HullNumber.com - Operation: Lift Garage

HullNumber.com - Operation: Lift Garage

Due to the slow economy during Summer 2009, I tackled the last, and hardest, improvement needed at my house, fixing the foundation and drainage of my garage. My 12'x18' one car garage was built on the property line and new building ordinances required that if replaced, it would have be 4 feet from the property line. A new one car garage didn't make $ense and a new two car garage would not fit on my lot. The solution:

Jack the Garage Out of the Ground and Add to the Foundation

	My garage, built out of house construction leftovers in 1933, was set on an inadequate foundation. The freeze/thaw cycles through the years sank my garage in to the ground to the wall sill boards.	Click to Enlarge
	With my garage sinking into the ground through the years, the two layers of blacktop in the driveway formed a slight hump about 25' from the sidewalk and during heavy rain the water drained into the garage. The water flowed towards the gap between my garage and the building next to it on the down hill side of the garage.	Click to Enlarge
	On the down hill side of the garage, the wall sill board was continuously wet and had disinegrated.	Click to Enlarge
	I started by sistering the studs and wall header 2x4 of the down hill wall. The "new" roof rafters are part of a reroofing of the the garage I did four years ago. I felt the entire wall was in danger of falling apart when lifted. I used 10d x 2 1/2" nails to "tack" the sisters in place and renail the siding to the sisters from the outside.	Click to Enlarge	Lumber = $26 Hdware = $12	8 ManHours
	After tacking the sisters in place, I drilled pilot holes and sledged home 20d x 4" nails along the upper lifting 2x4s. The 20d nails are the larger nail heads in the photo.	Click to Enlarge
	On the the uphill wall and back wall I sistered only along the walls 2x4 headers and again drilled pilot holes and used 20d nails to hold it together while litfting it. The uphill wall seemed in good shape and I did not sister the studs.	Click to Enlarge	Lumber = $14 HdWare = $12	8 ManHours
	I sited a jacking post location in each corner and halfway down each wall. I cut the sill plates back at each spot with an electric chain saw. The jacking posts are 4"x4"x8' treated posts. The notch had to be cut within 2.5" of the garage wall siding.	Click to Enlarge		1 ManHours
	I thought I would be able to chisel and sledge through 75 year old "punky" cinder blocks. I was wrong!	Click to Enlarge		1 ManHours
	I rented an electric jack hammer and worked my way through a cinder block, then an odd square glazed drainpipe, and finally into a footer of rubble concreted into a mass. I took each post hole down to 24" deep.	Click to Enlarge	Jack Hammer Rental = $60	6 ManHours
	Each jacking post attached to the garage was cut to fit between the existing sill board and the existing header 2x4. The tops of the jacking posts had to be notched to fit under the sister of the header board.	Click to Enlarge
	Each of the 6 jacking posts that have been cut to fit the garage wall at its post hole location, is then fitted with a "collar" of two pieces of OSB 8" x 48" and a 2"x4"x4'. The collar holds a 4x4 cemented in to the post hole, against the 4x4 attached to the garage wall. The dark colored 4x4 and its collar slides along the light colored 4x4 when jacked.	Click to Enlarge
	Each collar consists of 2 pieces of OSB. One piece of OSB per collar has to have strips of 1/8" wood glued and brad-ed to it to insure the dark colored 4x4 has room to slide past the light colored 4x4.	Click to Enlarge		1 ManHours
	When assembling the collar, C-Clamp the two pieces of OSB (one with the spacing strips) and place a 1/8" spacer piece under the 2x4x48". Fasten the parts togeter with 8 x #8 x 2 1/2" per piece of OSB. 16 per post.. x 6 posts = 96 screws.	Click to Enlarge
	When assembled, all 6 double posts with collars will slide manually.	Click to Enlarge	Lumber = $100 HdWare = $12	4 ManHours
	Set each double post with collar into its location and use a block and lever combination as pictured to press the top of the post into the garage's existing sill plate. Secure the 4x4 to the garage with screws through the siding, high and low.	Click to Enlarge		3 ManHours
	Place a small rock under the post to be cemented in place and then cut the post off 18" above the top of the OSB. The rock under the post allows cement to get under the post and set up. The 18" cut off above the OSB allows a full 12-14" of travel to allow room to set an additional cinder block on top of the existing foundation.	Click to Enlarge
	To prepare to cement the posts in place, lift the post clear and secure with a nail (see next photo).	Click to Enlarge
	Hold post up as high as it will travel in collar and use one nail at the 2x4 to hold it in place.	Click to Enlarge
	To cement the post in place, put 4-6" of cement in the bottom of the hole and then drop the post in place by pulling the nail holding it up.	Click to Enlarge
	Fill the hole with concrete and work it with a stick to make sure there are no voids. Add more concrete if needed and smooth a bit with your trowel. Repeat for the other 5 posts.	Click to Enlarge	Cement = $24	3 ManHours
	I next chipped away all the blacktop that was lapping against the existing sill boards to prevent any resistance from breaking free when jacked up.	Click to Enlarge		1 ManHour
	A 6 Ton Bottle Jack will fit between the two "butt" surfaces. the upper surface has a 3/8"x8" Lag Bolt securing it. The lower surface has a 3/8"x4" Lag Bolt holding it together. A 3/8" x 12" drill bit is required to drill the holes.	Click to Enlarge	HdWare = $8	2 ManHours
	The forecast for D-Day called for winds gusting to 50 MPH, so I added a X-Brace made of 2X4s secured at the X with a piece of All-Thread..	Click to Enlarge		2 ManHours
	Place a 6 Ton Bottle Jack between the Butting surfaces and jack up gently. Raise one half of a 2x4... 1 1/2"... at a time rotating in a circle through the six jacking posts.	Click to Enlarge
	Once all 6 posts are raised 12-14 inches, set a 2x4 of the appropriate length between the Butting Surfaces and secure with one nail.	Click to Enlarge		6 ManHours
	After sweeping off all the exposed foundation blocks, I discovered most of the downhill blocks were crumbling and canted down hill. I filled the voids in the blocks with gravel and then applied a cement "Cap" on top of the blocks to level and "firm" them.	Click to Enlarge	Cement = $6	2 ManHours
	Photo of adding an additional course of block on the existing foundation. Run a string with a level and try to compensate for the uneveness of the existing blocks by using varying amounts of mortar.	Click to Enlarge
	I used three bricks in the middle of the course to minimize the gaps in the cinder blocks at the points where the jacking posts are located.	Click to Enlarge	Mortar = $15	6 Manhours
	Gaps like this were at all six post locations. These were "closed" with forms and cemented solid.	Click to Enlarge
	Use of neighboring wall to prop outside forms in place.	Click to Enlarge
	In a corner post location, I placed a galvanized fitting in the form to use to lock my lawn mower in place.	Click to Enlarge	HdWare = $5
	A corner form ready to fill.	Click to Enlarge		2 ManHours
	Fill all the post locations with cement. I had two extra bags and used them to fill the joints between blocks.	Click to Enlarge	Cement = $20	3 Manhours
	Jacking post location with form stripped away. Note: "Collar" is still in place.	Click to Enlarge
	Here is the above location with new sill board. I have stripped one side of "collar". I can't get the other side of the "collar" off because it is within 2" of a wall stud.	Click to Enlarge
	I cut the 4x4s that are cemented into the ground down to maximize room in the garage. This post is an example of one side of the OSB "collar" being unremovable due to the closeness of a wall stud. I trimmed the unremovable OSB with an electric chain saw.	Click to Enlarge
	The front of the garage was out of square after being lifted and then set on a different foundation. I rigged a come-along to a couple of 3/8"x 6" eye-bolts and cranked it slightly past square and let it sit for several days.	Click to Enlarge		8 ManHours
	Shot of the come-along pulling on the diagonal to square the garage door opening.	Click to Enlarge	Hdware = $4	1 ManHour
	With the come-along holding the garge square I started fitting out the raised garage. First, a step was needed to get up to the garage door. I built this out of what was on hand.	Click to Enlarge		2 ManHours
	The step was made of the 2x4x48" pieces from the "collars". Since they are not treated, I gave them two coats of spar varnish that I had on hand.	Click to Enlarge		1 ManHour
	Side view of garage sitting on extra course of block, however... the window was frozen in place, had to be pried out of its frame and trimmed to fit in its opening to be able to open and close.	Click to Enlarge		1 ManHour
	With the garage held square, I cleaned out the "alley" between the garage and the building next door. There was stump in there that stopped any water from moving through smoothly. Luckily the stump was so rotten that I sledged it to pieces in 40 minutes. Next I graded the alley to form a ditch to move heavy rain water through.	Click to Enlarge		2 ManHours
	I had built this "gate" to block the alley four years ago when I roofed the garage. After raising the garage, it would be easy to crawl under the gate. I lowered it.	Click to Enlarge		1 ManHours
	After three days of being held square with the come along and having fixed all the things that developed from raising the garage, it was time to address the garage door alignment. I used the come-along and some wedging to get things aligned.	Click to Enlarge
	I cut a bracket for each side of the garage door out of some 1"x1"x1/8" angle iron I had on hand. I secured it to the the garage door timbers and the corner jacking post on each side. Pictured protruding from a piece of 4x4 are 60d x 6" spiral fluted nails that will be sledged down to secure everything in to a mass to prevent any movement.	Click to Enlarge
	I built up the inner corners of the garage door to the level of the bottoms of the garage door trolley rails. Everything was made of treated lumber, cut precisely, cross fastened then set PERMANENTLY in a little pool of contrete.	Click to Enlarge		5 ManHours
	Finished. The 7" gap under the garage door will give the elevation needed to, with a new concrete diveway next year, get the water draining towards the street.	Click to Enlarge	$316 Total	80 ManHours
	Before winding this up I have to give Thanks to my friend and neighbor, Jim 4Jacks, seen here on the right in his garage checking out Joe's Sportster. Jim is a mechanic, biker, chopper builder, Army vet, a good friend. Jim and his wife Barb are way good people. Thanks for all your support through the years!	Click to Enlarge
	Well, it's done.... until next spring when I pour the garage floor slab and new driveway. I could only under take this job cause my Dad was a SeaBee and I was a Hull Tech on a Gator Freighter. I count as my first blessing that I am from good people with a strong work ethic. My second blessing is that I was born in the greatest country on earth, The United States of America. My third blessing is that I got underway in the US Navy at age 19 and learned that I was capable of doing man sized work.	Click to Enlarge