Rescuing some old buildings...

[dabirdguy]

Hey all,
I have entered into the world of the insane....I think.
We have bought a bank.... and 2 store fronts. All built in 1902.

I will post pics of the conversion of one of the store fronts into a garage.

Here is a link to the current status of the place. Store one will become the garage:

http://glennsplace.com/the_bank.htm

We will remove half the front glass and bricks and replace them with a garage door.

The first issue I need to deal with is the support of the floor.
The store is on 12 x 2 old wood timbers on 12" centers. the front half is on a 2 foot crawlspace. The back half is a full basement.

Options I can see are:
1. Completely backfill the crawlspace with pea gravel.
2. Remove the flooring and fill the space with a combination of screenings and a 4" slab.
3. Re-enforce the beams with a pair of steel I-beams.

The store is 27 feet wide and 65' deep. I intend to only have 2 cars in at a time. I have rolled complete motors across the floor on dollies with no issue. The wood looks to be in good shape. Cost is a definite issue as the budget is low.

Ideas?

 

[sreno]

What a great project!

As a senior member, you're not going into this blindfolded

I'm anxious to follow your progress!

Shawn

My obsession: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=28505

 

[Dan in Pasadena]

I'm not sure why you think you need to do anything to a floor of 2x12's on 12" centers. That's a pretty stout floor right there. What is is sheathed with? If it's thin you may be able to just lay out 3/4" marine grade plywood. Are you CERTAIN those 2x's are not dryrotted, cracked, etc?

 

[Lippyp]

Could you do a concrete beam and block floor? Is this a technology much in use in the USA? It makes for a quick and easy to lay floor and its very strong as the tech came out of commercial buildings such as multistory car parks. They are T shaped beams laid upside down the right distance apart for concrete blocks to be laid between them, you then put a screed of concrete on top with reinforcing mesh if needed. My several hundred years old house in France has had trhe main floor replaced with a floor like this and its very strong, would easily work as a garage floor.

 

[Terranova]

So jealous.
So cool.
Hope there's lots of cool interior stuff left in the bank.

How often does the train come through?

How did the competing bank across the street fair before it became the post office?

 

[Jagmandave]

Where is this? What state? Cause Google doesn't seem to know it......

 

[dabirdguy]

The Bank is in La Prairie, IL. about 35 miles ENE of Quincy, IL.
Both banks folded in 1932.

The reason to re-enforce the floor is that i want lift!!!
I'm too old to crawl under cars anymore.
LOL

The vault is still there and works!

Glenn

 

[BlackTalon]

You should maintain a vent space below the wood framing for long-term durability. If you need a stronger floor either sister the joists or tear out the wood system, prep the subgrade and install a concrete slab.

You could also remove a portion of the flooring where you want to install the lift and excavate down between joists to install concrete piers or even a reinforced concrete strip to anchor/ support the lift columns.

 

[Interex]

I was just about to ask about the vault! Very cool!!

 

[SCscoutguy]

That is a really cool project you have going there. Did you also get the small parcel of land behind the bank so you can have a little yard?
https://www.google.com/maps/place/L...2!3m1!1s0x87e0bb360cc5cbe7:0x32ab68cc9a965600
You said you got the two adjacent stores but what about the third?
https://www.google.com/maps/place/L...2!3m1!1s0x87e0bb360cc5cbe7:0x32ab68cc9a965600

 

[captain14]

This is going to be an interested thread to follow.

Hard to tell from the second floor, is it just torn up or is there water damage?

 

[Stuart in MN]

Very cool project. La Prairie looks to be the definition of a sleepy little town. The buildings appear to be in pretty good shape.

It's interesting that the post office building across the street also used to be a bank; having two banks in town that size would have been unusual even back in the old days.

 

[Chris705]

Are you starting with remodeling store 1 or will you focus on the bank and store 2 as your home first? I ask because if you start with the garage in store 1 first then I would think one of your thoughts of filling in the basement/crawlspace to get the slab and OH doors at grade would be a good consideration. If you were going to delay working on store 1 then I say think about the options for a while (while working on the bank and store 2) and a the best solution will emerge. Also I think developing an overall plan of attack on your project will keep you focused where deviation from originally laid plans often get yourself into problems. Just my $.02 - It does look like a really cool project. And btw please get the roofs in proper order before doing too much else.

 

[930dreamer]

WOW, this will be a very cool project. I bet walking on the old wood floor sounds great.

 

[Thumper68]

Very cool project. I will be following this one for sure. I have always loved old buildings.

 

[thetastelingers]

All I can think is "Staged bank robbery in the future"

 

[tommudd]

So many possibilities

 

[Jagmandave]

I know a fellow who bought some old buildings like this when he retired and built a fantastic hobby shop in them, he's still building cars now in his mid - 80's

This looks like a fun build, hope you can get it done quickly so you can start enjoying it!

 

[colt zantop]

Awesome!!! Your living one of my MANY dreams lol

 

[saltfuture]

This is my DREAM! Subscribed!

 

[archauto]

Love the idea of re-use of existing buildings,those are great and not to molested over the years.
Do you have rear access such as a dedicated alley? The reason I ask is that the street elevations are very character defining for the street and the town and in great condition as far as I can tell. It would be nice to save and restore the storefronts since they are already in place, then replace the back doors with the garage door in the "alley" or restore those back doors for your use. Hopefully you will find the existing window sashes in the bank, their fairly easy to rehabilitate and make useful again.
The old saying goes that it's your guiding and you can do what you want, but you've got such a treasure there, it would be way more interesting to restore the existing.
The National Park Service has Preservation briefs that can help the restoration of everything.
Can you tell I have an interest in histEric preservation?

 

[Ajustable]

This Is definitely "Neat", Great score.

 

[mmack66]

Love the idea of re-use of existing buildings,those are great and not to molested over the years.
Do you have rear access such as a dedicated alley? The reason I ask is that the street elevations are very character defining for the street and the town and in great condition as far as I can tell. It would be nice to save and restore the storefronts since they are already in place, then replace the back doors with the garage door in the "alley" or restore those back doors for your use. Hopefully you will find the existing window sashes in the bank, their fairly easy to rehabilitate and make useful again.
The old saying goes that it's your guiding and you can do what you want, but you've got such a treasure there, it would be way more interesting to restore the existing.
The National Park Service has Preservation briefs that can help the restoration of everything.
Can you tell I have an interest in histEric preservation?

Those were my thoughts, as well.

 

[volleyball]

Are you going to live in the bank? I guess you don't have to worry about maintaining the old facades in that town.

 

[dabirdguy]

Yes we are going to live in the bank and the upstairs.
Spent the day yesterday finishing some plumbing issues, lubing the front door lock, and and getting the furnaces to work.

The roof is fine. 5 years ago they did a 10 year foam roof. All the damage is on the inside now ad from before the roof repair.

We bought the "alley" behind and have access to it. There is a double door at the rear for loading. It is about 2 1/2 feet above the ground. Putting in a driveway would run it over water, gas and electrical lines and the septic system. Not a good idea. Plus i would need to reinforce the floor over the half basement.

 

[Kevin54]

I hate to ask, but will......what sort of price for something like that?

And I am seriously jealous for sure. AND it comes with a bank vault/safe room/ gun storage. The buildings look to be in great shape from the outside view. Nice and straight, and clean.

Any idea on the history of them as to what the two stores were beside the bank in their former life?

Oh.....and just to let you know.....YOU ****

 

[dabirdguy]

Thank you Kevin.
The price for the property was $12,000.

The middle store was last an appliance store and before that a hardware store.
The other store was a repair shop.

The bank and the one across the street (most recently a Post Office) both failed in 1932.

The building was built in 1902.

 

[Bib Overalls]

Very, very cool. I'd like to go for something like that but my wife would never go along.

Checked out you web page. Neat stuff.

 

[archauto]

Glen,
How deep are the utilities in the alley? I'd assume they are deep enough that driving over them shouldn't be a problem.
As far as the floor reinforcing over the basement area, it might be easier to add structure because there is adequate space to maneuver beams and columns yet retain the basement for storage.
The back door could fairly easily be modified to accept a garage door size of your choice since the back wall is not supporting much of the roof. If the center beam of the building bears above where the door is, it wouldn't taker to much to add a beam over the door to carry the roof beam.

 

[archauto]

Glen,
Forgot to give you a lot of praise for taking on such a project. It's easy for us to give you armchair advice from wherever we sitting in warmth typing on our tablets an computers, but you have taken a big leap of faith. Congrats.

 

[SCscoutguy]

The big question is can you get high speed internet?

 

[dabirdguy]

Thanks all.
AND....Would you believe it? The town has FIBER OPTIC internet connections.
That is important as I am a computer programmer for a living and it was a big part of the decision!

 

[dabirdguy]

Finished replacing the septic tank. The previous tank consisted of a 55 gallon drum. Adding a water heater is next project.