Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Mar 08, 2009 12:39 pm I am guessing its to save money.
I want to put my garage floor same height as the rest of the slab for wheelchair access. Maybe this this illegal? I was thinking maybe its to prevent water ingress via the roller door , but if the floor of the garage was sloped towards the roller door this would mitigate damage. What are the reasons? Cheers Noremac Re: Why is the garage floor level always below the house slab 2Mar 08, 2009 1:14 pm Actually, ours is on the same level. I've been wondering why this is the case, so I'll be interested in the replies.
BTW, the garage enter into a passageway which will be tiled......so the FFL's will be very slightly different (tiles + screed/adhesive). Cheers zeke Re: Why is the garage floor level always below the house slab 3Mar 08, 2009 2:31 pm our slab is all the same height, including the garage
-Sha Re: Why is the garage floor level always below the house slab 4Mar 08, 2009 2:33 pm Ours has a step down to garage, internal access. Built the Atlantique 37 Mk2 with Carlisle Homes - WE'RE IN!! Building thread: viewtopic.php?f=31&t=14413 ATLANTIQUE 37 MK2 PHOTOS THREAD - updated 22nd August '09 viewtopic.php?f=31&t=22399 Re: Why is the garage floor level always below the house slab 5Mar 08, 2009 2:38 pm The garage is not considered water proof.. so water can effectively get in thru the door if it were open etc and under the frame into the living areas if the slab was on the same level.. therefore the builder generally creates a 1 or 2 course step down of the garage floor. This step down also assists wih the garage door height. Garage floors are also stepped down to improve driveway gradients Life is an enjoyment, enjoy it Re: Why is the garage floor level always below the house slab 6Mar 08, 2009 3:00 pm It's perfectly legal to have garage floor on the same level as the house. It's just uncommon. The alleged reason is to avoid water getting from garage into the house. Makes sense if the house is in the dimple or facing a slope, or a "differently gifted" owner washes his car there.
Chris My father rode a camel, I drive a car, my son flies in a jetliner, his son will ride a camel.Saudi saying Re: Why is the garage floor level always below the house slab 8Mar 08, 2009 5:23 pm Actually, i too asked if the step-down to the garage could be taken out of the tender, but the reply was NO .. lol .. the reasons are as others have listed above .. perfectly valid ! --- I don't have a signature - just this sentence saying that I don't have one - that'll do! Re: Why is the garage floor level always below the house slab 9Mar 08, 2009 5:42 pm Another reason many builders drop the FFL of the garage is due to the nature of the garage and links to hazardous substances and fuels etc. If a car happens to leak fuel they can often say what is to stop it entering the living area on a one level slab. Built 36sq Plantation "Retreat" on 4460m2 at Spring Mountain, Qld In Living and landscaping.. >>> ... http://retreatspring.blogspot.com Re: Why is the garage floor level always below the house slab 10Mar 08, 2009 7:08 pm ozzroo Another reason many builders drop the FFL of the garage is due to the nature of the garage and links to hazardous substances and fuels etc. If a car happens to leak fuel they can often say what is to stop it entering the living area on a one level slab. Yes, I often come home to find the car pouring out fuel! Demolition August 2009, Construction Started September 2009, Completed December 2010 Re: Why is the garage floor level always below the house slab 11Mar 08, 2009 8:15 pm Mines all the same level. I also put in a rear roller door to access the backyard or open it up for a BBQ or extra space on a rainy day.
I put a "lip" on the outer slab so the roller door closes about 25mm lower than the slab height and keeps it weather proof. Re: Why is the garage floor level always below the house slab 12Mar 08, 2009 9:25 pm Casa2 ozzroo Another reason many builders drop the FFL of the garage is due to the nature of the garage and links to hazardous substances and fuels etc. If a car happens to leak fuel they can often say what is to stop it entering the living area on a one level slab. Yes, I often come home to find the car pouring out fuel! I'd actually get that looked at! That wasnt some story by the way but actual information from a building company and reasoning why some companies drop the garage level for safety. How many people do you know that also store fuels and other chemicals in their garages that can infact spill. Built 36sq Plantation "Retreat" on 4460m2 at Spring Mountain, Qld In Living and landscaping.. >>> ... http://retreatspring.blogspot.com Re: Why is the garage floor level always below the house slab 13Mar 08, 2009 10:21 pm ozzroo Casa2 That wasnt some story by the way but actual information from a building company and reasoning why some companies drop the garage level for safety. How many people do you know that also store fuels and other chemicals in their garages that can infact spill. Car oil Mower fuel Cleaning solutions There are allot of hazerdous materiels in most garages, however most if you tiped the contents onto the floor wouldnt go past a meter... The plan we are looking at is step down (from the display house) but its really a non-issue for me, I dont think I much realised it, but now that I do it still doesnt want me to change it. Having it level would also mean more concreate, perhaps requiring more re-enforcement?? (not sure, just guessing). Re: Why is the garage floor level always below the house slab 14Mar 08, 2009 11:58 pm id better have a chat with the builder before we go to contract, as i want the garage to be pretty much another room, itll be my computer / dj room with storage, and a place to pull the car in for the odd job, but i guess technically itll be my study, ill have a heating duct in there as well.
wouldnt want the step down at all Re: Why is the garage floor level always below the house slab 15Mar 09, 2009 7:10 pm beattun id better have a chat with the builder before we go to contract, as i want the garage to be pretty much another room, itll be my computer / dj room with storage, and a place to pull the car in for the odd job, but i guess technically itll be my study, ill have a heating duct in there as well. wouldnt want the step down at all I guess you would have to pay more? Do builders allow to do that? --convert the garage to study room? Re: Why is the garage floor level always below the house slab 16Mar 09, 2009 7:15 pm reneegogh beattun id better have a chat with the builder before we go to contract, as i want the garage to be pretty much another room, itll be my computer / dj room with storage, and a place to pull the car in for the odd job, but i guess technically itll be my study, ill have a heating duct in there as well. wouldnt want the step down at all I guess you would have to pay more? Do builders allow to do that? --convert the garage to study room? its up to me what i do with the room, i just need to get them to do a few things to it, heating duct, some soundproof, probably do that myself, it will be a garage / room. not too fussed about the step thing, but depending how much extra itll cost, i might consider it. Re: Why is the garage floor level always below the house slab 17Mar 09, 2009 7:59 pm Our current status as "shed-dwellers" confers some expertise in making a garage habitable.
One problem I can foresee with your idea is the difficulty in sealing a typical garage door from draughts, insects, critters etc etc. We had a roller door at one end of the shed and we ended up removing this as it was just too difficult. FWIW, an old-fashioned tilt-a-door is easier to seal than a roller-door or panel-lift. Just a suggestion of something to consider. Cheers zeke Re: Why is the garage floor level always below the house slab 18Mar 09, 2009 9:15 pm zeke Our current status as "shed-dwellers" confers some expertise in making a garage habitable. One problem I can foresee with your idea is the difficulty in sealing a typical garage door from draughts, insects, critters etc etc. We had a roller door at one end of the shed and we ended up removing this as it was just too difficult. FWIW, an old-fashioned tilt-a-door is easier to seal than a roller-door or panel-lift. Just a suggestion of something to consider. Cheers zeke you have my undivided attention now zeke, as im absolutely petrified of spiders, would a regular dose of surface spray along the bottom of the door have much effect? Re: Why is the garage floor level always below the house slab 19Mar 09, 2009 9:37 pm The major problem with our roller-door was at the top.....when closed, there was a gap birds could fly through
Maybe it could have been better fitted and there is an optional "emberseal" from B&D that we didn't have. But, I suggest you have a look at some garage door displays and ask yourself if a room with a garage door would be well enough sealed for your purposes. I suspect a rethink is warranted. At our previous house, I used a lot of strip brush seals to do a pretty good job of keeping our garage door from letting in too much draught.....but that was a tiltadoor and they seem to have become very scarce lately. Cheers zeke Re: Why is the garage floor level always below the house slab 20Mar 09, 2009 9:38 pm Hi!
Just thought i'd throw a curve ball in, as I seem to do with lots of these discussions!! Our garage floor level will actually be higher than our main living area by approx 360mm. The laundry will also be at that level, along side the garage so as you come in from the garage (or enter it) the laundry is there to drop off dirty shoes etc! The main reason is that we want to have the garage at the rear of the block and the block slopes back to front....the whole house is split level so that it "sits" on the block - and we also love split level design! To be honest, I hadn't considered things like the possibility of water getting into the house, but I'm pretty happy that we'll be able to allow for it with a slight slope to the garage slab and sufficient drainage in that area! Anyway - just me being different! 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 17528 interesting situation what happened after builder issued final invoice? did you list as defect or not does the building surveyor have any responsibility? ie. issuing… 13 46972 That sucks! Hope it all works out. Good to move away from steel anyway for all your reasons, but it's also thermally poor. 16 17895 |