Time to raise the roof....

[MoparCharlie]

New guy here looking to get pointed in the right direction.

I am a former auto tech, so I know Mopars..Construction not so much.

Here's my deal.

I have a 20 year old 20' x 25' detached garage with 8' ceilings.
It has a proper 4 foot deep cinder block foundation with a poured concrete floor and the walls are 2x4 construction..
I'd like to raise the roof by 2' - 4' in order to get a 2 post lift in there.


Like I said, I have very little knowlege in construction so I will be hiring a contractor to do this, but what do you think would be the most cost effective way of doing this?

Any and all suggestions are welcome.

P.S. If anybody has any questions about Mopar products from the 90's on PM me I'd be glad to help any way I can. I worked a a tech in dealerships from 93 to 2008.

 

[PAToyota]

Similar discussion started just the other week: http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=179860

 

[Steevo]

Given that you have "a proper cinder block foundation", I would opt for lifting the building and increasing the height using a few courses of additional cinder blocks.
This avoids many of the issues discussed in the linked thread above.

 

[Cryptic1911]

^ I agree. Raise the whole structure and add new block underneath. That will be the quickest, cheapest, and easiest way to do what you want

 

[cyamaha2007]

All in all id add more blocks.

 

[Higgins]

A building that small is no big deal!
Look in your yellow pages for Structural House Movers!
They will be able to lift it in place, block the foundation, and set it back down!

A local Habitat project lifted a garage with a tractor, and replaced the rotten plate with womanized wood and sat her back down in one day! So it's been done numerous ways....

 

[bgarrett]

womanized wood ...

 

[camarotoolman]

If you could learn to lay block, (its easy, if your back is ok) You should be ablr to diye. Low tech.

 

[MoparCharlie]

Thanks for all the replies.

You make a new guy feel welcome.

 

[kbs2244]

The choice between rising the building and adding at the top often involves how much stuff is coming out of the ground and through the walls.
You can get electric, Natural gas, telephone, computer wires, etc.

I have done it both ways.
I no longer like to work in the air.
(My youngest is working 20 stories up on a plank right now,)
It never used to bother me, but my reflexes are not what they used to be.

If you are going to hire it out, get quotes both ways.
Any good carpenter can do the high way.
You may need to find a “house mover” to lift it.