53422.1 | |
I have a 7′ deep crawl space on the front side of the house. It is accessible with a 5×5 sliding gargage door. I am planning on converting the space to a workshop. I am going to put a concrete pad and plan to wall off the remaining crawl space. I will end up with a 12×24 foot room. My question is how should I build the wall that separates the crawl space from the new room. I planned on putting it on the concrete pad. Do I need to pour a foundation under the wall? Also I assume I should use treated pine for the studs. Fiberglass batting with wall board on the interior would finish out the wall. Please critique this plan and provide any suggestions. |
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Standard 2x4 @ 16" o.c. should do it, can't see any need for "treated" studs, just bottom plate. You should give some thought to venting the space behind the shop, and possibly, moisture-barrier on the wall facing the now reduced crawl-space. I think you will be frustrated with a 7' (or less - is this after the 4" slab?) high shop, any way to excavate down for a little more head-space (and clearance for an 8' piece of lumber)? If so, its probably worth discussing with a structural engineer.
Yes, a footing under the perimeter of your slab is a good idea, for this reason: if your wall contacts joists above, it will likely transfer some of the load down through it, to the slab. Not knowing the specifics, I can't comment further than that. Also give some thought to sound (noise) issues. I'm building a tiny shop, and found this on the internet - http://www.quietsolution.com/construction___building.html?google , but I don't know anything about it other than what you read there. A 5'x5' entry - is that going to suffice?
Best wishes!
(P.S. Please post queries only once, don't post the same question in mutliple headings, as it makes for confusion - http://forums.taunton.com/tp-breaktime/messages?msg=53422.1)
Edited 1/30/2005 7:03 pm ET by Huck
Huck,
Thanks for the reply. I could dig down some but I am up against the footing on the front and piers on the new wall. Hopefully this is a temporary solution as I want to build a detached garage in a couple of years. I am also going to use the space as conditioned storage. This will alleviate the crowded garage. Maybe I will be able to park two cars in my garage one of these days. 5x5 is existing opening. Not much I can do there as it a brick house and the bottom is the footing.
I can relate! We have a small house (1300 sq. ft.) on a small lot (1/4 acre), and my wife's business (she sells books and antiques) necessitates a lot of storage. And I've got tools and materials to try to keep organized (I hate it when I know I have something, but I can't find it or get to it, so I have to go buy another!) And I don't want to have to pay for storage or office space, because like everyone I'm trying to cut my overhead so I can stay in business. So I am always looking around for any nook or cranny to use for storage or something!I am really trying to get organized! I built a 9' x 14' (I chose that size because it was the maximum I could build without a permit) outbuilding, to store her stuff in. Now I want to convert it into a small (make that TINY!) shop. And I am putting a small (again, make that tiny) office in the garage, next to the washer and dryer.7' is tough to work in, esp. if your overhead lights are surface-mounted. I mentioned the footing because with a crawlspace that big, I'm picturing a two-story house on a hillside. Even though my outbuilding is small, I put a standard 12" x 12" footing with re-bar, because it wasn't that much extra work, once I got started.
You are right. Two story on a slope. I built the house 3 years ago with my brother's help. I initially wanted to put in a basement but the budget was broken the day we broke ground! I didn't take into account the extra expense of building on the slope. My block and brick estimates were off plus all of the dirt I put in the front yard to keep from having 1000 steps to the front door. In retrospect I should of added another block or two to the foundation if I ever thought out using the space. I was so focused on reducing cost that I totally forgot the basement idea.
You learn alot building your first house!