middle of the backyard.

Isn't it fun with new rules? With new setbacks etc. most municipalities have actually managed to make the more "appealing" choice to leave your structures to rot instead of replacing them with nice new ones which would bring the town permit and tax revenue.

 

[NUTTSGT]

Isn't it fun with new rules? With new setbacks etc. most municipalities have actually managed to make the more "appealing" choice to leave your structures to rot instead of replacing them with nice new ones which would bring the town permit and tax revenue.

Alot of times, as long as it uses the same foot print, they will grandfather things in. I'm surprised that wasn't the case for Dent.

I wholeheartedly agree with you Pete, as a firefighter, there's things that the city does that makes me shake my head. Other times, the city or the county won't touch it, then I'm more of a

 

[dent]

Got a few more estimates...they came out in the 27+ ballpark which is probably more realistic. I think its much more than the seller anticipated in their pricing. Running through negotiations on this and other items but I'm guessing they aren't going to pan out as they are pretty fixed on it. House will probably go to someone who is just going to demo it or let it rot. We shall see.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[CNGsaves]

Got a few more estimates...they came out in the 27+ ballpark which is probably more realistic. I think its much more than the seller anticipated in their pricing. Running through negotiations on this and other items but I'm guessing they aren't going to pan out as they are pretty fixed on it. House will probably go to someone who is just going to demo it or let it rot. We shall see.

So this was just prospective purchase for OP?? You were trying to buy house and see if garage could be fixed for reasonable amount??

If so, back to my original question, what is overall market price of house AND garage in the picture (ie just as it sits)??

 

[NUTTSGT]

It might be for the best that they don't pan out. If things work out and it goes great, it's awesome to hear. OTOH, if they allow so much towards the garage and the project goes overboard, you might end up with a serious PITA.


There's plenty of other houses on the market right now, keep your eyes open, have your friends on the look out too and you'll find one. Best of luck.



Have you inquired with your financial institution about any foreclosures that might have or ones that might be coming up ?

 

[hmbemis]

Spoke with the town.

They are OK with repair in place. If it was torn down and either rebuilt or moved it would have to follow new setbacks. Currently it sits 1.5ft from the side and 6ft from the rear. New setbacks are 20 and 25 respectively. Moving it isn't really an option unless i want a garage in the middle of the backyard.

I've got the same issue with building a garden shed... there is no minimum size that doesn't require permitting/setbacks... so I want to put an 8x8 garden shed in, they demand that it's 25' from my back lot line and 15' from my side lot line. No variance process allowed anymore. So you either put it up and hope no one tells you to take it down, or you put in the middle of the yard...

 

[gatchel]

Spoke with the town.

They are OK with repair in place. If it was torn down and either rebuilt or moved it would have to follow new setbacks. Currently it sits 1.5ft from the side and 6ft from the rear. New setbacks are 20 and 25 respectively. Moving it isn't really an option unless i want a garage in the middle of the backyard.

If the new setbacks are in effect I would definitely repair it in place. If you needed more garage space down the road you could probably do a "garage addition". This can be a workaround in a lot of areas when size or setbacks are an issue.

 

[SPDMETL]

Knock it down, have a really heavy duty retaining wall done that's as long (back wall) as permissible, then rebuild bigger using that retaining wall as the back wall! Easy...
Maybe the inspector will consider it a "rebuild" if you reuse the trusses.