Lean to conversion help and sugestions

[BORING HOP YARD]

Greetings!
I would be interested in any advice or insight that you could share on the options I have when enclosing my lean to.
My goal is to create a place to park my completed car projects.
Dry storage, rodent free, insulated with heat and maybe used as a paint booth at times.
The roof is being held up by old pipe and appears to be cemented into the ground around 1978. I also have large trees close to the pipes.
Building a wall in this area is my concern.
I have no idea how far down the cement goes for the pipe or how much the tree have laid claim to the areas between the pipe.
I would appreciate any words of advice on my options.
Thank you

 

[GeddyT]

Just noticed this thread and that it has no responses. At first I wondered why this would be so complicated, but I think I see what you're getting at after looking at the pictures: Those tree roots are going to create all kinds of complications if trying to dig and pour a footing.

Looks like snow load where you are is 20 psf and frost depth is only 12", which is all good news, so it's not like you're building Fort Knox.

If the posts have been strong enough to hold up the roof so far, I'd just frame right around them. Sandwich a 2x4 on either side of each post with horizontal bolts through the whole sandwich every once in a while, and you've got nailers for sheathing. The sheathing will hold the wall together and give you something to nail whatever siding you choose to.

Then you just figure out what to do about the floor. If you want to keep rodents out and the floor clean the hard and expensive way, you pour concrete and have a raised masonry stem wall under anything the critters can chew through. You'd have to pour thick and use a lot of steel or those tree roots would wreak havoc.

Cheap and easy would be to spread and compact some 5/8 minus gravel down, which can shift and move with the tree roots and winter frost heave, build your wall as close to the ground as you dare (or build the wall out of materials that don't rot), and pick up a few cats at the pet store for pest control!

Either way, whatever door you decide to install would have to be up to the task of keeping the place wildlife-free.

Not a builder, not an engineer, but those are the two approaches I'd be looking into. I'd definitely try working around those posts, though, if they're up to the task and in good shape.

 

[davo727]

Cant imagine building or modifying something that would be expected to last long term that close to giant trees. Concrete? Good luck.

 

[BORING HOP YARD]

Thanks for the response GeddyT and davo727. I have to finish my house before I start on the lean to. At this point I'm thinking of scraping back the gravel between the post and see had bad the roots are. Having a raised stem wall is a good idea, I do plan on using the current post to build around, not sure if I will drill holes or weld on tabs of some sort.
If I cant do cement I was also thinking about asphalt or asphalt grindings.
Thanks for your input.