Lifting my shop??

[Ralphxj]

Looking for thoughts/ideas on lifting my shop. 24x36 pole barn with 8ft ceiling. I bought the house/shop 6 years ago and I would guess the shop is 20+ years old. I am planning on putting on new siding and swapping out the sliding barn doors (12ft on short end and 24ft on long end) for standard overhead doors later this fall or next spring.

The inside walls are unfinished and I plan on finishing them after the exterior upgrades. I have a couple poles that are rotten clean off at the ground and need repaired before i close in the interior.

I'm wondering what would be involved in lifting the whole shop 2-3ft before I put on the new siding, buy garage doors and finish the interior walls. Would it be possible to cut all of the poles, lift the shop and insert new wood to tie it all together?? This would give me a chance to put in all new bottoms on the rotten poles.

This would give me more wall space for storage and allow for a future vehicals lift.

Have I lost my mind?? Worth the hassle? Am I going to destroy my shop and end up with a pile of destroyed shop?? Or fairly straight forward and worth the effort??

 

[brownbagg]

no you having lost your mind, I been thinking this for years, i want to add three foot of cmu to get extra height and make the bottom of wall waterproof

 

[southalabama]

I saw a shop a guy did. He told me biggest mistake people make is not building high enough.

He was retired mill wright. Lived adjacent to large hunting property and lodge.

Don't know how he did it but only equipment I saw available that could have helped was a large tractor with a loader. There were smaller tractors and a dozer there too. Didn't see anything that could lift other than loader but I suppose he could have somehow used dozer to winch it up with a Rube Goldberg gin pole.

I'd truly liked to have watched it done.

Then again maybe he just jacked it up and put a new knee wall under it. More likely I suppose and more likely to keep roof intact.

 

[ich_liebe_meine_arbeit]

I of course now can not remember which thread it was in the garage gallery, but I think I remember a member on here raising his garage. I don't think you're crazy to want to do it, and I think like anything with the proper process, tools and such it should be something you can accomplish.

I would really like to raise the 7' ceilings in my garage, it's the fact that the rest of the house is sitting on top that makes it unrealistic!!!

 

[southalabama]

PS.

Another thought you said interior unfinished.

I'd strategically place plywood inside even if temporarily to keep from racking during the lift.

 

[G-Ram]

I of course now can not remember which thread it was in the garage gallery, but I think I remember a member on here raising his garage.

This fella?

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=283853

 

[Squankum]

Don't know how he did it but only equipment I saw available that could have helped was a large tractor with a loader. There were smaller tractors and a dozer there too. Didn't see anything that could lift other than loader but I suppose he could have somehow used dozer to winch it up with a Rube Goldberg gin pole.

_____

 

[DougWil]

I bought the house/shop 6 years ago and I would guess the shop is 20+ years old.

..........

I have a couple poles that are rotten clean off at the ground and need repaired before i close in the interior.

Can't be, it is a myth that wood poles rot in the ground, or at least that is what you hear around here.

 

[DougWil]

I think you are going to have a hard time lifting a pole barn. The embedded poles are what provide lateral support for the structure.

Lifting would create a lot of nail slip on all the connections and stress on the screws to wood fastening the exterior sheet metal.

Also a strong wind while being raised could cause a collapse.

Be careful.

 

[Ralphxj]

To help with the lateral support I planned on putting some plywood or 2x4s across the posts inside and also put supports on the 3 sides of the cut posts to help guide everything to the right spot without shifting:



The supports would go to the shop floor and be well secured to the post below the cut. Above the cut would be able to lift inside those supports.

I could then put screws into each support if we need to stop lifting to move a jack or realign anything, etc. It would also serve as a support to insert blocks as we lift (say every 2-4in would get a spacer to help with the load) incase the jacks settled during lifting.

 

[Ron_CA]

Bad idea...

 

[jimmyfloyd]

This isn't a pole barn, but I recall seeing this video a few years ago. Guy was local to me at the time. Plus his IH was something to see.

 

[Ralphxj]

This isn't a pole barn, but I recall seeing this video a few years ago. Guy was local to me at the time. Plus his IH was something to see.

I think I watched that awhile back when I was first starting to see if it was possible. Lots of good tips in there. I'm still 50/50 on if I should attempt it.

I know if I don't do it and put on the new siding and install the new overhead doors I'll regret not lifting it in the future.

Another thing that I didn't mention, my neighbor is getting rid of a 30x40 pole barn to make room for a new 80x100. I was going to remove the vinyl siding to use on mine. After talking to him, I'm going to take the entire shop and rebuild it on the back of mine (with one side open for access) to use as storage for firewood, trailer, mower, etc. to replace a small lean-to I have now. It has a 12 x 12 garage door on it that would be perfect on front of my current shop which would save me a couple hundred dollars over buying a new 10x8 and just scraping the 12x12.

 

[Squankum]

Inflatable jack bags and cribbing?

http://www.matjack.com/index.html

 

[ahab]

Any building mover can handle lifting a pole barn in a day. I've been around while two have been moved / raised. They were handled about like the video that jimmyfloyd posted, except with a central hydraulic pump to raise the building and steel beams for cross building bracing.

If the poles are too short to reach the ground additional length for the poles can be joined / spliced in with a scarf joint.

 

[JPinSTL]

I did this 2 summers ago as the house came with a 24'D x 40'L x 8'T PoleBarn which I outgrew. Between slope and property line I could not easily add on another taller bay onto the gable end. So I went up to 12'T and bumped out the back another 12'D x 40'W, think enclosed leanto. Then another 10' for an open leanto. The majority of the transformation happened in 1 week with my Pro Carpenter Uncle, me and a couple of buddies were labor. Took 2 days to deconstruct, and 3 days to rebuild and get it under roof. Sheeting walls, trim, add'l concrete, etc I did over the next few weeks. I'm actually still working on it, still needs rewired and insulated. All told about $10K for the rebuild.

We pulled all the roofing and siding. Removed the purlins and trusses. Basically stripped it to Poles and Girts. We then grafted on extensions to the top of the laminated columns. We were able to reuse the purlins, trusses, and half of the roof sheets. I opted for new siding and most of the roof. Since the trusses were only 24' and going 12' high we set them the hard way with 2 ladders and a wobble board. Only equipment used was the tractor for the post hole digger.

It would have been easier and cheaper to just have built a 2nd new shop behind this one But this one had concrete drives and aprons, electric running to it, etc.

I wanted to go 14' sidewalls so that the "loft" over the 24'Dx14'W work room on the end would be tall enough to walk in. There was concern over how deep the columns were set and add'l wind loading so we only went to 12'T. We ended up pulling/eliminating 1 of them so it would not be in the way, it was over 4ft, so we might have been able to do 14'T sidewalls. Ideally 8x8 posts would have been better for that height, but mine were only 6x6.

I was able to reuse some of the siding to line my welding room with, the back wall of the shop, etc. I reused some of the polyiso sheets too in the work room. But overall there was a lot of waste.

 

[DougWil]

Any building mover can handle lifting a pole barn in a day. I've been around while two have been moved / raised. They were handled about like the video that jimmyfloyd posted, except with a central hydraulic pump to raise the building and steel beams for cross building bracing.

If the poles are too short to reach the ground additional length for the poles can be joined / spliced in with a scarf joint.

I am not sure it would be economically viable to have a building mover come in and raise it up, wait for the owner to finish the raising and then come back and let it down, retrieve the steel beams and blocking.
Nor assume the liability while someone else works on it, and underneath it other than their crew.

Anyway, if I were attempting to do it I would raise it up and install a concrete or CMU footing, stemwall and perma column type connections.
Assuming the poles above ground are sound, you wouldn't have to mess with them, and the existing siding would not have to be replaced.

And that would end the pole rotting blues.

 

[southalabama]

Squankum may be on to something.

Hard to believe the pyramid builders didn't have a little help.

Gotten several options as to how. Just post pics when you do.

 

[Kennybill]

Sounds like deja vu, all over again. I bought my place, there was a pole building 24x32, 8 ft high. It was structurely sound, all 4"×6" poles. It had a dirt floor and was used for animals. Outside was weathered cdx. Fiberglass roof panels. I decided to lift it to 12 feet high. I first poured 7 inches of concrete because the plan was for a lift. With help I got two 34' steel beams and lots of heavy cribbing and 4 fifty ton screw Jacks. Sawsalled trusses at the header. Lifted it and put in 4 ft stud walls on top plate, I added 12 ft wide addition to each side. Building is now 56'×32', 4 garage doors on the front. I have 3 bays, middle bay 24x32 has a 2 post lift. I insulated the middle bay and tightened up one of the side bays, one still to do. Five year project so far. My computer no longer works right since I installed windows 10 so no pictures. Still trying to figure out how to post from the phone. I posted some pictures on another thread about lifting a roof. I would definitely make it 12 or 14 if I were you.

 

[iagsxr]

My old man moved/raised a bunch of buildings. The biggest one I was involved with was a 24' or 30' x 45'. We picked it up with two cranes. Set it on an old grain trailer pulled by a semi(the guy getting it owned a trucking company). Process in reverse when it got to where it was going. A pole barn doesn't weigh much. We just needed two cranes to be able to lift it evenly. Most of the time for smaller buildings he just used trailers or our flatbed implement truck to get them off the ground. It's not that big of a deal.

That being said, if I'm picturing correctly what you currently have you're not saving much of the existing building. A good crew could disassemble it and go back up with new faster and easier than what you're proposing. All you're really reusing is the roof system. Which you could still do if you disassembled it.

 

[Ralphxj]

Well it doesn't sound like I'm completely crazy!! I will for sure start a build thread when I start all this fun.

Basic order will be:

1. Disassemble neighbors barn and move it across the street to my place
2. Lift my barn and then install new over head doors and windows.
3. Reside my current barn with the sheeting and vinyl siding from disassembled barn.
4. Reaseemble neighbors barn on the end of mine to create new storage for firewood, trailer, mower, etc and maybe wall off part for my cnc plasma table to make room in the main shop.

I figure the whole project till take any where from 2 months to around 10 years to complete!

Sounds like deja vu, all over again. I bought my place, there was a pole building 24x32, 8 ft high. It was structurely sound, all 4"×6" poles. It had a dirt floor and was used for animals. Outside was weathered cdx. Fiberglass roof panels. I decided to lift it to 12 feet high. I first poured 7 inches of concrete because the plan was for a lift. With help I got two 34' steel beams and lots of heavy cribbing and 4 fifty ton screw Jacks. Sawsalled trusses at the header. Lifted it and put in 4 ft stud walls on top plate, I added 12 ft wide addition to each side. Building is now 56'×32', 4 garage doors on the front. I have 3 bays, middle bay 24x32 has a 2 post lift. I insulated the middle bay and tightened up one of the side bays, one still to do. Five year project so far. My computer no longer works right since I installed windows 10 so no pictures. Still trying to figure out how to post from the phone. I posted some pictures on another thread about lifting a roof. I would definitely make it 12 or 14 if I were you.

I'm in Austintown if you want to come supervise when I start the project!!

 

[frankthezapper]

Sounds like a great project, First rule: Don't stress
Second rule: small steps
I would set new poles the required length in new holes right beside the old poles, then go and lift one old pole an inch or so. Clamp it to the new pole (for stability) Move on to the next pole. Repeat till the whole barn is an inch higher than when you started. Lifting in small steps would minimize wracking on your siding and framing, having your new poles would steer the old building as to where it needed to go and provide stability.
I'd cut a heap of wedges from 4x2 (sorry, your side of the world 2x4) timber to slip under shoring under the old poles as insurance.
I've just looked to see where Austintown is; not local, but I may visit! Frank

 

[frankthezapper]

OOps, Just reread, realized I missed the step about continuing to lift another inch (and another!!) until you're at the desired height. You might get cocky and decide, after a couple of lifts, to bite off more than an inch at a time. But remember the first and second rules.

 

[Diggla]

It raised my roof on my garage, not anywhere near ur size (16×20). I had roof stripped by a friend. Next day took off planks reframed and sheethed it. That was easier than lifting hole garage for me

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

 

[R. Deschain]

I had this done at a previous home. The 24x24 detached dirt floor garage was sitting on a crumbling block (no footing) foundation. The bottom plate was starting to rot as well. I had a house mover come in that they ran beams wall to wall, picked it up with RR jacks about 3 feet, cribbed it up and I dug out the block and had a 24" foundation wall with rebar and tie bolts put in. They eased the garage back onto the new foundation after the bottom plate was removed and replaced, I bolted it down and then had a slab poured. The lifting part took 1/2 a day and the set and removal took 5-6 hours. I was charged $1600 for the whole lift and I think the concrete work was another $2k. Well worth the time and effort.

 

[Falcon67]

I had this done at a previous home. The 24x24 detached dirt floor garage was sitting on a crumbling block (no footing) foundation. The bottom plate was starting to rot as well. I had a house mover come in that they ran beams wall to wall, picked it up with RR jacks about 3 feet, cribbed it up and I dug out the block and had a 24" foundation wall with rebar and tie bolts put in. They eased the garage back onto the new foundation after the bottom plate was removed and replaced, I bolted it down and then had a slab poured. The lifting part took 1/2 a day and the set and removal took 5-6 hours. I was charged $1600 for the whole lift and I think the concrete work was another $2k. Well worth the time and effort.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41042&highlight=garage+save

Brace it and jack it, get the setup right and it can go rather quick.

 

[Ralphxj]

How much weight are we talking here for a this?? Just a ball park to get an idea. Will 4ton jacks work or do I need 20ton?? Just getting a ballpark on stuff. It has metal siding and roof but no sheeting under the siding anywhere. Rafters are 4ft on center. I'll be removing the 36ft of barn doors so that weight will be gone as well.

Just ball park figures is what I'm looking for.


So I'm at 8ft now. Should I go to 10? 12? 14?? 10 seems like a lot of work for only 2 feet, but do I need 14? Thinking 12 is the way to go?

 

[brownbagg]

i need 12'6 to walk under my toyota truck and im 5'5

 

[ZRX61]

The way I'd do it is:
2x6's lag bolted to all the poles to join them together & prevent racking.
Cut the poles off flush with the bottom of the structure
Jack it up
Install foundation & 3ft block wall.
Fill blocks with concrete
PT wood sill plate bolted to top of wall
Lower building back down
Use 1/4 or 3/8 L shaped steel brackets to bolt poles to sill plate. I'd drill the holes for the bolts through the steel, sill plate & into the block wall.

I'm assuming the poles are at least 6x6?

 

[DCarr2]

ya know, I have a simpler, yet same basic principle I am tackling right now with my barn...

I have a broken pole that needs to be fixed. I ruled out installing a new one.

However 2 C channels, that go from the floor - 3' above the break, and bolted together would make it the strongest pole in the barn.

the same concept could be done for after you cut your poles.

You will want these C Channels drilled and ready to go however prior to starting this project.

Also, not to hijack your thread, but get this;

17 years ago my dad bought a 1995 ford e350 cube van (now my work truck) problem was it was too tall to fit through our overhead door.

after a bit of thought, my dad, decided to cut the fiberglass body, and remove 6" and lower the body to fit thruogh the door.

Both Ford, and Unicell, said your crazy, itll never work, blah blah blah

we cut the body using a jigsaw and a rotorzip, used shelving brackets, sub floor adhesive and aluminum strips a freand of mine had bent at school fro the front to cover the cut. in the end, you couldnt tell the truck was modified.

Ford engineers, and the engineers at Unicell (they made the fiberglass body) all said it would never work.

3 minor accidents (backed into a tree, got rear ended and caught the molding at a Wendy's and tore the back piece almost clean off) later, and the truck is still in one piece. we put 65,000 miles on the truck, and its been 17 years knock on wood.

So remember, anything is possible, just think it through, surround yourself with knowledgable people and ask for help.

 

[Falcon67]

The one I lifted was 16x22, wood frame as you can see. I used two regular 2 1/2 ton floor jacks. No strain at all.

 

[Ralphxj]

Thinking I will probably make some Sturdi-Wall style brackets for all the poles as I'm sure it's just a matter of time before the good ones rot off. Once I close in the walls I won't know they are bad until things start to sag!

 

[Diggla]

Disregard

 

[lakeroadster]

A few guys over at the "Ag Talk" forum have done this. One guy used 6 forklifts.

http://talk.newagtalk.com/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=356113&posts=16#M2799143

 

[rburke65]

Well Ralphxj......did you ever "grow" your pole barn?