1st post -- Leaning garage question

[Brent Barkow]

Our house was built in 1959 and has a detached single-car garage. It is frame construction on a slab, appx 12 X 24.

The garage is about 3 inches off plumb from the foundation to the eave. The garage is still square to the foundation, so the foundation must have settled on one side.

Is there something I can do to fix this myself? I was thinking that I may be able to somehow jack up the garage on the low side and slide another pressure-treated 2x6 under the frame. Then I'd have to cut another shim at the proper angle to fit under the frame at the gable ends.

Or maybe to have it mud-jacked under the slab is the only answer. How much would that cost?

Any input appreciated, Brent

[Dan G]

Do some more research. Borrow a builders level ( the kind with the tripod) or a laser. Shoot both sides of the garage. I suspect that the end with the door has racked out of plumb, rather than one side sinking. Another check would be to use a 4' hand level up the corner or up the door edge to check for plumb. There is very little surface on the door end to install wind bracing and this is a common problem. I do not understand what you mean about the garage still being square to the foundation.

If I am correct, ask again if you need some ideas for fixing.

#################### Keep the whole world singing. . . Dan G (remove the 7)

[Thund3rstruck]

Brent Barkow Spilled my beer when they jumped on the table and proclaimed in :

Sounds similar to my garage. In my case, the slab was slightly cracked but the big culprit was the footer boards for the lower wall had dry rotted out. Have you checked these first, just in case?

NOI

[Brent Barkow]

*excellent advice snipped*

I'll check it out. Thanks for the replies. So if it's racked, lag bolts and come-alongs?

Brent

[L. M. Rappaport]

On 19 Oct 2003 18:13:20 -0700, [e-mail] (Brent Barkow) wrote (with possible editing):

FWIW, I'd get it a tad past square with a come-along (or two or even better three) and then install corner bracing between the walls and ceiling joists. When you release the come-along it should settle square. You might also brace the rear wall with 1 x 6's, although that won't help the front.

[Frank Boettcher]

If it truly is differentially settled and it is a monolithic slab curb wall/grade beam.

Dig six holes around the garage, four on the corners and two in the middle of the long run. holes should be about 24" X 24" square 18" deeper than the current grade beam bottom (or at least below the frost line for your area if the original builder did not turn down to the frost line) with 12" of the width actually under the grade beam. back fill the holes with six inches of sand gravel mix. Set a short timber in each hole. Place a low profile jack (rented) on each timber. Set up an optical level (rented) facing the lowest corner where you can see down both walls away from the corner and establish a dimension that the wall is low from the highest point marking the wall above each jack. take all the slack out of the jacks. get five friends to man the jacks. Give the command to jack and the lowest corner gets X strokes, the two closest to the low corner get X-1 number of strokes, the next two get X-2 strokes the high corner gets no strokes. You will have to work out the exact math based on the the stroke dimension on your jacks. Watch your marks, when they all come to grade then stop. stack slag blocks in the hole next to the jack. it may take a stroke up and then release down to get the wall supported by the blocks and off the jack. Pull all the jacks and timbers out of the holes and back fill them with concrete.

I had a small house leveled using this method. It was amazing how simple it was. Guy charged $8K to do it (it had 16 pits around the house) but it struck me that there was nothing you could not do yourself if you wanted to do a little work. The house was in the deep south with no frost heave potential so the turn down at the perimeter of the slab was only 12".

Keep >Our house was built in 1959 and has a detached single-car garage. It

[Dan G]

If it is racked, you might consider having some 1/8 steel plate sheared to the width dimension of the wall from the inside corner to the door. Check each side. Pull, push, pry, or whatever it takes to get slightly past plumb. Install the steel sheet to the bottom plate, stem wall (if you have one), top plate, and all studs in the wall. Be generous with the nails or screws (either will require pre-drilling). Look at the possibility of installing the longest possible diagonal bracing that will just clear the door's upper corner. Look at installing long diagonal bracing from the side wall top plate to the top pate at the corner. Flat steel strapping, wire rope and turnbuckles, and lumber all count as bracing.

#################### Keep the whole world singing. . . Dan G (remove the 7)

Brent Barkow wrote:

[Rick]

Is it noticeable? If not, leave it alone. It probably will not move any further.

[Brent Barkow]

The most glaring thing is that the garage door is gapped away from the concrete on one end. You can also see quite clearly from the street that the garage appears a little closer to the house at the top than at the bottom. It's probably just a cosmetic issue, but my street is on its way back from being a "retirement street" to being a "young family street". I want to do my part to keep things looking nice, you know?

Brent

[John]

Jacking and shimming it should be quite easy to do if you can detach the sill-plate from the foundation (is it bolted?).

I've jacked and shimed my cottage many times - even replaced the support posts it sits on. Two or 3 jacks work best. I have two "bottle" jacks and a screw-type cottage jack.

John

[Brent Barkow]

"John" posts it sits on. Two or 3 jacks work best. I have two "bottle" jacks and

I'm assuming (incorrectly?) that you jack from the inside. How do you jack with even pressure along the wall? Do you screw a long piece of lumber across the studs and jack against that, or do you shim a short section of the wall at a time?

Thx, Brent

[John]

In my case, since the cottage is raised (sitting on posts), I jack from underneath.

In your case, the trick will be creating a secure spot to jack on and getting the sill-plate to release from the foundation.

Without seeing the situation, is sounds to me like a 2X6 screwed or lagged to the studs on the inside would do the trick. I'd locate it as low as possible to still allow the jacks to fit under it. Ideally, 3 jacks (located at each end and centre) and alternate from one to the other to raise it sufficiently to allow insertion of the shim(s). For safety, you could insert thinner spacers as you go to hold it should a jack slip.

I think you'll be suprised at how easily it will go up (provided you can free it from the foundation).

John

[John]

more...

and, since the adjoining ends of the garage (front and back?) will need to raise as well, their sill-plates will need to be released and shimmed accordingly. You may need to use a pry-bar to help release the sill-plates from the foundation once the nuts/fasteners have been removed.

John

"John" possible to still allow the jacks to fit under it. Ideally, 3 jacks