Thanks to all who providing comment/insight into my question regarding the
use of wood to construct garage floors. I recieved numerous helful ideas
I originally thought of the wooden floor for three reasons
- cost - I could construct the frost wall and build the floor myself thus
eliminating the need for specialist contractors to lay the slab
- comfort - wood would be a darn sight warmer and more comfortable to lie
or walk on
- pit - through careful construction of the floor framing I could create
an area from which I could remove the flooring and crawl into a lined
depression between the joists to give me a sort of pseudo pit
I had totally neglected to consider the effects of sanding and welding on
the floor - thanks for those thoughts. I will now probably end up with a
slab or a slab and frost wall. The latter is most probable since tin due
course the house will be connected to the garage by a proposed extension.
The frost wall should help stabilize the relative movement of the house,
extension and garage thus reducing the possibility of leaks at the roof
joints connecting the three major components.
I will build a 25 x 30 gambrel roofed garage with two 8'H x 9'W doors in
one narrow end. The upper floor will serve as a wood hobby workshop (will
probably design the floor for a live load of 100 pounds per square foot
and a dead load of 15 pounds per square foot - does any one have any idea
whether this loading is overkill for domestic wood working tools like a
ShopSmith, radial arm saw, bandsaw etc). I will probably use a 30' I-Beam
running the length of the building - this should allow me to eliminate the
support poles on the main floors. I had originally intended to use a 25'
I-beam running the width of the building but then there would be nothing
to tie together the sides of the building at the top floor level - bowing
of the sides could result.
Looking at a 9' or 10' ceiling for the main floor - I am not too worried
about resale value since they will take me from this place only a box.
Once again thanks for the input - the list is worth its weight in gold for
batting around ideas like this.
Preston Smith
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| Waiting for MGB top down driving weather!
| By the water in Head of St Margaret's Bay, Nova Scotia, Canada.
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| email: prsmith@cast.navnet.net
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