I wanted to increase the height of my standard 24' x 22' double garage to accommodate a 4 post lift. I did the job using simple bottle jacks and about $400 worth of lumber.
Quick note: If you want to explain the horrors of the hinge point, go ahead. However realize that 75% of the studs in the garage are full ten foot length. This video was published before the entire project was done, but I do cite the importance of the full length stud. Apologies but I'm inundated with comments about this from people who only watch part of the video, or don't read the comments.
HA !!! The internet. The magic of the world at their fingertips and eye holes. Yet, the patience of "sh*t their pants" toddlers. Great video, man. I have a plywood floor, 24' by 24', hip roof building. Going to jack it up, to pour a concrete slab. It's currently pier and beam .. .. so I do have some work ahead. My jack points will all be outside the structure. .. but your video helped immensely. Thanks so much, for posting !!!!
So I took the time to read all 285 comments and their replies and here are my observations. All of those who question the structural integrity and have a better way, fail to recognize two fundamental concepts: (1) It's his property, his house, his shed. He gets to make the risk assessment for himself (within the limitations imposed by local codes and inspectors - IF ANY). (2) There are many ways to skin a cat. He did it this way. It worked. It is safe. It complies with local codes. So if you have a better, or even just a different way, by all means please share your video. I will watch and consider your approach as well.
I just came across this video as I ponder on my shed I will be lifting. You can tell this process has been well thought out. Hell ya! Obviously this worked but if it hadn't just imagine what else he would have learned. Great job on pointing out the mistakes in the people commenting. You can not google experience you have to earn that!
My son and I just raised his 20 X 24 feet garage by one full meter ( 39 inches ) We simply copied your technique and it worked perfectly. If it had not been for your video, we would still be looking for a safe way to do it Thanks.
Don't know how in this thread. But if, in Facebook, you search for Pierre Grégoire in La Malbaie you will find a few photos. I will leave them for a few short weeks.
what's cool is this: you had an idea, you gave it a lot of thought, developed a plan and put it into action. seeing someone make an effort is an inspiration!
Nice work. We raised my sons garage up just 8 inches so we could set it on cement blocks. The slab and lawn grading caused water to infiltrate the sill plate. Putting it up on blocks was to prevent the sill plate from rotting. I would have much rather followed your method with the pony wall. 😊 The garage was very old and had car siding on the exterior walls. The building had a pronounced lean to the east. I think prevailing west winds pushed it out of square. After we had it raised we put OSB in the corners to reinforce it and prevent the racking that it originally had. Just after we finished a large storm came through and dropped a big branch out of a maple tree onto the roof. State Farm paid for a new roof to be installed and for painting the garage after the roof was done. 😊
car siding = tongue and groove aka shiplap for those wondering you were smart to use masonry units to protect against said flooding, should have asked your insurance adjuster for more money for foundation slab improvements to get it raised out of floods harm
I've been contemplating doing the same thing because a new bigger garage is super expensive!! So I've been thinking about rising the roof instead haven't decided yet but your video has given me a second option. Thanks
Good idea with the sistering of wall studs. Million ways to anything, at least u got it done versus many of us that just comment on doing. Fun vid. Older car repairman in town has 8 or so railroad jacks, borrowed 2xs for jobs like these. One type is giant screw and others are like old lever car jacks.
I’ve actually done this and I ended up burning the whole structure and building again, I put so many supports in and it still twisted beyond repair, well done mte 👏🏻👏🏻
I've been racking my brain about redesigning my roof trusses to gain headroom and now I come across this guy! Holy crap what an idea! My shop is 24x36 though 😅
The method should work. As long as you reinforce the structure a bit, those bottle jacks will lift an incredible amount of weight. You could do three cross beams to be safe. You can order custom LVL beams in whatever size you want. Since I did this, I came up with all sorts of improvements. For example, you could lift from the outside.... you could lift off the roof.... you could use an automotive 4 post lift.... So many options. It's not as scary as it seems.
I'm impressed,. very well thought out. great job. I like how you addressed the hinge potential. it's similar to the Hyatt Regency walk way failure in the 1980's.
I know your comment was 2 years ago, but you are correct. Was studying mechanical engineering at the time of the collapse and very similar to this hinge on the pony wall. However I believe the poster eliminated this scenario with full length studs in certain areas.
Great to see. Thanks for filming & posting this. I have to do this to pour a new floor and exterior concrete area 1 foot higher than the original. It was very useful to see the method for lifting with 4 jacks. Your bracing matches what I see in the local building moving company yards when they have removed garages sitting for sale. As a tip, the house & building movers round here use dishwashing liquid for lubrication! Whether between timber or metal surfaces apparently it works better than grease or oil!
I always read the expert's in the comment section on how "they" say it should be done. And most don't have a clue and just throwing out stupid opinions. Your comment sir is exactly what this section is intended for: "use dishwash fluid for lubrication"! Brilliant and helpful comment. Thank You.
61spindrift I know what you mean! My dad used to be in demolition & I was brought up around old building demo & construction. The first time I heard of the dishwash liquid was when a 3000 ton building was moved in my city. The engineers had a situation trying to slide the building on rails and had tried the greases, oils & high-tech ptfe lubricants but were stumped by the sheer load. One of the experienced contractors suggested he pop into the supermarket next door (literally next door) and get the solution they always use - Palmolive dishwashing liquid (similar to Fairy Liquid). Worked a treat and averted a huge delay. This a is good summary of that move but it doesn't mention the liquid. I've read about it in another story. (They also mention the 5000 ton hotel shift in New York 1888.) i.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/9054381/Training-all-eyes-on-shifting-a-hotel
This video is great! I have a 1950 2.5 car garage that I thinking to lift. My neighbor suggested to raise the roof instead but I believe that it would be more wonky and unstable to try and do that. It too is also 2x4 structured. Id actually like to move it about 100' and attach it to my house, thats a totally different video right there. Lol Great job and very informative, thank you.
Great video. Did the exact same thing years ago to a 12 by 16 shed that was slowly rotting into the ground. Raised everything by 2 feet, installed a proper foundation and a new wood floor. Became a great little workspace afterwards.
@@asalborn Sorry, no resources as I did it all with the experience garnered over the years working with my family and spending 3 years building houses with a local builder.
Scab in 5/8 green plywood around your hing point all the way around your Garage. Full 4 x 8 sheets with industrial wood glue and 4 inch fasteners. It works great.
Thanks for the video man! Wife and I bought a house with a 12x20 shed. The previous owners didn't bother putting it on concrete or blocks...let alone gravel. So now the floor is starting to rot. Luckily the frame is still solid so I'm going to go this route after laying a 4" pad. I'm saving this video for future reference! Thanks again
@@johnniemo I'm actually planning on moving the shed via rollers and tractor (slowly, but surely), pour a pad large enough for a lean-to addition, and roll the shed back onto said pad. My main purpose for raising the shed is so I can extend the lean-to addition far enough to almost double my interior shed space - i.e the lean-to addition will be framed in. I live in Michigan and need a steeper pitch due to snow rating. Within reason, I figure the higher I can lift the existing shed the further I can extend the lean-to with the appropriate pitch. I intend to discuss my plans with a legitimate contractor I've know for some time before I go through with it.
I could never do this as it requires being able to count up to 70 without notes. Great video and a real joy to watch. Congratulations on the achievement. (Now, five years on, if you can explain how to keep a garage clean.....well you sir, should be nominated Time magazine's Man of the Year).
Nice job. I did something similar years ago but I raised the roof only and removed top plate, scabbed on 10' studs, added new double top plates & set roof back down on top plates.
We looked into buying a house a while back, the detached garage was around 8’ interior height and I need 12’ for my vehicle lifts . This building has a brick facade so my plan was to cut the roof loose and lift just that, add the knee wall and have the brick continued then paint the brick. We ultimately did not buy it but I’m confident it would have worked fine .
cool deal I did a garage that was resting on sill wall when originally built. But time and the elements caused the sills and studs to rot from the bottom .When I was a teenager the ceiling joists were 7 ft high . When I began the lift they were 4.5ft I put six 4x4x12 evenly spaced vertically thru the roof ,tied everything together similar to yours & ran 2x4s down the ceiling joists along side the 4x4's as I lifted I cut a piece of 2x4 & nailed it to the 4x4's to act as stops. I raised the joists 5ftthen built the walls down to the new foundation....
Great video with lots of great info. I lifted my garage years ago just to replace rotted sill plates and lowered it back down. I did it similar with bottle jacks and supports to raise it just enough to get single 2x4s out and back in. Now I want to raise mine up high enough to put a block foundation because my garage gets water in it during heavy rains and I have a lifted truck that doesn’t fit in the garage without putting smaller tires on it first and it will prevent the sill plates from rotting again.
@@Hard_Right I have fixed drainage issues, but that doesn’t fix the garage sitting on a slab that is dead nuts flush with the dirt. The slab doesn’t even stick up 1-2 inches. Most slabs stick up higher than the length of your grass, this one did not. The siding even went all the way down below the grass line, when weed whacking it would hit the siding. Yes proper drainage gets rid of excess water, but it has to get on the ground first doesn’t it? Which is where the sill plates were. Even with drainage the wood would get wet. The second issue I wanted to remedy was the low ceiling height which is why I raised it. Your blocks not being waterproof example doesn’t matter because they do work for keeping the wood above any possible water, the blocks aren’t going to rot and don’t let water into the garage because there at the surface not below ground. My garage slab sits so low it’s “at grade” not above at all. It was a more unique situation than most and raising it was a permanent remedy than trusting drainage methods alone. Levies,pumps,pipes,ditches,damns work until they don’t. Drainage alone isn’t and shouldn’t be the only method of preventing water damage.
Fantastic! I'm doing my garage next summer. Yup, heading down to the bank to get a loan and then calling the contractor. Gonna tear down my garage and build a brand new one that's higher. You've given me inspiration!
CZcams decided this should be in the random videos list 4 yrs after release. I agree. Cool video and wicked ingenious. A tiny bit dicey but damned well thought out.
Was looking at Crane as well, but lifting entire structure would be a problem, and lifting entire roof, I’ve seen them buckle. The crane concept just seems too risky. I have several month to prepare for my barn/garage lift and I think I’ll use two rented forklifts instead. It’s impressive how slow but powerful and most importantly, I’ll be raising a full story, in my case 9’.
Wow. Massive undertaking. You made this look easy. I wish I could have a lift, but I don't have a detached garage. There's no way I'm lifting the entire house! Great job man!
Talk to a few engineers/architects and see what they come up with for a solution to your "dilemma", I am sure something is possible if not directly attached to the house structure, unless its firmly attached to the house directly then there is nothing that can likely be done without remodeling.
Actually, the process for a whole house is somewhat simpler. "Simpler" meaning no bracing required and it's just lifting. Just need 10 times the number of jacks and a whole lot more insurance.
Add steel straping, extend your anchor bolts with threaded rod. run 1/2 inch plywood from the floor on walls, 4 feet up, and you should be all set to prevent any Hurricaine damage. get rafter clips also.
Good Video. I have to do the same thing and the driving reason is, I must also pour a new slab of cement and raise the floor 7". This is due to poor drainage and wanting water to drain into the street instead of toward my garage and then off to the side. The shwacks who built my garage had no idea what a level is and didn't account for rain runoff. So I must raise the floor. I could just poor inside, but not too sure what that would do to the walls as the siding would then become the form holding in in the floor. Anyone have an opinion on that? Thanks for the video John.
My slab is at grade, too. Though poor rain handling has made it very much worse, this arrangement makes me crazy. I am thinking about lifting and rebuilding the lower portion of the walls to remove the rot, but I would want to put it down on blocks or a concrete pony wall to keep it up away from the rainwater.
Others have done this and ultimately inspired me to do mine too. If you want to leave it in the air long enough to build a masonry wall, you can do that. Here is a guy with the same problem you have. www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=371545
Nice job on the lift. I myself wanted to do the same project on my 22 square foot garage. I consulted a architect about how to do the job and make it pass code. The single most important thing was the fact I needed to run a continuous stud from the base plate to the top plate. Doing a few of these would not work for the sake of satisfying the code requirement. So I ended up doing every other stud in the garage and for the studs I did not run from the floor to ceiling, I made a sandwich up 2/3 rd's of the way up. this was only allowed after I gave the village inspector the architect number and they had a little talk about my job. I was finally told that any alteration to my roof would require a new set of studs to be added to every stud I now had in place. The load on the roof would be to great for only half the studs that I used. IN the end I replaced and or sister ed a single stud from floor to ceiling on every stud location. About 3 times the work of just doing it correctly the first time?
Thanks Bob for that insight. Good information here. Although not mentioned in my video, I did the entire permitting process on this build which included hiring an engineer and getting a city inspector. I got a lot of varying opinions on the lift, but nothing consistent. In the end, I did what the engineer asked, and the city inspector said "we don't do it that way anymore" but he signed it anyways. I have no concern on the strength of the structure as it exists now... but I did go above and beyond what was asked by both the engineer and the inspector.
Bob Mccann great question! I spoke to the city building department about ten times throughout the build process and they gave me an assortment of answers. It became clear to me that each and every inspector has a different opinion. In the end I consulted the engineer and he suggested this approach. I added the sistered studs as I felt they were needed. The inspector didn't give me any insights other than said "we dont do it this way anymore". I was satisfied with my work so I didn't probe him. I was just happy to pass inspection.
Man that's an awsome job very impressive. I run cranes and have done this by putting holes in the roof and using 6x6s ran cables threw the costumer spent 800 for the rental plus the braseing your way is cheaper and just as effective
I have a need to build a new garage since the old one has really crappy pier footings and rotting bottom beams, but if I tear it down to pour concrete footings and a short foundation wall I won't be allowed to rebuild due to code changes. Next year I'll be jacking it up, supported at the roofline, pouring the footings and installing all-new walls. Later comes a new roof and since I won't be demolishing the building but just making a series of repairs, I won't run afoul of the code. Who knows. I may even do a finished room over the garage. I never thought about using bottle jacks, but they will work well for my project. Thanks.
I’ve been look at doing something like this and what do you know CZcams algorithm to help me about a little. My project will be much much smaller but definitely a different way than I was thinking I like it, I may use it for inspiration
Gets the job done. I've watched other videos where they raise the roof which in the end is a lot less work. You don't need to change the door locations and the windows. Why did you choose this technique just wondering?
I think I've answered this a few times. But basically I needed the higher door opening to fit my boat in, so that was the primary reason. In the end, I think I disproportionally weighted that requirement. Either way would work. As a side benefit, having my windows higher up has been nice. It gets the sun in better in the winter, and it allows the walls to be more useable for "garage stuff". In one of my comments here somewhere I pondering using my 4 post lift to lift the roof. That would have been a neat video.
I'm posting this alternate option in case others my be interested in taking on a similar project. What you are looking for is additional headroom, a higher ceiling to accommodate the lift. I'm not sure of the location of the lift, maybe the center of the garage or off to one side. If the center this is definitely the way to go. What I would have looked into doing is sistering 2x8 rafters along side the existing trusses. I say 2x8 because of the 24' oc spacing. At 16" oc I would consider using 2x6's. Then I'd remove the lower truss work one truss at a time and install a 2x6 collar tie at the ceiling height you need. You should be able to safely raise the ceiling height 1/3 of your total rafter / roof rise. If this were a raftered garage, I would have just raised the collar ties. The door is on a gable end so the header can be easily be raised if necessary for a larger opening. There is no roof load in this area. What I have described would have probably taken only a couple of days and a lot less money. Might work dimensionally, might not, but this method should be considered. .........Almost 50 years in the building trade.
This is an excellent approach. If my roof line was 90 degrees perpendicular, this would have been ideal. Another approach is to use a ridge beam. I know someone who did that and got the same useable space.
People usually pick holes but have never done anything like it themselves. I have done the same thing but it's unlikely that I put the same amount of effort and safety in to mine that you have. In mine I wanted to protect the bottom of the wall from water damage , inadvertently I solved the problem of the hinge point.What I did was similer but maybe not quite as safe as yours. Removing neither roof nor windows, I braced the walls and door, and jacked it up. I put three rows of 8in. cynder blocks, filled them full of cement and set the building down to about 1/2 in. above with bolts in the cement, when dry set it down bolt it down.
Thanks Bob. Creating a masonry wall is an excellent way to secure the base of the wall as well as to prevent water damage. If I had the time and patience I would have gone this way too. I just really didn't require the water protection.
WHile not necessary to remove windows, its better than then winding up getting cracked and needing repair in the even the building racked enough to cause said damage, But to each their own, and removing the doors also allow for quicker escape if something in the lifting stage failed.
engineer this, and code that..clearly people forget that alot of houses built 55 to 80 years ago had chalk quality walls, with no footings, and forget about seismic straps, or even bolts through sil plates...Yove done a fine job, carry on soldier!
I bet most older houses were built a lot more solidly than the garbage that passes for 'code' these days. A bunch of chipboard and planks that aren't even held by real nails, and the designs are all about looks and speed of construction. One day there is going to be a big disaster around here, and the result will be devastation.
Based on the way you pronounced "garage" I assume your not on the west coast with earthquake requirements (Eastern Canada if I had to guess). Even at that, I'd consider putting shear panels on the interior walls, also on your extension. Overall a very well thought out and executed plan. Nice work.
William Biggs yes and no. I got the idea from a member on the Garage Journal. He followed this process for a smaller garage. I also found a single youtube video of someone lifting a barn-like structure. Lastly my brother in law had a building moved by professionals and he described a similar method. In the end I took from all the prior ideas and adjusted it to fit my garage.
how much did it cost to lift your garage? my garage is currently 3 inches below street level... My house and property is much older. sadly being as low as it is causing some flooding and I need to raise my garage before it gets ruined completely
Well the cost to lift wasnt bad. As I noted about $500 CAD. Then add another $500 to $1000 to refinish. You would also potentially need a new garage door if you followed my method.
Great video and a lot of info here. Thanks. Wanted to ask, when you reinforced the walls and corners, what did you use? Screws, nails or lags. Also what about the 2x10 on the wall, looks like you just nailed them in, is this correct, thanks again..
The 2x10's on the walls, and all the major beams were attached with GRK R4 4" screws. They are a very strong structural screw rated at about 700lbs shear strength. Screw them in at a slightl upward angle. Most of the smaller braces were just whatever screws I had around. You want to use screws so they are easier to remove later. For any really critical points I used GRK 5 1.4" RSS screws (basically lags).
I used coupling hex nuts to put REAL THICK 1/8 PLATES on my tie down old 1/2" anchor bolts were barely high enough. Some of yours too. Fix With a small counter sink washers that surround the depression. They always used cheap skinny washers, no wider than nut Useless- I used 2x2 squares 2xd
Doing the same here cept mine is a carport with two walls and exterior siding only. My design is to lay two rows of block vs your pony wall idea. Need to raise it all about 8in then pour new crete as the existing slab is lower than grade for some weird reason and all the plates/studs are rotted. Gonna make it a closed shop/garage when completed. Would just tear it down, but the roof & truss' are all in great condition.
Boiling the frog.... I like it. The guy who originally inspired me also put down concrete block as well and for the same reason. So long as it is stable, you can leave it there for a long time while you lay the wall. With the price of everything these days, keeping perfectly good trusses is worth it.
@@johnniemo Studs were $7.50 ea here recently down to $6.50 hopefully even more soon so I can commit to the project. In the meantime, it's fun to play in CAD & Excel bean counting the project down to every nut bolt & board.
@@clutch5sp989 I modelled my entire garage in sketchup prior to the build. It was painful, but certainly was helpful for doing permit drawings, purchasing decisions, and to get an overall feel for the space. I still go back to that model regularly to find studs, or test fit things. I recently made a video about a paint booth and I built it entirely in sketchup before I built the real thing. It's on my channel somewhere.
That took some balls to do I would love to do the same but my luck I would crash . What thought about was pouring concrete wall and let it down on that but it was just a thought lol
Pouring is an option. It obviously would take longer. You would probably need to anchor in some rebar to the slab too. It would take several days, but entirely do-able. I know how to do wood so I stick with it. It's relatively dry here too, so wood lasts a long time, particularly pressure treated (which I used for the base plate)
Llia Olsen that would allow for servicing but not for permanent 3 car parking. I think it is a neat idea though and I actually wouldn't mind it. The challenge is that you need to build in a staircase to get underneath. That would take up a lot of space in the garage. You may also need to build in a drain.
Please say if you got permits and had an inspection what county State You calculated your load (12,000-18,000++ What permit drawings did you have two offer or an engineers drawing & cert.
Calgary, Alberta. I got drawings for the entire build which was primarily the carport, but it includes the slab as well as the lift. I talked to the city at least five times before the lift and then obviously had an inspection once the entire project was built.
Hi John, Very well done project and video. I would like to seek some advices on my intended project: to lift up a 10x10 shed with concrete tile roof and stucco walls, only 1 door and no window, 8ft 2x6studs. It is on concrete slab now but sinking on 1 side because sitting close to the corner of a retaining wall. I would like to lift it up to pour a footing under the shed and raise the floor few inches higher than the surrounding to avoid water coming under the wall plates, as rain often in Vancouver. Worry about the weight of the shed and cracking the stucco walls etc. Appreciate if you can suggest how the brace the supports and sizes, also the size of the jacks etc. Thanks.
You really need someone local to review your project. However here are some pointers: Firstly, determine how your roof is supported. Is it like mind and the trusses place the roof support on the side walls? If so, that is your lift point. Secondly, if you want to replace the floor you either need to lift from the outside of the building (and ruin your stucco) or you need to lift from the inside as I did, but then pour your stub walls of concrete instead of wood. You'll also need to pour the footings. Once that is all done you can fill the inside and add a new floor if you wish. The only things I would be concerned about is the weight of that roof. Concrete tile will weigh a lot. However I think my process will work for you. Just verify how that roof is built.
Thanks for your quick reply. My roof was built the way you did with wood planks spanning the trusses already. It was hand built by my framers who built my house, so it was built very solid with all the trusses and braces already. I was the one actually put on the roof tiles, as the roofer never returned to complete. I think your way of supporting the stud walls and lifting will work. The trick is to hold the shed in place while I pour the footings. What is the size of jack lift that you used to lift the garage? Since the shed is only 10x10, I would not use laminating beam to do the lifting like you. I would use multiple 2x8's to lift, and I hope it will work. I plan to lift from the inside as space is limited from the outside, and I want to fix the outside at the same time. The inside flooring can be poured later on. Do you think using concrete blocks to hold the walls and then pour the footings with them inside proper, as I do not have to worry about wood rotting inside concrete or have to remove them? Thanks.
Yes. There is a guy on the Garage Journal who did this exactly. www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=272678&highlight=ainsley I think you will be fine with this approach. I think a single 2x10 would be enough for you. Maybe a pair across the middle (where I had the laminated beam) just to give you a solid jack point. Also I suggest holding it up using cinder blocks instead of 4x6. The 4x6 is not all that stable if you need to leave it up a while.
Great suggestion. Maybe I will build the footing using cinder blocks, as one layer will be good for my purpose, and save mixing lots of concrete as the shed is raised, other than masonry cement for blocks. I will get ready mix later for outside and inside floor when I have the footings completed. Thanks for your help. P.S. I will look at your other projects later. If you need any suggestions on home automation, let me know as I have done quite a bit on them. My email is jy1999@telus.net.
Good work dude,can there be any man alive apart from Jay Leno that thinks that he does not want a bigger garage? No matter how big it is, one day it will just not big enough!
A buddy of mine put in TWO additional buildings because he just kept acquiring stuff. He suggested "Think of how big you need, then double it. You MAY get close then."
It's been a few years. How is the result? I looked through 250 comments but did not see my following question… How many inches of lift did you give to one side of the structure before bracing the high side and lifting/leveling the low side? At 7:13 you count to 76. Is that the full 5-1/2" travel of the jack? Thank you for this well-documented video.
Great question. We started by lifting 4" per side, however at one point the garage "slid" a few inches. It was terrifying. After that we ensured there was never more than 2" differential from side to side. So start at -2, then go to +2 and alternate. After 4 years the structure is completely solid. Drywall hasn't even cracked. I have another video showing the finished product.
not bad, I am looking at doing something similar for a 2 post lift if we end up buying a house with a shop.. most shops don't seem to have the height that I want. otherwise I will just build to suit.. question though, why lift the whole garage not just the roof?
I theorized about this a lot. The advantage to lifting only the roof is obviously less work and less weight. The reason I lifted the entire structure was because I wanted a bigger garage door. In retrospect, enlarging the garage door would have been FAR easier. Detaching and lifting the roof would be pretty easy to do. If you were doing all this to buy a four post lift, then buy the lift first and use it to lift the roof.
I have seen a owner use their four post with lifting crib frame raise their roof and walls to get a taller door opening alone without having to cut into and raise the header itself, the extra interior height was an added benefit.
I looked at both options. Either would work. In the end two things swayed me (rightly or wrongly) the first is that it is a lot harder to execute a lift from 8 feet in the air to ten feet. The second is that I wanted a larger garage door opening in the process. As such I chose to lift the exact height of a garage door panel (21") In retrospect, I think lifting the roof would be easier if you wanted to leave the walls intact.
I am looking a home to purchase but I don't care for the height if the garage, which brought me to this video. Quick question since this is 5 years old... Are you satisfied with raising the whole garage or do you think I simpler option would have been to raise the roof? Thanks
Great question. Simple answer is that I have no regrets with the project. It is holding up perfectly well. The longer answer is it "depends". If the garage is already drywalled and insulated, that changes the work load. It also depends how much "stuff" is attached to the walls. Also depends if you want to replace the garage door with a taller one. Also depends how the garage is anchored to the floor. Also depends how well the roof is anchored to the walls. I'd weigh all these things. In the case of my project, I think the approach I took was the best one (although it's a close call)
He could probably have but also his budget or finance may have said otherwise, then against it is also preference over cost in many cases. If owned a balloon/platform framed garage. I money was no object then I would just knock it down and rebuild using post frame using brackets for footer slab or precast concrete permacolumns in the soil and go with taller than may need walls. never such a thing as too small or tall, compared to too low or small in interior dimensions. Unless you already have a limited as is building space determining your square foot/meter footprint. Then again If someone needed such a building size they would be welcome to buy it from me and either take apart to managle pieces for transport rather than move it entirely intact unless money was no concern to them for such cost of said transport or limitations along the roads for it to be moved that way depending on relocation spot.
Lawmtho I disconnected the service prior to lifting. Since I was elongating the garage it was easy to relocate. In the end I had to re-run the gas line (something to be mindful of) so I trenched anyways. Entirely new service was installed with 12 circuits.
Here we have pressure treatment , which contacts concrete. When I read 21 I expected 24. Three courses of cement blocks. Was surprised at more wood. But your right, it not my property, and maybe it in desert south west
Around here every home is built with wood on concrete. And yes it's fairly arid here. The old sill was fine after 30 years as you can see. 21" came from the panel width of a new garage door. I actually wish I had lifted to 24" for the vehicle lift.
look up box cribbing timbers, you are good for 4x4 or 6x6 or even 4x6 , long length allows for four strong points and a more stable support than just one beam at each stack to rest the lifting beams on which is why professional use it so often, but i give him credit for having his come down despite what he had at hand
We want to do something similar to a shed that framed on top of a slab with an extended porch. I think the concept will work. We need to raise it about 10" and we plan to use cinder block and then re-pour the floor to the new height. Any thoughts or suggestions?
@@johnniemo No I think the slab would break up. I figure it would be easier to raise the structure on it put block under then poor a floor on top of the existing slab. Yes, we are in Texas and Imelda stalled on top of us and we ended up with about 7" of water in the shed. Didnt even happen with the hurricane a couple years prior, but they have built houses next to us on a higher grade forcing the water to move on to our lot. The shed is rectangular with a gable ended roof but the roof to the end of the front porch is almost like a lean two supported by 4 post. So we figured we could brace up the front roof to the frame, brace up the frame cut the seal plate bolts, jack it up, rebar and concrete some block to the existing slab under the bottom plate all the way around, use a two by 12 and cover the garage door opening and front porch door opening, then re-pour the floor inside the blocking after reinforcing with rebar, then just put steps into it from the porch area and gravel out a grade to the garage door for lawn mower access etc..
@@he-manmasteroftheuniverse2501 ok. I didn't mean lifting the slab... just that you wanted a higher floor. You just have to be mindful that water won't get under the slab and freeze it. I know someone else who did your approach. (he filled it with gravel first to drain). However he had all sorts of issues. Since you are in Texas and freezing isn't an issue, I think you'll be okay. Just remember that any water getting in needs a way to get out, regardless where you happen to have your floor.
@@johnniemo Hmmm. Yeah I didnt consider that. Do you think mortaring the joint where the block meets the slab would keep the water out? Or have any suggestions?
@@johnniemo I wonder if cutting a channel in the exiting concrete, before the block, on the inside of the space, before pouring the new concrete, would keep water moving through mortar from getting between the two slabs.....
I'm looking to do something similar with my 24'X28'. I'm in Red Deer, you should come and help me ;) (I'd pay you, lol). Is it not a concern using untreated lumber? Shouldn't you have used treated lumber, especially for the sill plate? Concern with mine is that it's untreated lumber set on a slab, I also want bigger doors.
I'm not sure if you HAVE to used treated lumber for the sill plate. I did actually do that, although it may not be totally obvious. My wife is still upset about my project, so I doubt going to Red Deer to do another is high on her list of priorities :)
When if you already have not yet, want to do aside from how he did most properly but not completely safe despite he as lucky is cross brace the main lifting beams to reduce any chance of flexing which is why you see house lifters use cross beams that the main beams are placed under. all you need is three pieces of great length, two across and one diagonal so you have a truss brace, nail them to from opposite side of beam instead of inside which would allow the nail to pull out. you may still want to brace the corners to the main beams just to keep it squared up and also support the one "solid" end wall and overhead doorway opening from also flexing on you with similar cross bracing, simple smooth nails would suffice for the braces Hop this helps you in your endeavor if you already have not lifted yours
Removing the windows is not necessary but does help protect against cracking due to racking from possible uneven lifting. Where those two of the same bottle jacks? if you were able to get a hold of two more loaners then could have had three buddies also jacking in relative unison but would have wanted to cross brace those lifting beams you were using which looked just wide enough for the jack ram. Other than that great job not tipping the building as you raised it and good work on the pony wall securing it to the slab and to the building using the bolts and old bolt locations.
Thanks for the comments. I had four identical bottle jacks, 20 ton, and I got them from Canadian Tire on sale for $20 each :) We tried lifting all 4 at the same time and the building started to oscillate too much. It was much safer with half the building on firm blocking and the other side lifting in unison. I suggest going up in 2" increments. We tried 4" and had some slipping.
like i said manual unison is a bit tricky as well as you found out and even the experienced professionals have their own similar issues in windy conditions thus why you see them using standard cribbing side and place a new upper layer of each stack in stages or steps. glad you made out well and safe and the building is doing well since the endeavor and it is probably more work and as much headache if you went the other way just lifting the roof and then raising the door header to height, like I said a few times you already seen its ones choice and what they can and are willing to afford to do
I did address that somewhere in the comments. In short, I wanted the garage door to be taller, and this seemed like the way to achieve that. In retrospect I think I put too much emphasis on that and there were other ways to enlarge the door.
Yes, each end is lagged. You want the lift point as close to the edge as possible to mitigate any twisting. I had a very slight bit but only on the one side where the jack got to be 3 feet away from the edge. Don't do that.
Quick note: If you want to explain the horrors of the hinge point, go ahead. However realize that 75% of the studs in the garage are full ten foot length. This video was published before the entire project was done, but I do cite the importance of the full length stud. Apologies but I'm inundated with comments about this from people who only watch part of the video, or don't read the comments.
John Molberg I
John: ... or just read other people's comments. I know what you mean.
Cindy: What did you indicate?
HA !!! The internet. The magic of the world at their fingertips and eye holes. Yet, the patience of "sh*t their pants" toddlers.
Great video, man. I have a plywood floor, 24' by 24', hip roof building. Going to jack it up, to pour a concrete slab. It's currently pier and beam .. .. so I do have some work ahead. My jack points will all be outside the structure.
.. but your video helped immensely. Thanks so much, for posting !!!!
So I took the time to read all 285 comments and their replies and here are my observations. All of those who question the structural integrity and have a better way, fail to recognize two fundamental concepts: (1) It's his property, his house, his shed. He gets to make the risk assessment for himself (within the limitations imposed by local codes and inspectors - IF ANY). (2) There are many ways to skin a cat. He did it this way. It worked. It is safe. It complies with local codes. So if you have a better, or even just a different way, by all means please share your video. I will watch and consider your approach as well.
I just came across this video as I ponder on my shed I will be lifting. You can tell this process has been well thought out. Hell ya! Obviously this worked but if it hadn't just imagine what else he would have learned. Great job on pointing out the mistakes in the people commenting. You can not google experience you have to earn that!
Thanks. This answered a lot of the questions I had about lifting a sunken corner of my garage. You narrated the project well.
I'm in exactly the same boat: I have a sunken corner of my garage that needs correcting. I'll be applying some of these techniques.
My son and I just raised his 20 X 24 feet garage by one full meter ( 39 inches )
We simply copied your technique and it worked perfectly.
If it had not been for your video, we would still be looking for a safe way to do it
Thanks.
Wow! That is the best reply to date! I am thrilled this video was of use to you. If you have any pictures or video, please post.
Don't know how in this thread.
But if, in Facebook, you search for Pierre Grégoire in La Malbaie you will find a few photos.
I will leave them for a few short weeks.
what's cool is this: you had an idea, you gave it a lot of thought, developed a plan and put it into action. seeing someone make an effort is an inspiration!
Albert Moyeskin q
@@Mooseknucklesxx What is "q"? Why are people typing baby talk?
Nice work. We raised my sons garage up just 8 inches so we could set it on cement blocks. The slab and lawn grading caused water to infiltrate the sill plate. Putting it up on blocks was to prevent the sill plate from rotting.
I would have much rather followed your method with the pony wall. 😊
The garage was very old and had car siding on the exterior walls. The building had a pronounced lean to the east. I think prevailing west winds pushed it out of square. After we had it raised we put OSB in the corners to reinforce it and prevent the racking that it originally had.
Just after we finished a large storm came through and dropped a big branch out of a maple tree onto the roof. State Farm paid for a new roof to be installed and for painting the garage after the roof was done. 😊
car siding = tongue and groove aka shiplap for those wondering
you were smart to use masonry units to protect against said flooding, should have asked your insurance adjuster for more money for foundation slab improvements to get it raised out of floods harm
This is exactly what I was just researching for doing to my garage. Only difference is I am planning on using block. Thank you for sharing.
I've been contemplating doing the same thing because a new bigger garage is super expensive!! So I've been thinking about rising the roof instead haven't decided yet but your video has given me a second option. Thanks
Nice work and great planning. My hat is off to you!
Good idea with the sistering of wall studs. Million ways to anything, at least u got it done versus many of us that just comment on doing. Fun vid. Older car repairman in town has 8 or so railroad jacks, borrowed 2xs for jobs like these. One type is giant screw and others are like old lever car jacks.
Thanks a lot, you have been a great help for lifting my garage Thanks again for taking the time to post this!
cheers!
the exterior sheer nailing helps a great deal at the hinge point from potential toppling. fun project my friend congradulations on your build
I’ve actually done this and I ended up burning the whole structure and building again, I put so many supports in and it still twisted beyond repair, well done mte 👏🏻👏🏻
I've been racking my brain about redesigning my roof trusses to gain headroom and now I come across this guy! Holy crap what an idea! My shop is 24x36 though 😅
The method should work. As long as you reinforce the structure a bit, those bottle jacks will lift an incredible amount of weight. You could do three cross beams to be safe. You can order custom LVL beams in whatever size you want.
Since I did this, I came up with all sorts of improvements. For example, you could lift from the outside.... you could lift off the roof.... you could use an automotive 4 post lift.... So many options. It's not as scary as it seems.
I'm impressed,. very well thought out. great job. I like how you addressed the hinge potential. it's similar to the Hyatt Regency walk way failure in the 1980's.
I know your comment was 2 years ago, but you are correct. Was studying mechanical engineering at the time of the collapse and very similar to this hinge on the pony wall. However I believe the poster eliminated this scenario with full length studs in certain areas.
Great to see. Thanks for filming & posting this. I have to do this to pour a new floor and exterior concrete area 1 foot higher than the original. It was very useful to see the method for lifting with 4 jacks. Your bracing matches what I see in the local building moving company yards when they have removed garages sitting for sale.
As a tip, the house & building movers round here use dishwashing liquid for lubrication! Whether between timber or metal surfaces apparently it works better than grease or oil!
I always read the expert's in the comment section on how "they" say it should be done. And most don't have a clue and just throwing out stupid opinions. Your comment sir is exactly what this section is intended for: "use dishwash fluid for lubrication"! Brilliant and helpful comment. Thank You.
61spindrift I know what you mean! My dad used to be in demolition & I was brought up around old building demo & construction. The first time I heard of the dishwash liquid was when a 3000 ton building was moved in my city. The engineers had a situation trying to slide the building on rails and had tried the greases, oils & high-tech ptfe lubricants but were stumped by the sheer load. One of the experienced contractors suggested he pop into the supermarket next door (literally next door) and get the solution they always use - Palmolive dishwashing liquid (similar to Fairy Liquid). Worked a treat and averted a huge delay. This a is good summary of that move but it doesn't mention the liquid. I've read about it in another story.
(They also mention the 5000 ton hotel shift in New York 1888.)
i.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/news/wellington/9054381/Training-all-eyes-on-shifting-a-hotel
Extremely helpful video! Thank you for sharing.
This video is great! I have a 1950 2.5 car garage that I thinking to lift. My neighbor suggested to raise the roof instead but I believe that it would be more wonky and unstable to try and do that. It too is also 2x4 structured.
Id actually like to move it about 100' and attach it to my house, thats a totally different video right there. Lol
Great job and very informative, thank you.
Nice work. Thanks for making the video. I have a garage I need to straighten and I'm thinking of lifting it.
Great video. Did the exact same thing years ago to a 12 by 16 shed that was slowly rotting into the ground. Raised everything by 2 feet, installed a proper foundation and a new wood floor. Became a great little workspace afterwards.
I'm currently doing this. any resources (videos, books, websites) you recommend?
@@asalborn Sorry, no resources as I did it all with the experience garnered over the years working with my family and spending 3 years building houses with a local builder.
Scab in 5/8 green plywood around your hing point all the way around your Garage. Full 4 x 8 sheets with industrial wood glue and 4 inch fasteners. It works great.
Thanks for the video man! Wife and I bought a house with a 12x20 shed. The previous owners didn't bother putting it on concrete or blocks...let alone gravel. So now the floor is starting to rot. Luckily the frame is still solid so I'm going to go this route after laying a 4" pad.
I'm saving this video for future reference! Thanks again
Terrific. You would be well served to place your stacks outside of the structure and then you can have lots of room inside to pour a floor.
@@johnniemo I'm actually planning on moving the shed via rollers and tractor (slowly, but surely), pour a pad large enough for a lean-to addition, and roll the shed back onto said pad. My main purpose for raising the shed is so I can extend the lean-to addition far enough to almost double my interior shed space - i.e the lean-to addition will be framed in. I live in Michigan and need a steeper pitch due to snow rating. Within reason, I figure the higher I can lift the existing shed the further I can extend the lean-to with the appropriate pitch. I intend to discuss my plans with a legitimate contractor I've know for some time before I go through with it.
I could never do this as it requires being able to count up to 70 without notes. Great video and a real joy to watch. Congratulations on the achievement. (Now, five years on, if you can explain how to keep a garage clean.....well you sir, should be nominated Time magazine's Man of the Year).
Watch my garage tour video. I found some unique storage solutions that could be useful. But clean, it is not.....
Nice job. I did something similar years ago but I raised the roof only and removed top plate, scabbed on 10' studs, added new double top plates & set roof back down on top plates.
Wayne Doherty Would need a day long party with the amplifiers up to 11 to "raise the roof" long enough.
Such a great job!
Nice work, Thanks for the video.
Thanks for sharing I appreciate it, smart!
Great work !
We looked into buying a house a while back, the detached garage was around 8’ interior height and I need 12’ for my vehicle lifts . This building has a brick facade so my plan was to cut the roof loose and lift just that, add the knee wall and have the brick continued then paint the brick.
We ultimately did not buy it but I’m confident it would have worked fine .
cool deal I did a garage that was resting on sill wall when originally built. But time and the elements caused the sills and studs to rot from the bottom .When I was a teenager the ceiling joists were 7 ft high . When I began the lift they were 4.5ft I put six 4x4x12 evenly spaced vertically thru the roof ,tied everything together similar to yours & ran 2x4s down the ceiling joists along side the 4x4's as I lifted I cut a piece of 2x4 & nailed it to the 4x4's to act as stops. I raised the joists 5ftthen built the walls down to the new foundation....
Well done.
I see the lifting engineers have arrived in the comments.
dpeagles 👷🏼👷🏼👷🏾👷🏻
See
Great video with lots of great info. I lifted my garage years ago just to replace rotted sill plates and lowered it back down. I did it similar with bottle jacks and supports to raise it just enough to get single 2x4s out and back in. Now I want to raise mine up high enough to put a block foundation because my garage gets water in it during heavy rains and I have a lifted truck that doesn’t fit in the garage without putting smaller tires on it first and it will prevent the sill plates from rotting again.
That's great. You already know what to do. I was inspried by a guy who did the same thing as you and for the same reason.
lol why wouldn't you fixed the drainage issue first , concrete blocks aren't waterproof so you're not fixing any problems
@@Hard_Right I have fixed drainage issues, but that doesn’t fix the garage sitting on a slab that is dead nuts flush with the dirt. The slab doesn’t even stick up 1-2 inches. Most slabs stick up higher than the length of your grass, this one did not. The siding even went all the way down below the grass line, when weed whacking it would hit the siding. Yes proper drainage gets rid of excess water, but it has to get on the ground first doesn’t it? Which is where the sill plates were. Even with drainage the wood would get wet. The second issue I wanted to remedy was the low ceiling height which is why I raised it. Your blocks not being waterproof example doesn’t matter because they do work for keeping the wood above any possible water, the blocks aren’t going to rot and don’t let water into the garage because there at the surface not below ground. My garage slab sits so low it’s “at grade” not above at all. It was a more unique situation than most and raising it was a permanent remedy than trusting drainage methods alone. Levies,pumps,pipes,ditches,damns work until they don’t. Drainage alone isn’t and shouldn’t be the only method of preventing water damage.
A concrete curb in place of the pony walls would solve the problem of structural weaknesses of your framing.
Nicely done. I should have built my garage 2 ft taller back in '87.
Fantastic! I'm doing my garage next summer. Yup, heading down to the bank to get a loan and then calling the contractor. Gonna tear down my garage and build a brand new one that's higher. You've given me inspiration!
Good job, well done.😊
Good work!
Wow. Well done. 👍
CZcams decided this should be in the random videos list 4 yrs after release. I agree. Cool video and wicked ingenious. A tiny bit dicey but damned well thought out.
Thanks Wes. You've pretty much capture my experience of the project. 4 years in and I don't even have any cracked drywall. So it must be solid.
Excellent. I was contemplating using a crane to lift the roof. This is so much better and cheaper.
Was looking at Crane as well, but lifting entire structure would be a problem, and lifting entire roof, I’ve seen them buckle. The crane concept just seems too risky.
I have several month to prepare for my barn/garage lift and I think I’ll use two rented forklifts instead. It’s impressive how slow but powerful and most importantly, I’ll be raising a full story, in my case 9’.
nice work!
good job...thats old school👍
Good Job!
Wow. Massive undertaking. You made this look easy. I wish I could have a lift, but I don't have a detached garage. There's no way I'm lifting the entire house! Great job man!
Thanks! Hardly easy. It is 2 years later and I'm still not done all the finishing. I will post another video once everything is complete.
Talk to a few engineers/architects and see what they come up with for a solution to your "dilemma", I am sure something is possible if not directly attached to the house structure, unless its firmly attached to the house directly then there is nothing that can likely be done without remodeling.
Actually, the process for a whole house is somewhat simpler. "Simpler" meaning no bracing required and it's just lifting. Just need 10 times the number of jacks and a whole lot more insurance.
Add steel straping, extend your anchor bolts with threaded rod. run 1/2 inch plywood from the floor on walls, 4 feet up, and you should be all set to prevent any Hurricaine damage. get rafter clips also.
You should probably put appropriate square washers under the nuts that hold the toe plate to the concrete. Nice job.
good job
safe and quality job
Good Video. I have to do the same thing and the driving reason is, I must also pour a new slab of cement and raise the floor 7". This is due to poor drainage and wanting water to drain into the street instead of toward my garage and then off to the side. The shwacks who built my garage had no idea what a level is and didn't account for rain runoff. So I must raise the floor. I could just poor inside, but not too sure what that would do to the walls as the siding would then become the form holding in in the floor. Anyone have an opinion on that? Thanks for the video John.
My slab is at grade, too. Though poor rain handling has made it very much worse, this arrangement makes me crazy. I am thinking about lifting and rebuilding the lower portion of the walls to remove the rot, but I would want to put it down on blocks or a concrete pony wall to keep it up away from the rainwater.
Others have done this and ultimately inspired me to do mine too. If you want to leave it in the air long enough to build a masonry wall, you can do that. Here is a guy with the same problem you have.
www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=371545
Nice job on the lift. I myself wanted to do the same project on my 22 square foot garage. I consulted a architect about how to do the job and make it pass code. The single most important thing was the fact I needed to run a continuous stud from the base plate to the top plate. Doing a few of these would not work for the sake of satisfying the code requirement. So I ended up doing every other stud in the garage and for the studs I did not run from the floor to ceiling, I made a sandwich up 2/3 rd's of the way up. this was only allowed after I gave the village inspector the architect number and they had a little talk about my job. I was finally told that any alteration to my roof would require a new set of studs to be added to every stud I now had in place. The load on the roof would be to great for only half the studs that I used. IN the end I replaced and or sister ed a single stud from floor to ceiling on every stud location. About 3 times the work of just doing it correctly the first time?
Thanks Bob for that insight. Good information here.
Although not mentioned in my video, I did the entire permitting process on this build which included hiring an engineer and getting a city inspector. I got a lot of varying opinions on the lift, but nothing consistent. In the end, I did what the engineer asked, and the city inspector said "we don't do it that way anymore" but he signed it anyways.
I have no concern on the strength of the structure as it exists now... but I did go above and beyond what was asked by both the engineer and the inspector.
"the city inspector said 'we don't do it that way anymore'"
What way DO they do it?
Bob Mccann great question! I spoke to the city building department about ten times throughout the build process and they gave me an assortment of answers. It became clear to me that each and every inspector has a different opinion.
In the end I consulted the engineer and he suggested this approach. I added the sistered studs as I felt they were needed.
The inspector didn't give me any insights other than said "we dont do it this way anymore". I was satisfied with my work so I didn't probe him. I was just happy to pass inspection.
good thing that after lifting y’all notched them bottom plates and nailed full length studs at least every 4 feet apart for better structure 🙏🏼💪🏼👍🏼
5 years now and she's holding strong. Not even cracks in the drywall. So I'd say it was effective.
this is the best job
Man that's an awsome job very impressive. I run cranes and have done this by putting holes in the roof and using 6x6s ran cables threw the costumer spent 800 for the rental plus the braseing your way is cheaper and just as effective
One does what the prefer and fits their budget at hand or in mind of what they want to spend in all. No wrong way except a truly unsafe method.
I have a need to build a new garage since the old one has really crappy pier footings and rotting bottom beams, but if I tear it down to pour concrete footings and a short foundation wall I won't be allowed to rebuild due to code changes. Next year I'll be jacking it up, supported at the roofline, pouring the footings and installing all-new walls. Later comes a new roof and since I won't be demolishing the building but just making a series of repairs, I won't run afoul of the code. Who knows. I may even do a finished room over the garage. I never thought about using bottle jacks, but they will work well for my project. Thanks.
Awesome!
Nice job
well done
Gotta do this soon, my ground level is higher than my slab level and rotted the bottom of my back wall so I was going to put footing and new slab in
I’ve been look at doing something like this and what do you know CZcams algorithm to help me about a little. My project will be much much smaller but definitely a different way than I was thinking I like it, I may use it for inspiration
Good video. Do it right and do it once. I wished I'd done it on mine for a car lift.
Gets the job done. I've watched other videos where they raise the roof which in the end is a lot less work. You don't need to change the door locations and the windows. Why did you choose this technique just wondering?
I think I've answered this a few times. But basically I needed the higher door opening to fit my boat in, so that was the primary reason. In the end, I think I disproportionally weighted that requirement. Either way would work. As a side benefit, having my windows higher up has been nice. It gets the sun in better in the winter, and it allows the walls to be more useable for "garage stuff".
In one of my comments here somewhere I pondering using my 4 post lift to lift the roof. That would have been a neat video.
I'm posting this alternate option in case others my be interested in taking on a similar project. What you are looking for is additional headroom, a higher ceiling to accommodate the lift. I'm not sure of the location of the lift, maybe the center of the garage or off to one side. If the center this is definitely the way to go. What I would have looked into doing is sistering 2x8 rafters along side the existing trusses. I say 2x8 because of the 24' oc spacing. At 16" oc I would consider using 2x6's. Then I'd remove the lower truss work one truss at a time and install a 2x6 collar tie at the ceiling height you need. You should be able to safely raise the ceiling height 1/3 of your total rafter / roof rise. If this were a raftered garage, I would have just raised the collar ties. The door is on a gable end so the header can be easily be raised if necessary for a larger opening. There is no roof load in this area. What I have described would have probably taken only a couple of days and a lot less money. Might work dimensionally, might not, but this method should be considered. .........Almost 50 years in the building trade.
This is an excellent approach. If my roof line was 90 degrees perpendicular, this would have been ideal. Another approach is to use a ridge beam. I know someone who did that and got the same useable space.
People usually pick holes but have never done anything like it themselves. I have done the same thing but it's unlikely that I put the same amount of effort and safety in to mine that you have. In mine I wanted to protect the bottom of the wall from water damage , inadvertently I solved the problem of the hinge point.What I did was similer but maybe not quite as safe as yours. Removing neither roof nor windows, I braced the walls and door, and jacked it up. I put three rows of 8in. cynder blocks, filled them full of cement and set the building down to about 1/2 in. above with bolts in the cement, when dry set it down bolt it down.
Thanks Bob. Creating a masonry wall is an excellent way to secure the base of the wall as well as to prevent water damage. If I had the time and patience I would have gone this way too. I just really didn't require the water protection.
WHile not necessary to remove windows, its better than then winding up getting cracked and needing repair in the even the building racked enough to cause said damage, But to each their own, and removing the doors also allow for quicker escape if something in the lifting stage failed.
How did you attach the new block wall to the existing foundation?
Maybe that is not a hinge point?
Incredible. Just out of interest how thick was the slab on the outer walls?
It was at least ten inches.
engineer this, and code that..clearly people forget that alot of houses built 55 to 80 years ago had chalk quality walls, with no footings, and forget about seismic straps, or even bolts through sil plates...Yove done a fine job, carry on soldier!
I bet most older houses were built a lot more solidly than the garbage that passes for 'code' these days. A bunch of chipboard and planks that aren't even held by real nails, and the designs are all about looks and speed of construction. One day there is going to be a big disaster around here, and the result will be devastation.
That was cool
Thanks, very helpful
Based on the way you pronounced "garage" I assume your not on the west coast with earthquake requirements (Eastern Canada if I had to guess). Even at that, I'd consider putting shear panels on the interior walls, also on your extension. Overall a very well thought out and executed plan. Nice work.
Calgary to be exact. No earthquake related code requirements.
Great effort! What is your planning process? Did you know what to do and how to do it prior to this project?
William Biggs yes and no. I got the idea from a member on the Garage Journal. He followed this process for a smaller garage. I also found a single youtube video of someone lifting a barn-like structure. Lastly my brother in law had a building moved by professionals and he described a similar method. In the end I took from all the prior ideas and adjusted it to fit my garage.
Wow. Congratulations!
how much did it cost to lift your garage? my garage is currently 3 inches below street level... My house and property is much older. sadly being as low as it is causing some flooding and I need to raise my garage before it gets ruined completely
Well the cost to lift wasnt bad. As I noted about $500 CAD. Then add another $500 to $1000 to refinish. You would also potentially need a new garage door if you followed my method.
Great video and a lot of info here. Thanks. Wanted to ask, when you reinforced the walls and corners, what did you use? Screws, nails or lags. Also what about the 2x10 on the wall, looks like you just nailed them in, is this correct, thanks again..
The 2x10's on the walls, and all the major beams were attached with GRK R4 4" screws. They are a very strong structural screw rated at about 700lbs shear strength. Screw them in at a slightl upward angle. Most of the smaller braces were just whatever screws I had around. You want to use screws so they are easier to remove later.
For any really critical points I used GRK 5 1.4" RSS screws (basically lags).
Proud of yea.
I used coupling hex nuts to put REAL THICK 1/8 PLATES on my tie down old 1/2" anchor bolts were barely high enough. Some of yours too. Fix With a small counter sink washers that surround the depression. They always used cheap skinny washers, no wider than nut Useless- I used 2x2 squares
2xd
Doing the same here cept mine is a carport with two walls and exterior siding only. My design is to lay two rows of block vs your pony wall idea. Need to raise it all about 8in then pour new crete as the existing slab is lower than grade for some weird reason and all the plates/studs are rotted. Gonna make it a closed shop/garage when completed. Would just tear it down, but the roof & truss' are all in great condition.
Boiling the frog.... I like it. The guy who originally inspired me also put down concrete block as well and for the same reason. So long as it is stable, you can leave it there for a long time while you lay the wall. With the price of everything these days, keeping perfectly good trusses is worth it.
@@johnniemo Studs were $7.50 ea here recently down to $6.50 hopefully even more soon so I can commit to the project. In the meantime, it's fun to play in CAD & Excel bean counting the project down to every nut bolt & board.
@@clutch5sp989 I modelled my entire garage in sketchup prior to the build. It was painful, but certainly was helpful for doing permit drawings, purchasing decisions, and to get an overall feel for the space. I still go back to that model regularly to find studs, or test fit things. I recently made a video about a paint booth and I built it entirely in sketchup before I built the real thing. It's on my channel somewhere.
Why didn't you just buy the 4 post lift and jack up the garage with that?
That took some balls to do I would love to do the same but my luck I would crash . What thought about was pouring concrete wall and let it down on that but it was just a thought lol
Pouring is an option. It obviously would take longer. You would probably need to anchor in some rebar to the slab too. It would take several days, but entirely do-able. I know how to do wood so I stick with it. It's relatively dry here too, so wood lasts a long time, particularly pressure treated (which I used for the base plate)
What about lowering the floor? Making a slot in the ground like you see in oil change places? Then you don't need a lift as much to get under the car.
Llia Olsen that would allow for servicing but not for permanent 3 car parking. I think it is a neat idea though and I actually wouldn't mind it. The challenge is that you need to build in a staircase to get underneath. That would take up a lot of space in the garage. You may also need to build in a drain.
Please say if you got permits and had an inspection what county State You calculated your load (12,000-18,000++ What permit drawings did you have two offer or an engineers drawing & cert.
Calgary, Alberta. I got drawings for the entire build which was primarily the carport, but it includes the slab as well as the lift. I talked to the city at least five times before the lift and then obviously had an inspection once the entire project was built.
Did you consider adding a stem wall while you were at it?
dubyajayyo not sure I know what you mean by stem wall.
That's cool. I wish I could raise my garage about a foot.
Hi John,
Very well done project and video.
I would like to seek some advices on my intended project: to lift up a 10x10 shed with concrete tile roof and stucco walls, only 1 door and no window, 8ft 2x6studs. It is on concrete slab now but sinking on 1 side because sitting close to the corner of a retaining wall.
I would like to lift it up to pour a footing under the shed and raise the floor few inches higher than the surrounding to avoid water coming under the wall plates, as rain often in Vancouver.
Worry about the weight of the shed and cracking the stucco walls etc. Appreciate if you can suggest how the brace the supports and sizes, also the size of the jacks etc. Thanks.
You really need someone local to review your project. However here are some pointers:
Firstly, determine how your roof is supported. Is it like mind and the trusses place the roof support on the side walls? If so, that is your lift point.
Secondly, if you want to replace the floor you either need to lift from the outside of the building (and ruin your stucco) or you need to lift from the inside as I did, but then pour your stub walls of concrete instead of wood. You'll also need to pour the footings. Once that is all done you can fill the inside and add a new floor if you wish.
The only things I would be concerned about is the weight of that roof. Concrete tile will weigh a lot. However I think my process will work for you. Just verify how that roof is built.
Thanks for your quick reply.
My roof was built the way you did with wood planks spanning the trusses already. It was hand built by my framers who built my house, so it was built very solid with all the trusses and braces already. I was the one actually put on the roof tiles, as the roofer never returned to complete.
I think your way of supporting the stud walls and lifting will work. The trick is to hold the shed in place while I pour the footings. What is the size of jack lift that you used to lift the garage? Since the shed is only 10x10, I would not use laminating beam to do the lifting like you. I would use multiple 2x8's to lift, and I hope it will work.
I plan to lift from the inside as space is limited from the outside, and I want to fix the outside at the same time. The inside flooring can be poured later on.
Do you think using concrete blocks to hold the walls and then pour the footings with them inside proper, as I do not have to worry about wood rotting inside concrete or have to remove them? Thanks.
Yes. There is a guy on the Garage Journal who did this exactly.
www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=272678&highlight=ainsley
I think you will be fine with this approach. I think a single 2x10 would be enough for you. Maybe a pair across the middle (where I had the laminated beam) just to give you a solid jack point. Also I suggest holding it up using cinder blocks instead of 4x6. The 4x6 is not all that stable if you need to leave it up a while.
Great suggestion. Maybe I will build the footing using cinder blocks, as one layer will be good for my purpose, and save mixing lots of concrete as the shed is raised, other than masonry cement for blocks. I will get ready mix later for outside and inside floor when I have the footings completed. Thanks for your help.
P.S. I will look at your other projects later. If you need any suggestions on home automation, let me know as I have done quite a bit on them. My email is jy1999@telus.net.
Good work dude,can there be any man alive apart from Jay Leno that thinks that he does not want a bigger garage? No matter how big it is, one day it will just not big enough!
Very true! I expanded from 24 x 32 to 24 x 40. Like a gas, my contents quickly filled the extra space.
A buddy of mine put in TWO additional buildings because he just kept acquiring stuff. He suggested "Think of how big you need, then double it. You MAY get close then."
It's been a few years. How is the result? I looked through 250 comments but did not see my following question…
How many inches of lift did you give to one side of the structure before bracing the high side and lifting/leveling the low side?
At 7:13 you count to 76. Is that the full 5-1/2" travel of the jack? Thank you for this well-documented video.
Great question. We started by lifting 4" per side, however at one point the garage "slid" a few inches. It was terrifying. After that we ensured there was never more than 2" differential from side to side. So start at -2, then go to +2 and alternate. After 4 years the structure is completely solid. Drywall hasn't even cracked. I have another video showing the finished product.
@@johnniemo Very good; Two inches (-2, 0, +2, brace at +2"). The "slide" must have made for a nervous moment. Thanks again.
how about metal strips to tie the pony to the wall.
not bad, I am looking at doing something similar for a 2 post lift if we end up buying a house with a shop.. most shops don't seem to have the height that I want. otherwise I will just build to suit.. question though, why lift the whole garage not just the roof?
I theorized about this a lot. The advantage to lifting only the roof is obviously less work and less weight. The reason I lifted the entire structure was because I wanted a bigger garage door. In retrospect, enlarging the garage door would have been FAR easier.
Detaching and lifting the roof would be pretty easy to do. If you were doing all this to buy a four post lift, then buy the lift first and use it to lift the roof.
Thanks for the input..
I have seen a owner use their four post with lifting crib frame raise their roof and walls to get a taller door opening alone without having to cut into and raise the header itself, the extra interior height was an added benefit.
perhaps it has been covered, but what not raise the roof and put the spacer at the top?
I looked at both options. Either would work. In the end two things swayed me (rightly or wrongly) the first is that it is a lot harder to execute a lift from 8 feet in the air to ten feet. The second is that I wanted a larger garage door opening in the process. As such I chose to lift the exact height of a garage door panel (21")
In retrospect, I think lifting the roof would be easier if you wanted to leave the walls intact.
I am looking a home to purchase but I don't care for the height if the garage, which brought me to this video. Quick question since this is 5 years old... Are you satisfied with raising the whole garage or do you think I simpler option would have been to raise the roof? Thanks
Great question. Simple answer is that I have no regrets with the project. It is holding up perfectly well. The longer answer is it "depends". If the garage is already drywalled and insulated, that changes the work load. It also depends how much "stuff" is attached to the walls. Also depends if you want to replace the garage door with a taller one. Also depends how the garage is anchored to the floor. Also depends how well the roof is anchored to the walls. I'd weigh all these things. In the case of my project, I think the approach I took was the best one (although it's a close call)
@@johnniemo thnx! I really appreciate the reply. By the way, Awesome job!
personally I would have gone with masonry or concrete. my shop now has about a 20 something inch pony wall but it's all solid concrete.
He could probably have but also his budget or finance may have said otherwise, then against it is also preference over cost in many cases. If owned a balloon/platform framed garage. I money was no object then I would just knock it down and rebuild using post frame using brackets for footer slab or precast concrete permacolumns in the soil and go with taller than may need walls. never such a thing as too small or tall, compared to too low or small in interior dimensions. Unless you already have a limited as is building space determining your square foot/meter footprint. Then again If someone needed such a building size they would be welcome to buy it from me and either take apart to managle pieces for transport rather than move it entirely intact unless money was no concern to them for such cost of said transport or limitations along the roads for it to be moved that way depending on relocation spot.
I would think that solid concrete would still have a hinge point (well, line) because of the joint between the new and existing concrete.
@@scottwillis5434 I don't even honestly remember what this video is about other than the title. 4 years ago 🤣
I noticed your garage was wired. Did you lower your service box or...?
Lawmtho I disconnected the service prior to lifting. Since I was elongating the garage it was easy to relocate. In the end I had to re-run the gas line (something to be mindful of) so I trenched anyways. Entirely new service was installed with 12 circuits.
Here we have pressure treatment , which contacts concrete. When I read 21 I expected 24. Three courses of cement blocks. Was surprised at more wood. But your right, it not my property, and maybe it in desert south west
Around here every home is built with wood on concrete. And yes it's fairly arid here. The old sill was fine after 30 years as you can see.
21" came from the panel width of a new garage door. I actually wish I had lifted to 24" for the vehicle lift.
Bottle jacks...great and lumber for cribbing was what size? 6" x 4"???
Yes 6x4" posts cut to a manageable size. I would recommend something more sturdy if you want to go higher.
Thank You....!
look up box cribbing timbers, you are good for 4x4 or 6x6 or even 4x6 , long length allows for four strong points and a more stable support than just one beam at each stack to rest the lifting beams on which is why professional use it so often, but i give him credit for having his come down despite what he had at hand
We want to do something similar to a shed that framed on top of a slab with an extended porch. I think the concept will work. We need to raise it about 10" and we plan to use cinder block and then re-pour the floor to the new height. Any thoughts or suggestions?
I would think a shed would be easier. Shouldn't have any issue. So you are trying to raise the floor? Is it a water ingress issue?
@@johnniemo No I think the slab would break up. I figure it would be easier to raise the structure on it put block under then poor a floor on top of the existing slab. Yes, we are in Texas and Imelda stalled on top of us and we ended up with about 7" of water in the shed. Didnt even happen with the hurricane a couple years prior, but they have built houses next to us on a higher grade forcing the water to move on to our lot. The shed is rectangular with a gable ended roof but the roof to the end of the front porch is almost like a lean two supported by 4 post. So we figured we could brace up the front roof to the frame, brace up the frame cut the seal plate bolts, jack it up, rebar and concrete some block to the existing slab under the bottom plate all the way around, use a two by 12 and cover the garage door opening and front porch door opening, then re-pour the floor inside the blocking after reinforcing with rebar, then just put steps into it from the porch area and gravel out a grade to the garage door for lawn mower access etc..
@@he-manmasteroftheuniverse2501 ok. I didn't mean lifting the slab... just that you wanted a higher floor. You just have to be mindful that water won't get under the slab and freeze it. I know someone else who did your approach. (he filled it with gravel first to drain). However he had all sorts of issues. Since you are in Texas and freezing isn't an issue, I think you'll be okay. Just remember that any water getting in needs a way to get out, regardless where you happen to have your floor.
@@johnniemo Hmmm. Yeah I didnt consider that. Do you think mortaring the joint where the block meets the slab would keep the water out? Or have any suggestions?
@@johnniemo I wonder if cutting a channel in the exiting concrete, before the block, on the inside of the space, before pouring the new concrete, would keep water moving through mortar from getting between the two slabs.....
I'm looking to do something similar with my 24'X28'. I'm in Red Deer, you should come and help me ;) (I'd pay you, lol). Is it not a concern using untreated lumber? Shouldn't you have used treated lumber, especially for the sill plate? Concern with mine is that it's untreated lumber set on a slab, I also want bigger doors.
I'm not sure if you HAVE to used treated lumber for the sill plate. I did actually do that, although it may not be totally obvious.
My wife is still upset about my project, so I doubt going to Red Deer to do another is high on her list of priorities :)
When if you already have not yet, want to do aside from how he did most properly but not completely safe despite he as lucky is cross brace the main lifting beams to reduce any chance of flexing which is why you see house lifters use cross beams that the main beams are placed under. all you need is three pieces of great length, two across and one diagonal so you have a truss brace, nail them to from opposite side of beam instead of inside which would allow the nail to pull out. you may still want to brace the corners to the main beams just to keep it squared up and also support the one "solid" end wall and overhead doorway opening from also flexing on you with similar cross bracing, simple smooth nails would suffice for the braces
Hop this helps you in your endeavor if you already have not lifted yours
Removing the windows is not necessary but does help protect against cracking due to racking from possible uneven lifting. Where those two of the same bottle jacks? if you were able to get a hold of two more loaners then could have had three buddies also jacking in relative unison but would have wanted to cross brace those lifting beams you were using which looked just wide enough for the jack ram. Other than that great job not tipping the building as you raised it and good work on the pony wall securing it to the slab and to the building using the bolts and old bolt locations.
Thanks for the comments. I had four identical bottle jacks, 20 ton, and I got them from Canadian Tire on sale for $20 each :) We tried lifting all 4 at the same time and the building started to oscillate too much. It was much safer with half the building on firm blocking and the other side lifting in unison. I suggest going up in 2" increments. We tried 4" and had some slipping.
like i said manual unison is a bit tricky as well as you found out and even the experienced professionals have their own similar issues in windy conditions thus why you see them using standard cribbing side and place a new upper layer of each stack in stages or steps. glad you made out well and safe and the building is doing well since the endeavor and it is probably more work and as much headache if you went the other way just lifting the roof and then raising the door header to height, like I said a few times you already seen its ones choice and what they can and are willing to afford to do
now you have to put plywood all inside walls?
Dust in the wind that is not a bad idea for strength. I did not do that but you could.
I'm wonderin why you didn't just raise the roof? I'm thinking it would have been much easier and alot less work. JMO
I did address that somewhere in the comments. In short, I wanted the garage door to be taller, and this seemed like the way to achieve that. In retrospect I think I put too much emphasis on that and there were other ways to enlarge the door.
What keeps your LVLs from twisting? Just screws attached the 2x4 walls? That seems like it could be really dangerous on a heavier structure.
Yes, each end is lagged. You want the lift point as close to the edge as possible to mitigate any twisting. I had a very slight bit but only on the one side where the jack got to be 3 feet away from the edge. Don't do that.
I did this with small house. You should have ran angle 2x4s on exterior. 2 each corner to prevent side shifting. Still you got it done. Congrats
let me guess you got for hydrogen balloon and attache them to the corners tied the four corners to stakes and cut loos the plates