Question for the contactors - raising height of garage ceiling

Paul T · 01-20-2007, 05:42 AM

I just moved into in a new house a few months ago that has an attached 2 car garage. I haven't measured, but the ceiling in the garage is roughly 9 ft. I really want to get a lift (4 post most likely for storage), but I obviously don't have the ceiling height.

However above the garage (A frame roof) is all storage. There are pull down stairs that go up to a storage area that covers the entire garage. My thought is, rip out the ceiling in one half of the garage to create a cathedral ceiling of sorts so I would have room for a lift. I don't want to do the entire garage because I do need some room for storage.
The garage is unfinished right now and is just bare stud walls, with exception of the house/garage wall. Is this doable? Or would I have to raise the entire ceiling 2 feet and forget the cathedral part? Extremely expensive? Appreciate the input- I can post pics later.

Dantilla · 01-20-2007, 05:55 AM

Pictures are needed to see the structure. Most likely, the framing members that make up the storage floor also keep the exterior walls from bowing out and colapsing to the ground.

You don't want to cut those.

Anything is possible, but it may be spendy depending on the original construction.

If you were close to me, I'd be happy to come take a look and give some ideas.

Paul T · 01-20-2007, 06:13 AM

That's what I think too, that those are needed to hold the side wall up! My gut tells me this is going to be costly if possible at all. I'll take some pics and put up later.

My only other car storage option is to build a detached garage, but that has challanges too - I have close to 4 acres, but the house is built on a slope and most of the property is quite steep. I'm not sure how building a garage there would work - the foundation in the back would be 15 ft high!

ginot912 · 01-20-2007, 08:12 AM

Seems to me that it could be done.
Especially since you have storage, usually means you would have 2x6 rafters and 2x8 joyces.
I would not go to a cathedral ceiling, but just raise ceiling
to desired height and installing 2x6 bracing.
Still, pictures needed to confirm

Much cheaper than building new structure.

I'm in the same boat, I have trusses, no storage.
I'll be cutting them to a desired height and installing bracing as needed.

BTW one problem I've not worked out yet is the garage door
in the up position.

Gino

wreckersteve · 01-20-2007, 01:42 PM

Run the track up along the ceiling. You cut the bend above the door at the anlge you need. My friend did this when he built his garage. He went with cathedral in his garage. If you have the money you might want to get a contractor to just take off that part of the roof and put in the cathedral trusses and start over.

Dantilla · 01-20-2007, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ginot912
I'll be cutting them to a desired height and installing bracing as needed.

I hope you're going to do some engineering calculations to account for a snow load.

azasadny · azasadny's Garage

Could you install a scissor-truss style frame to replace the low ceiling?

Paul T · 01-22-2007, 12:20 PM

Thanks for the responses, I'm having an issue with the digital camera so no pix yet.
The more I think about this, I think building another garage is the way to go - of course there is no budget for that right now so that will have to wait awhile, plus I'm not even sure I can do it on this lot, at least not without a bunch of setback variances.

Superman · 01-22-2007, 12:54 PM

Residential structures are simple in principle. Imagine a box with no lid. That is the wall structure. Then imagine the roof structure as a triangle. The box below is structurally sound just as it is, but if you were to set only the two big roof panels on top, the weight of the panels would try to flatten them out, and this force would push out on the two of the walls. Therefore, the boards that run the width of the structure, at the base of the roof triangle, are there for the purpose of keeping the lower edges of the roof panels, and the walls underneath them, from moving outward under the weight of the roof trying to collapse. This is why those boards are necessary. They cause the force of the roof structure to press straight down against the walls, instead of also pressing outward.

Yes, the best strategy here is probably to detach and raise the entire roof structure, extend the walls upward, and then replace the roof back down to rest on the newly extended walls.

ginot912 · 01-22-2007, 01:24 PM

Yes I agree with all of you.

But the origial post was for opening up ONE bay only
not all of the " BOX". So it could be done WITH some additional bracing.

Gino

Paul T · 01-22-2007, 04:10 PM

Hmm, just stumbled accross this. This guy seems to have "engineered" his way around a similar situation. Something about it doesn't seem right to me though...

javadog · 01-22-2007, 04:53 PM

Well, that's not exactly the way I would have done it but the basic idea is okay. If you support the roof under the peak it greatly reduces the loads trying to spread the outer walls apart.

What you are trying to do can be done. Talk to an architect or a structural engineer. It wouldn't take much to design something to give you what you want.

JR