New house - garage questions

[maverick302]

I'll try to make this as short as I can... In the process of purchasing a new (first) home, should likely be settling very soon. It's a bit of a fixer so we are getting a renovation loan.

One of the first things I want to do is break out the existing garage floor and repour it. It's settled quite a bit everywhere, but near the foundation it's dropped enough to crack up big sections in the corners. The surface overall is pretty rough. Just looks like the builder did a piss poor job there, which is odd because the rest of the house is pretty solid. There is also a vertical crack in the chimney - our home inspector said it's common and due to thermal expansion, not settling of the foundation, so I hope he's right.

The house has hydronic baseboard, and the boiler is in the basement along the wall below the back of the garage. I would love to do radiant heat in the future, but it's not in the cards right now, or anytime soon.

I am absolutely the type to do my research and learn everything I can before making decisions like this, but there is so much info on radiant heating and not much of it applies to my situation, and time is a factor, so I'm looking for a starting point. My questions are:

1. Can/should I spend the extra coin now to insulate the slab and install the pex, so when I am ready I have the option? Or is this a bulk of the cost and I should just do it fully right away?
2. Would it be possible to tap into the boiler for the house, and still have on/off functionality without freezing concerns?
3. Would I be better off just pouring the slab and getting an electric or propane heater?
4. Anything else you might recommend looking into doing during demo or repour?

Thanks, and sorry the pictures aren't the best, I only have what I've taken when I've had a chance to walk through.

 

[kd3pc]

on the existing boiler...it is likely sized for the home, insulated air space and the like.

I would doubt that it will handle the added thermal load of a slab. You would also want to be able to control those two areas separately and that will require additional plumbing and control.

You might look at the age of your current boiler, as old age and added load may render it dead.

As to the concrete, you are looking at significant cost and labor for very little gain...unless you are wanting a showroom, I would clean things up and patch the corners. And bank the money for higher priority repairs. Be sure to make sure your renovation loan can be used for garages or unheated space, many are specific to heated living areas only.

just my thoughts, but for a first home, I would slow down and prioritize everything, then add $10K to an emergency fund.

best of luck

 

[Nowater]

Call a chimney man for a quote on fixing that, at least against water intrusion.

I suggest energy efficiency upgrades should take a priority, such as replacing windows with insulated thermal windows, doors with insulated metal or fiberglass doors, and adding insulation to the attic. If there is a basement pay close attention to the intersection of the sill plate and the foundation wall. My last house close to your area had gaps I could see daylight through.

As far as the garage, consider white topping the floor with high strength concrete. I cant see what you have, so get some local quotes and opinions.

Have the heater inspected and act accordingly. Make sure you don't have aluminum wiring.

Tell us more...

 

[maverick302]

Boiler will be new. Propane. Heat pump with outdoor reset. Wiring is not aluminum, the slab will be out of pocket, the renovation loan is pretty much spoken for since we had to get in depth with estimates and bank approval. Like I said the whole surface is pretty rough and sunken, I have a 76" Matco box I want to put right where that busted up corner is. I agree it's a lot of cost for little gain but it would drive me nuts. I know I don't have pictures of the surface, but is white topping a viable solution for sinking/cracking concrete? Won't it continue to settle and crack the top layer? Thanks for the replies.

 

[matt_i]

Couple of random thoughts. The driveway was likely put in after all the concrete was poured. Along those lines, just driving a loaded concrete truck up the drive might splinter, crack, cave it in, or roll it up. Pump trucks might be able to help.

I would say you have to consider how you are going to use the garage and floor. 1) once you start the heat up, you don't turn it on and off, it must stay on despite you not being there. Obviously there is a thermostat to maintain control but its not like you decide to go out after dinner and warm it up in 10 minutes. 2) a lot of "first" houses get turned over within a few years as jobs change or families expand.

My recommendation then is to try to breakout the concrete, fix problems with the subgrade (iow, get rid of any sand fill, compact soil, put in a washed limestone base, compact, vapor barrier, setup reinforcement, repour it at minimum 4" thick, and not trash the driveway along the way. Skip the PEX for reasons above, unless you have a compellingly different setup.

I think for your situation something like a natural gas hanging heater (Modine Hot Dawg or the like, then with propane jets installed) would be an easy & fast choice, with some work by a roofer to get the penetration properly sealed, someone to run the gas line. It would probably be very much appreciated by the next homeowner if/when you decide to move, and thus a minor good selling point.

Another issue that just crossed my mind is scheduling. You mentioned remodeling the house. If self done, you will definitely need the garage space to store tools and materials out of the way. So along those lines you can't have it as a big dirt pit and nothing can be stored inside of it, and expect to do renovations concurrently. So it will either have to be A#1 on the list of tasks or wait until the end.

 

[Cyberbear]

The concrete floor project should be viewed as something that was originally done improperly and needs to be corrected, not simply tolerated. Bad concrete never gets better, only worse with the passage of time. Unfortunately, re-doing the concrete will be expensive, but once properly installed should outlast the home and you. Options can include new concrete with an internal heating conduits, or go electrical, and/or plan on another heating system in the future. At least you will have prepared the new slab ahead of time, using high strength concrete mix and plenty of rebar.