DavidR8's shop shenanigans

[Dabbler]

slab drainage: My garage slab was not drained properly, so it is a PITA in the bad spring melts.

I favour concrete curb walls at least 3" high, just to get the sill plates away from potential moisture.

If I were to do it again, I would have all the drainage at 1/8" per foot to the centre of the garage, favouring an flat from the centre to the garage door. that way any intrusion of water for any reason is easily dealt with and won't rot your sill plates. You might ask my why I'm so protective of the sill plates. Yeah, no. I don't want to talk about it.

P.S. I didn't build this garage. None of it is the way I'd do it. But it is too expensive to replace

 

[David]

slab drainage: My garage slab was not drained properly, so it is a PITA in the bad spring melts.

I favour concrete curb walls at least 3" high, just to get the sill plates away from potential moisture.

If I were to do it again, I would have all the drainage at 1/8" per foot to the centre of the garage, favouring an flat from the centre to the garage door. that way any intrusion of water for any reason is easily dealt with and won't rot your sill plates. You might ask my why I'm so protective of the sill plates. Yeah, no. I don't want to talk about it.

P.S. I didn't build this garage. None of it is the way I'd do it. But it is too expensive to replace

If we drop the elevation I expect that the footings would come well above final grade.
I wrote to the architect today to see if he has any preliminary sketches.
I know that we talked about 18’x33’ interior but I’d like to start laying out tools on paper.

 

[Susquatch]

but I’d like to start laying out tools on paper.

Your not excited are you!

 

[whydontu]

If you are an IOS user, there’s a nice app called Rooms that makes laying out a shop a piece of cake.

 

[David]

Your not excited are you!

Just a bit.
The architect needs to know how I want to divide the space (wood vs. metal) so he can see how that affects floor spans above.

 

[YotaBota]

You mentioned a suite for renting, that means sewage so you should be able to put in a floor drain or two in the shop, (just in case)

 

[jcdammeyer]

This is the sort of thing that happens when water comes in along the foundation and floor of a carport that was likely never meant to be enclosed. Every winter after major rains in January. Doesn't help that our house is built into a hill and water above us that soaks into the ground builds up against the foundation.

The solution was replacing the perimeter drain around the house and adding it around the car port. Now it's been dry for the last few years.

The odd thing is after the perimeter drains and dry floor the machines started rusting. Before that they didn't.

Anyway, even if your shop will be build on a slab adding perimeter drains around it will go a long way in preventing water coming in.

 

[140mower]

This is the sort of thing that happens when water comes in along the foundation and floor of a carport that was likely never meant to be enclosed. Every winter after major rains in January. Doesn't help that our house is built into a hill and water above us that soaks into the ground builds up against the foundation.

The solution was replacing the perimeter drain around the house and adding it around the car port. Now it's been dry for the last few years.

The odd thing is after the perimeter drains and dry floor the machines started rusting. Before that they didn't.

Anyway, even if your shop will be build on a slab adding perimeter drains around it will go a long way in preventing water coming in.

I was going to give you a thumbs up on the drain tile, every new building should have some...... But with the pictures of the water running across the floor made me rather sad, and the machines rusting made me want to cry........ So, just pretend that I gave you all of those in the one post.
I buried a 1000 gallon tank next to the house and ran the downspouts from the house into it and the overflow runs into a rock pit. Having a 1000 gallons of water just hanging around in the heat of summer is a nice piece of mind in fire season or just to keep some of the landscaping alive during the watering restrictions.

 

[David]

You mentioned a suite for renting, that means sewage so you should be able to put in a floor drain or two in the shop, (just in case)

Just added that to my list

 

[David]

Gear cutters all snug in their beds

 

[jcdammeyer]

I was going to give you a thumbs up on the drain tile, every new building should have some...... But with the pictures of the water running across the floor made me rather sad, and the machines rusting made me want to cry........ So, just pretend that I gave you all of those in the one post.
I buried a 1000 gallon tank next to the house and ran the downspouts from the house into it and the overflow runs into a rock pit. Having a 1000 gallons of water just hanging around in the heat of summer is a nice piece of mind in fire season or just to keep some of the landscaping alive during the watering restrictions.

Remember I'm also Dutch which means every winter I was able to participate in the Dutch National sport which is playing with water. I was able to channel it from the one corner to the other. After it all dried up it was amazing how clean the area under the water path was.

But I'm glad it's dry now. I can keep the RH under 45% with the dehumidifier what was needed after all this to keep the machines from rusting.

I'd like to put in a layer of plastic and then the 2'x2' interlocking tiles on the floor to block out water vapour from the concrete but as it is I already only have 86" of head space (81" under the light fixtures).

 

[140mower]

You mentioned a suite for renting, that means sewage so you should be able to put in a floor drain or two in the shop, (just in case)

.....are you implying that renters can be a little bit less than responsible? I dread the thought of renting out our other house, fortunately I have an elderly aunt that was looking to move closer to town, so I have a little time before I have to worry about having a stranger in it. When that time does come, I think we'll just sell and look for a recreational property (as usual, subject to change on a whim.....).

 

[140mower]

Remember I'm also Dutch

....all the more reason to keep the water away...... It warps and cracks those wooden shoes.

 

[Susquatch]

Just added that to my list

In most jurisdictions you cannot mix drain water with sewage.

 

[David]

In most jurisdictions you cannot mix drain water with sewage.

Good point. I’ll check in with the architect.

 

[Susquatch]

Good point. I’ll check in with the architect.

Ask him to be creative.

There is often more than one way to skin a cat.....

 

[cjmac]

You mentioned a suite for renting, that means sewage so you should be able to put in a floor drain or two in the shop, (just in case)

Something else maybe to consider for your shop floor drain is an oil interceptor. If you drop 5 litres of oil on the floor, where will it end up?

Chris

 

[140mower]

There is often more than one way to skin a cat

.....that there is, but my grampa told me that if you want top dollar for the pelt, the list gets shorter.....

 

[YotaBota]

....are you implying that renters can be a little bit less than responsible?

Not at all, just pointing out an advantage to having drainage plumbing already in the design so the cost of adding floor drains will be minimal.

 

[jcdammeyer]

Good point. I’ll check in with the architect.

It should be interesting to find out. Our house built in 1967 with septic field had the cement style perimeter drain tiles circling the house and running out to the drainage ditch along the road. When the ditch was filled in they were supposed to connect this to the storm drain system. We would have to get a permit (eventually) to connect remove the septic system and connect to the sewer drain system.

Well the hollow tiles may well have been emptying into the storm ditch but the people doing the work, if they even found it, didn't connect it to anything. We discovered that when we finally removed the septic field and had the cement septic tank broken down and filled in. The house was then connected to plastic drain pipe and run down hill to the road to the sewage connection.

But here's the interesting thing. At the back of the house where essentially the ground level was 8' above the basement level (front of house is level with the ground) there is a floor drain right by the washing machine pipes a industrial sink drain and beside that a sink/shower/toilet. The industrial sink, shower, bathroom sink and toilet all drain into the sewer drain.

The floor drain went out the back of the house into the perimeter drain through a trap. At the worst of the wet weather I had a plastic pipe stuck into that floor drain and packing around it so we wouldn't have the basement filling with water. The water in the vertical pipe was about 8" above the concrete floor level.

When the tiles were pulled the majority along the back of the house all were full of clay with maybe an 1/8" gap along the top. As the water ran down hill it towards the house it would hit the wall and rise up. Eventually the hydro static pressure was enough for it to move around the house through and along side the blocked drain tiles and out the front area. As long as I had the vertical pipe stuck in there and the shop vac handy for sucking up leakage.

Anyway. I suspect modern code will insist that floor drains in the concrete floor will be tied through a trap to the sewer drain not the storm drain.