call me crazy

[Toddr8541]

Guys and Gals
I have moved to a area that is very sloped. Not many flat land options. I am considering building a two story garage. Both stories capable of storing cars. Each floor would be 1200 Sqft. with concrete floors. The first floor would be built into the land with the garage doors on opposite sides of the garage. My question is what kind of floor support structure is needed for the second floor.

here are my thoughts so far. The bottom walls would be 8 or 12" CMU with vertical reinforcement on 24" centers with #5 rebar. Three lintels with two #5 horizontals. Lintel placement is first course of cmu , mid hight, and Top Two courses with hook bars extending into the second floor. Second floor 4 or 6" thick concrete on top of corregated metal with W6xW6 mesh. Floor support would be a steel ladder truss system or I beam. dont know tubing size or spacing yet.

bottom footer would be 24" x 24" with 4 #5 rebar. bottom floor would be 4" or 6" thick.

Second floor structure would be standard stick built.

What do you guys think. Am I nuts or what?

 

[IRstuff]

How does this compare to a typical multi-story parking garage?

TTFN

FAQ731-376
Chinese prisoner wins Nobel Peace Prize

 

[ToadJones]

You are crazy...

Every Structural here is going to tell you "you need the services of a structural engineer"

Having said that, a two story garage is certainly doable.

 

[ztengguy]

I would use concrete instead of CMU if its against soil, just a preference. Yea, u need a engineer.

 

[woodman88]

I would of gotten a larger lot and stepped the garages.

Garth Dreger PE - AZ Phoenix area
As EOR's we should take the responsibility to design our structures to support the components we allow in our design per that industry standards.

 

[MiketheEngineer]

Check out Hollow - Core for the floor - basically concrete slabs with big horizontal holes in them. Strong and lightweight!! ( well - lighter)

I will call you crazy if you want - but people do this ALL the time.

Yes - go buy a structural engineer!!!

 

[Guest102023]

OK Toddr8541, you're crazy.

 

[Teguci]

parking structures are designed for 50 psf. With PT you can get a 5 1/2" slab to span 28 feet. For your situation, if you are looking to limit your structural depth, a 2-way slab should do the job but the 4" slab over open web joists is way more constructable. For residential I'd be tempted to up the garage loading to 100 psf (who knows what you'll store in there).

I will suggest sloping your garage floors to drain (3/16" per foot).

 

[Toddr8541]

haha thats what my fiance says haha. I know it's doable and I will hire a structural engineer but I was wondering what everyone here thought.

I've never built or reviewed plans of one so I don't know how it differs from a parking garage other than on a smaller scale.

What is a stepped garage?

 

[csd72]

naah, I would only suggest you hire a structural engineer if you dont want it to fall down.

Seriously, there are a lot of considerations here which only an SE would truly understand.

 

[ToadJones]

I have seen a garage floor framed with SYP 2x12s with a 1972 Cadillac Fleetwood pared on it...I didn't hang out in the basement below too often though.

 

[msquared48]

Toad:

Done 'em with 3" of concrete over marine ply over 2X12's framing to a central glulam. Span of the joists is limited, but it is
doo-dooable.

Mike McCann
MMC Engineering

 

[ToadJones]

...I forgot to mention that since the Fleetwood was about 35 ft long it really didn't load the center of the span too much

 

[BAretired]

Toddr8541,

Your fiancee is absolutely correct. You are crazy! You had better marry her before she realizes just how crazy you are. (Just kidding)

BA

 

[Toddr8541]

hahaha trust me she knowsI need couseling hahaha. She just shakes her head everytime I come up with an idea and then tells me how engineers are crazy. She knows everytime I am quiet I am thinking about something and tells me I think too much haha.