# Foundation for a garage



## Bayman (Aug 31, 2008)

Hi, I want to build a garage on a wooden foundation rather than a concrete slab. This is due to the costs of having a slab poured, it will cost in excess of $12,000

The size of the garage will be 22' x 34'. I want to build the foundation using 6" x 6" treated material. What options are open to me when it comes to joining the 6" x 6"


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## Art Vandelay (May 24, 2009)

a $12,000 slab?


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## Bayman (Aug 31, 2008)

Art Vandelay said:


> a $12,000 slab?


Yes, I received 3 quotes and they were all around the same price....I couldn't believe it myself......Here in Alberta there is such a high demand and with most people connected to the oil industry here people have no problem paying that kind of money......unfortunately for me I am not connected to the oil industry and can't afford it.....I am a senior citizen on a limited income and a small one at that...


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## Ten Fingers (Nov 5, 2006)

This is what pole sheds are for.


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## JustaFramer (Jan 21, 2005)

Do you want it built on skids or buried wood foundation?


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## Cyle (Mar 3, 2010)

For that size a gradebeam is reccomended, and a slab can be done later or not at all. That is what I would reccomend. And, setting one up isn't that tough if you've had any sort of experience with it. I wouldn't even consider a wood foundation. Depending on the ground you MIGHT be able to just pour a footing and set the walls on that, but you cannot just set the wood on ground, you will run into problems.

Being from Alberta to and doing concrete yea that size of pad will cost around that. You could get a standard 4" pad for about $6000 though. But i'm guessing that was for a lot more then that?


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## KarlV (May 7, 2010)

Ok, my cousin has the same idea, but hadn't gotten to the quotes yet, i.e. the pad. I'd given him my best guess quote but was off by quite a bit I see! Thx for sharing. I'll have to share this info with him. Yikes.


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## JT Wood (Dec 17, 2007)

I'd look into getting a footing, then short foundation walls to get it up to grade. 

Then build the garage on that. You can pour the floor after. Or never as money allows.

Or a grade beam would work too.


What did you mean 6x6 foundation?


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## Bayman (Aug 31, 2008)

Thanks guys for all of your input, it is greatly appreciated.



Cyle said:


> For that size a gradebeam is reccomended, and a slab can be done later or not at all. That is what I would reccomend. And, setting one up isn't that tough if you've had any sort of experience with it. I wouldn't even consider a wood foundation. Depending on the ground you MIGHT be able to just pour a footing and set the walls on that, but you cannot just set the wood on ground, you will run into problems.
> 
> Being from Alberta to and doing concrete yea that size of pad will cost around that. You could get a standard 4" pad for about $6000 though. But i'm guessing that was for a lot more then that?



That is what I am would like to do, that is Wood Foundation.

My plan is to use concrete blocks, I would put the treated beams in the concrete blocks, and then to use treated 2 x 8 as floor joists resting on the treated beams. Floor it over with 3/4 plywood.

The treated 6 x 6 would be the beams....

What is your opinion on this method.


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## JustaFramer (Jan 21, 2005)

Bayman said:


> Thanks guys for all of your input, it is greatly appreciated.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You want to build it on skids.


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## Bayman (Aug 31, 2008)

Yes....but because it is 22 x 34' for sure I can't get 6 x 6 treated skids that long....


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## Kgmz (Feb 9, 2007)

You can get them that long. How long are the poles in a pole building, 24+ foot treated 6x6 is available around here.

Have you priced what this wood floor will cost?

Don't know what your prices are up there, but do know it is higher than here. I would think that with all that treated lumber is will not be much cheaper than the concrete.

And have you run this by a building official, I would think that this would not be allowed for a building of this size.


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## catspaw (Oct 29, 2008)

most codes require a non-combustible garage floor. wood would not be acceptable unless you poured concrete on top of it. most codes require a slope that allows for drainage to a floor drain or the outside of the building. check with your local building official and end all guessing!


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## jkfox624 (Jun 20, 2009)

If the slab is such a concern just dig for your footer, lay some block build the garage and not do the slab. Grade it off, put your gravel down so they got something easier to maintain then when they get the money to pour the floor they can. Seems simple enough to me. And i gotta say that number of $12,000 sounds waaaay high for a slab. Is it 6" thick? That works out to almost $1,000 per yard of concrete.


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## Cyle (Mar 3, 2010)

jkfox624 said:


> If the slab is such a concern just dig for your footer, lay some block build the garage and not do the slab. Grade it off, put your gravel down so they got something easier to maintain then when they get the money to pour the floor they can. Seems simple enough to me. And i gotta say that number of $12,000 sounds waaaay high for a slab. Is it 6" thick? That works out to almost $1,000 per yard of concrete.


Yea because all there is is concrete in a slab. No rebar, no labour, no gravel, no prep :whistling I work for free, I just charge what concrete costs!

Concrete is usually only 20-25% of the total cost.....


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## PrestigeR&D (Jan 6, 2010)

*$12,000,,,*

your math on this slab is quite high. That is 9.25 R(10) QY of concrete @ 4" height. That would be $1100.00 for 4000psi rated concrete,,,-delivered right off the chute in my neck of the woods. My ball park on that is $3000-$4500 for the job completed, and that is with out you lifting one finger. how the hell are you coming up with $12,000 . did you mean to include the footer in that price?,if so, still high at $12,

Why do you want a wood floor garage- unless it's a historical renovation/preservation,, I can't see what the benefits are. You are going to spend more for than dble for the materials. The (2x10)@ 12"oc 72-that alone is around $830.00 - (your not going to get away with 16oc). I also think your BI is going to give you some problems with this idea of yours. Then 23 sheets of 3/4" plywood $540.00,,,your going to need a center spine, that should be a Steel I beam - that will be around $25 per foot @12" x 4 profile, 2 - 15'er >$840.00 total. Both I's, plate joined/welded and the Concrete 12" pier for the "I" union - that's going to be about $150 by the time all is said and done with that. You are at $2360- this is ball park give or take +/- 10%, And you haven't even cut your first timber yet,,,


Do the math, and most of all , think about it- it's a garage floor and that should not be made of timbers-IMO

3-$5,000 for concrete- finished:clap:
$2360 for stick flooring,, and you haven't even started on the labor end
Brian


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## Cyle (Mar 3, 2010)

You cannot compare prices, being I am from the same place as the OP, Alberta Canada, stuff ain't cheap here. Concrete is $210 pre meter here(contractor discount, unless your pouring a few hundred meters a week or something, you ain't getting it for less), which would be about $1750 all said and done for a 4" pad. As I said in another post, my company would charge about $6000 for that floor. However, for that size of garage you need to go with a gradebeam or 12" thickened edge to pass code, which gets into a lot more $$$$, depending on the size they also want a engineered drawing, which is like $1000.


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## PrestigeR&D (Jan 6, 2010)

*Cyle,,*

That is true,, pricing is not the same all over- but there can't be that much of a difference to get it up to $12,000. I just think you are not going to be ahead on this with framing it out, first of all I don't think this is going to fly with the BI. A wood floor in a garage?????- I have seen them in barns when they were built way back when there was horse & buggy,,, but in a garage in 2010? Just seams a little odd.
Brian


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## rjconstructs (Apr 26, 2009)

I vote no on a wood garage floor.


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## nailkiller1 (Jan 15, 2009)

Just priced a 36'x48' floating slab last week

$8,000 cut and sealed
If you are in Canada this is probably no help 

Is some of your cost in pad prep, Excavation, soil correction?

If you want to skip the concrete 

Build a pole building, and pour the floor when money comes in

In five or ten years i think you will be very disappointed if you do any sort of wood foundation or floor


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## jkfox624 (Jun 20, 2009)

Cyle said:


> Yea because all there is is concrete in a slab. No rebar, no labour, no gravel, no prep :whistling I work for free, I just charge what concrete costs!
> 
> Concrete is usually only 20-25% of the total cost.....


So you add labor in, gravel and wire mesh. I figured the floor at 6" pour. 13.5 yards. $2000 if its $150 a yard just for concrete. 20 ton of 2b gravel add another $500. A machine spreads it in an hour, or couple laborers get it to grade in half a day theres $250. 3-4 guys can pour that and be off it in 6 hours tops, 2 guys come back the next day for an hour or two to cut any control joints. say $1400 in labor for the pour. With any wire mesh OH/profit it still comes in at the $5-6000 range. Thats half the quote he had.


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## jkfox624 (Jun 20, 2009)

PrestigeR&D said:


> your math on this slab is quite high. That is 9.25 R(10) QY of concrete @ 4" height. That would be $1100.00 for 4000psi rated concrete,,,-delivered right off the chute in my neck of the woods. My ball park on that is $3000-$4500 for the job completed, and that is with out you lifting one finger. how the hell are you coming up with $12,000 . did you mean to include the footer in that price?,if so, still high at $12,
> 
> Why do you want a wood floor garage- unless it's a historical renovation/preservation,, I can't see what the benefits are. You are going to spend more for than dble for the materials. The (2x10)@ 12"oc 72-that alone is around $830.00 - (your not going to get away with 16oc). I also think your BI is going to give you some problems with this idea of yours. Then 23 sheets of 3/4" plywood $540.00,,,your going to need a center spine, that should be a Steel I beam - that will be around $25 per foot @12" x 4 profile, 2 - 15'er >$840.00 total. Both I's, plate joined/welded and the Concrete 12" pier for the "I" union - that's going to be about $150 by the time all is said and done with that. You are at $2360- this is ball park give or take +/- 10%, And you haven't even cut your first timber yet,,,
> 
> ...


Hell you could probably get a 4' foundation, footer, and slab for that price. I'm not sure how it works out 2 hours up north but around here you can get a garage for roughly $10,000 per garage stall on a full foundation not a slab.


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## JT Wood (Dec 17, 2007)

Are you wanting to put this on skids for permit, or bylaw reasons?

Big garage for a city lot.


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## Rockmonster (Nov 15, 2007)

*It's in ALBERTA*

I think a few of you guys are simplifying this....I'm guessing it includes forming it, as it is probably a thickened edge slab, so maybe 12-14" around the perimeter, maybe 4-6" inside. It takes a little while to form a slab like that, there is a fair amount of pressure...now it's probably engineered, so maybe 3 or 4 sticks of rebar going around perimeter, maybe even the entire slab...Maybe compacted gravel underneath? We pay appx. $85 ton here, could be high there as well....I'm just saying, if he got 3 prices, and they are all close, maybe that is the going rate....of course, somebody could travel to AB. and DO it for him for 6g.....then you may find out why they get 12......


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## jlhaslip (Dec 31, 2009)

what part of Alberta?
I'm an hour away from Lake Louise.


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## farmer/framer (Feb 10, 2010)

*Wood foundation*

Bayman-
I'm from Alberta, too. Do not place your beams on concrete blocks just laying on the ground. (1) Frost will heave your building all to hell. (2) the first really big wind we get will put it in your neighbor's yard. 
Instead,you can do this (I've done it on several buildings in the area (rural-west of Edmonton) including many of my own):
Set or drive pressure-treated fence posts (5-6"tops) as deep as you can-4' or better-around the perimeter approx. 6' O.C.
Find the high corner of your building footprint, mark the corner post 2" above grade and cut all your posts level to that. Set your beams on the posts (half-lap the joints OVER a post) and strap it all down with galvanized strapping from one side of the post over the beam to the other side-ALL posts-or use flat iron lag-screwed from post to beam-both sides.
Block the gap below the beam with 2X PT stuff to keep the wind, snow and critters out. Put this on the outside and if you ever want to pour, your form is in place. Strip the sod first from your footprint and you can lay sand, crushed or pitrun gravel to drive on-don't make a wooden floor.
Good luck.


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