Shop lifting questions

[Runum]

Actually I need help on lifting a shop. My shop is 28x32 wood frame built on a level slab. It was built about 20 years ago and it has rotted sill plates at the bottoms of some of the walls. My plan is to lift the walls up and replace the sill plates. I also want to lay a row of brick or cinder blocks to get the walls up off of the slab. Anyone with any suggetions on how? anyone with experience in this?

Greg

[Administrator]

Actually I need help on lifting a shop. My shop is 28x32 wood frame built on a level slab. It was built about 20 years ago and it has rotted sill plates at the bottoms of some of the walls. My plan is to lift the walls up and replace the sill plates. I also want to lay a row of brick or cinder blocks to get the walls up off of the slab. Anyone with any suggetions on how? anyone with experience in this?

Greg

Greg,

This sounds like a major project. Have you solicited any bids from contractors for this?

[autoist]

Internal bracing & house jacks?

[kyeakel]

If you don't actually need to raise the building higher than it was originally, I'd build a temporary interior wall, cut off the studs at the height your block sub wall will be, and attach a new sill plate once the block wall is constructed. I'd do one wall at a time and reuse the material for the temporary interior wall over again each time. If you want to raise the entire building it's a much more complex operation and would best be handled by a contracting firm.

Kipp

[Runum]

Well guys thanks for the suggestions. I did the job myself. I worked on one wall at a time. I used two 8 ton bottle jacks to lift the wall after loosening all the ancor bolts.. I used 4x4posts under the top plate to shore the wall up while I worked on it. I raised the walls 2-3 inches to do the work. After I raised the wall and braced it, I used my sawzall to cut the nails from the sill plate to the studs and to remove the old anchors in the cement. I pulled out any damaged studs and replaced the sill plates with new treated pine. Then I set it back down and drilled new holes for the anchors. I did not get to lay down some bricks as I proposed due to a lack of patience. So the shop still sits on the slab.

I only had one screw up: There was a hidden ancor bolt on one wall that I didn't loosen before lifting. I knew that the wall wasn't lifing correctly but could not figure out what was wrong. I gave the jack a couple of pumps and cracked a top plate. I don't think it will be a big issue to repair. More jacking and bracing.

[autoist]

Glad to hear it worked out...once I was enlarging my garage & had to remove a bearing wall...I built a dummy wall in front of it while I removed the old one....learned about marking anchor bolts in that episode....now, all my anchor bolts are clearly marked for future renovations.

[Runum]

Thought I would update what's going on. I replaced all the rotted and damaged frame members. Replaced the damaged exterior sheathing. Pulled the corrugated tin fromt he roof and replaced it with an asphault shingled roof. Finished the roof today and will work on the doors and windows tomorrow. Then I will install the siding. Here's a pic.

Greg

[autoist]

Bet it doesn't even resemble itself before you started! Do you now have enough height for a 4-post lift?

[Administrator]

Any other pictures available?

[Runum]

Here's a couple. We stopped working on the siding until the brutal Texas heat passed. I have finished the siding on two sides and started today to finish it out. May take a week or so.

[Garagefan]

The progress is looking good. You'll just about have a brand new garage when you're done.