Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Oct 16, 2008 8:46 pm Our 'cross over' as such is in a bad position, it's a singe size and it's pretty mcuh in the middle of the house facing the front porch.
On one side is a bit of a mound of concrete with plain concrete around the outside and stencilled concrete in teh middle. On the other side is just plain. The easiest and cheapest would be to extend it towards the plain side, make it double size, but it would still be facing the front door and only half of the house. I thought this could still work if we did something like this.. Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ But.. to me it looks like to do this the garage would need to be on the same level as the rest of the house and not stepped down. Do you think tha'ts possible? Re: Is it possible to have garage on same level as house? 5Oct 16, 2008 10:40 pm The slab normally steps down, apparently by one brick course, so the driveway isn't on the same level as the porch, that's why you normally step up from the driveway to the porch, and then into the house on the same level as the porch. Re: Is it possible to have garage on same level as house? 6Oct 16, 2008 10:46 pm Wouldn't it be better to have the driveway at the same level as the porch? And if you have internal access, wouldn't you want to walk straight in without a step? Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Is it possible to have garage on same level as house? 7Oct 17, 2008 7:12 am My understanding is that the garage HAS to be a step down because it's not waterproof.
Due to the nature of our block (1m fall L to R) we will probably have a few steps up from the garage to inside. Re: Is it possible to have garage on same level as house? 8Oct 17, 2008 7:15 am Yeah Casa, my thoughts exactly, I'd rather have it on the same level, and have the concrete from the driveway go right up to the front door, rather than step up to the house, but I've never before seen it done that way, only in the pic I've posted. Most homes have the step down to garage and builder is saying it's always done this way. Re: Is it possible to have garage on same level as house? 9Oct 17, 2008 7:16 am buildingadreamhome - that makes sense. I guess water can easily sneak under the garage door and you wouldn't want that to flow into the house.
I wonder how they did the one I pictured. Re: Is it possible to have garage on same level as house? 10Oct 17, 2008 7:38 am Just put a slight fall towards the garage door and your internal entrance will be OK. Would only work if your driveway then sloped down, as is the case in the picture. Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Is it possible to have garage on same level as house? 11Oct 17, 2008 8:00 am Casa2 Why would a garage not be at the same level as the rest of the house? House slabs elevations in suburban environments are generally designed on the basis of the 1 in 100 probability flood event. The gutters and drains in the street can carry the 1 in 10 to 20 event and then the roadway carries any bigger event. The house slab is set on the basis of providing about 100 to 150 mm freeboard (not sure of the exact number) above this 1 in 100 event. The same standard does not apply to a garage as it's not considered - from a hydrology sense - vital to the house. As in most cases it costs money (site costs) to achieve the freeboard the builder will understandably construct the garage slab to a level which may not require as much fill, concrete, etc. Depending on the site this may be not much at all to a few hundred mm's. Incidentally the slab design of the garage may be different to that of the house meaning a slight elevation difference between the two - depending on site conditions - again saving a little on slab costs. Re: Is it possible to have garage on same level as house? 12Oct 17, 2008 8:43 am Thanks Mike
I've decided to not push it, he said it had to dropped and the porch and porch tiles are included in the price so we'll just move the crossover and have a "normal" porch and driveway. isn't a garage level with the rest of the house a given? pretty sure they 'came around' long time ago. if you have a flat block, the garage is usually level with the rest… 1 17525 yes it is possible but watch for noise transmission, decouple as best you can. Maybe wider top and bottom plates with 70mm studs to allow the cabinet to be recessed fully 1 6636 You can wash over existing pavers with 10% solution of water and hydrochloric acid, then wash off. The acid will provide for required bond key with new concrete. 1 36960 |