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I had a detached garage built into a gently sloping hillside. I requested that when the footing was poured, that they extend it up about 18 inches (in the back and on one side) to serve as a retaining wall. I am too close to the property line to regrade things easily. [Don’t get me started about having to do typographical maps of my property to replace an existing garage — $1000 in surveying fees for a $%&* garage, for pete’s sake.]
Well, through my stupidity and lack of watching, the concrete man poured the side wall at the right height, and then as he turned the corner he dropped the wall by 10 inches – Right at the highest part of the grade! Before I could turn around, they had the garage framed and my wife cut them their final check.
So, Hasta la vista baby for getting anything corrected by the builders. (I asked; for some strange reason, they keep losing my phone number. At least I assume that is the reason they never call back…… Could there possibly be another reason?) So, I see two options: Build a retaining wall, or modify the garage.
The retaining wall might be OK, but the garage is so close to the lot line and the neighbor’s fence that getting ladders around for maintenance would be a major nuisance. I also worry about putting a wall right against those fence posts.
I also thought about temporarily supporting the garage roof with braces, cutting away the joists along the 10 feet or so that needs to be fixed, laying one course of cement block and reinstalling the wall on the new “foundation”.
Suggestions? What about mounting retaining bolts into the old foundation to hold things down more firmly?
Waterproofing? Why bother? It IS a simple garage after all.
Replies
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I had a detached garage built into a gently sloping hillside. I requested that when the footing was poured, that they extend it up about 18 inches (in the back and on one side) to serve as a retaining wall. I am too close to the property line to regrade things easily. [Don’t get me started about having to do typographical maps of my property to replace an existing garage -- $1000 in surveying fees for a $%&* garage, for pete’s sake.]
Well, through my stupidity and lack of watching, the concrete man poured the side wall at the right height, and then as he turned the corner he dropped the wall by 10 inches – Right at the highest part of the grade! Before I could turn around, they had the garage framed and my wife cut them their final check.
So, Hasta la vista baby for getting anything corrected by the builders. (I asked; for some strange reason, they keep losing my phone number. At least I assume that is the reason they never call back…... Could there possibly be another reason?) So, I see two options: Build a retaining wall, or modify the garage.
The retaining wall might be OK, but the garage is so close to the lot line and the neighbor’s fence that getting ladders around for maintenance would be a major nuisance. I also worry about putting a wall right against those fence posts.
I also thought about temporarily supporting the garage roof with braces, cutting away the joists along the 10 feet or so that needs to be fixed, laying one course of cement block and reinstalling the wall on the new “foundation”.
Suggestions? What about mounting retaining bolts into the old foundation to hold things down more firmly?
Waterproofing? Why bother? It IS a simple garage after all.