Question for the "Construction Savvy' guys.

[Gogar]

Yo, werd. Just kidding.

In my detached garage, there is an 8x8 opening at the front end, which was a pass-through door in the 1930s-40s for the "coal truck" to back up to the house and dump the coal in the basement.




Until recently, this wall had a few 2x4s and some 1/4" plywood siding, presumably from the early '70s.

I ripped it all out and want to construct a better wall, on the inside of which will be a little work bench and some peg-board storage, etc.




The previous wall had concrete blocks, on top of which was a 2x4. There were a few pieces of rebar through the 2x4 and concrete in the middle of the wall, into the soft dirt underneath.


MY IDEA, so far, is to use a Green-treated 4x4 as a footer for the wall, like this:



Is this ok? The cement is at a slight grade DOWN from the garage out to the yard, there is a small (1 foot) section of bare dirt right in the middle of where the 4x4 would sit.

Should I do something ELSE to protect the wood? Run some plastic vapor-barrier sheeting under or around it? or something else?

Or, use some other material for the footer?

This wall is not a big deal, but I don't want to do it over in 5 years. 30 is ok.


THANKS!

[Tidybuoy]

My 60 year old house with a detached garage has the exact same footing that you are planning on using.

This held up for 60 years however I did have some termite problems over the years and I eventually painted the entire footing and lower portion of the wall studs with "Termin" a wood preserver and anti-termite treatment.

The only thing that I would recommend (and I'm not a contractor), is that if you plan on sheetrocking, you might build up the base so that the sheetrock is not so close to the floor.

See my photo where I sheetrocked the garage. My wall studs were built on top of the 2x6 base (like yours). But when I sheetrocked, I put a 2x4 base first, which keeps the sheetrock an additional 4" further off the ground.

Lastly, using pressure treated wood is good, but if you make any saw cuts, you should treat the exposed cut with termin or similar preservative.

[Tidybuoy]

Here's a better photo:

[Zeke]

Personally, I'd have a hard time putting any wood on grade. However, the term "mudsill" came from wood placed in wet mortar for uniform support and load bearing. You could elevate your PT lumber on an inch of modified grout, like the epoxy stuff and know that water won't be continually attacking the base of your wall. Modified meaning waterproof.

Are you planning to bolt the sole plate down at all?

BTW, love the roses and the old driveway.

[81turboporsche]

i do contracting work i personally use only pressure treated wood for any areas against ground that will have contact with moisture i would prob , drill through the wood and get concrete expansion bolts ,just to prevent any shifting,very simple just drill and tighten the screws ,2x4's are good enough to hold a roof load of a garage ,their isnt much too carry up their

[81turboporsche]

also the comment on the sheetrock is right on the money step it up a half inch or so and home depot offers vinyl base trim in alot of colors that you glue to the sheet rock ,if you go in any office building you will see it , it comes in a box and unrolls very econonical and looks great

[81turboporsche]

always always always bolt down the sill plate the last thing you need is you bumping into the wall with a car and knocking a garage down on youreself ,the integrity of and structure above you or anyone should be paramount,good luck im sure it will come out great ,any other questions shoot me a pm on here or a message

[Gogar]

Thank you Guys.

Milt, I had considered bolting it down, but haven't made that confused trip down the 'fastener' aisle yet. What's the thing to do, at a (not buy new tools) cost?

(edit) just read 81TP's post.

This wall isn't carrying any load, but I agree having it not move front to back would be nice.

A thick layer of waterproof grout sounds pretty good to me, too.

Thanks

[81turboporsche]

the expansion bolts are pretty simple to use basically its a long bolt with a metal sheath around it and at the end it has an angled flange that when you tighten the bolt the metal sheath spreads , they are very inexpensive and basically all u need for them is a drill and a socket or adjustable wrench , the grout with also work ,you might want to look into something else if its a constantly wet area , the worst this for any wood is trapping moisture in , wood can always get wet but when it doesnt get a chance to dry then you have a problem , also pressure treated buckles after getting wet so make sure to use three or four if you decide and you should be good to go

[81turboporsche]

if its not carrying a load 2 is fine you just want to keep the board from shifting and keep it flat against the garage floor , for you wont need to buy any tools if you have a corded drill

[Tidybuoy]

One more thing....

When I re-did my garage, I built a wall dividing the space. I did just like you are planning on doing. The base plate was layed on the ground and a wall built on top. This was extremely solid and did not move (without using any concrete bolts).

However, about a month later, the wall moved if I touched it because the 2x4's shrank a tad...Therefore, you definately want to bolt down the sill plate. You can also use construction caulk which you put a bead down before laying down the sill plate. This will create a barier and prevent water from making it's way from outside to inside.

[81turboporsche]

2x4s should be about an eighth inch bigger for shrinkage typically ,these are the wall studs i mean of course and pl is the name of the construction adhesive its the best in the biz

[Gogar]

Awesome, thanks!

So, I filled in my "dirt" sections of that run with some quikcrete, leveled it out, and tomorrow I will build it up a little with some waterproof concrete sealant and put the 4x4 in. I got a few 7" wedge anchors and a long-ol 1/2" masonry bit, so I think I'm on my way.

I think I'll be pretty good on the water, there's still a slight grade away from the wall.

Thanks again you guys.

[javadog]

[QUOTE=Gogar;4753433]I think I'll be pretty good on the water, there's still a slight grade away from the wall...[QUOTE]

...except every time it rains, you'll get water under the wood. Caulk and paint the snot out of it. Use a caulk that remains flexible. Don't buy the crap at the box stores, find someplace that sells sealants to the contruction trades. I ususally use Vulkem.

Be advised that treated lumber can warp like there is no tomorrow.

JR

[dipso]

Does the garage leak? I would be a little concerned with the slope.
Any water that gets inside is designed to follow the grade down and out the door. Since you are putting a wall where the door used to be there is no exit.
That is not good.

How good are you with that quickrete. A really good idea would be to put down a layer of brick or stone wall cap first with the quickrete. Then anchor your 4x4 to that. Then build up as planned.
That would give you 1" to 2" of brick or concrete to have the water settle against.

You could use your 1/2" masonry bit to drill some drain holes in the brick or concrete base. Or even lay them with some spacing every 4 or five bricks.

If you ever noticed, most garages are built on a curb, not on the ground, even though it looks like yours is on the ground. Maybe it is old? Maybe that is how they do it in Denver?
Drainage is good. Especially on the low side.

I know you don't want to buy any tools but do you have a hammer drill?

[Gogar]

Well, here it is. I used used wedge anchors on that 4x4 and filled in the dirt spots with cement. Under the 4x4 I crammed about 3 tubes of silicone, so I think it will be okay. Now it's time to fix somethin'.

Oh, and time for another beer.

[URY914]

Well done.

[Tidybuoy]

Good Job! Looks like the perfect spot for a tool bench - especially since it looks like it is inset into the wall rather than sticking out into the garage.

Vern

[Gogar]

Yes, it's a 2-foot "tumor" that used to be the frame for the second (inside) garage door. So the 2x24 rectangular frame has been there since 1928. I felt compelled to leave it, and it's a fantastic spot for an 8'X2' workbench.