Sloped floor - did I screw up

elcapitan69 · Aug 16, 2011

To give a little background, i live on a 1/3 of an acre and because of the setback requirements, I had to seek a variance approval from my city council. I hired an architect and worked with him to draw up plans that would help with the approval process.

Fast forward several months and the shop is coming along nicely and is nearly finished. Here's my dilemma - the architect designed the floor with the last 1/3 of the floor to be flat (depth wise, closest to the back wall) and the remaining 2/3 with a slope 4 1/2" over 18'.

The floor has been poured, but now I'm wondering how much of a pain in the **** this slope will prove to be. Does anyone have experience with using a 2 or 4 post lift on a sloped floor. I know I'd have to level it.

I guess my inexperience in construction has caught up with me.

Thanks,
Chris

Gary S · Aug 16, 2011

I sloped my entire garage floor on the last two garages I built, and I would never again build a garage with a level floor. I live where I have to deal with snow and ice half the year. Anytime a vehicle leaves the garage during that half of the year, it comes back in with ice hanging on it. The slope lets that ice remove itself from the garage so I don't have to do it daily.
I don't have a lift, but I can't believe it would be difficult to level the lift on a sloped floor. Leveling isn't something high tech. I leveled my refrigerator. I leveled my workbench. I leveled my shelves. I leveled my compressor.

walrus · Aug 16, 2011

elcapitan69 said:
l) and the remaining 2/3 with a slope 4 1/2" over 18'.

That seems like alot to me, 2 inches in 18 feet would move water pretty readily. You'll have to shim a lift that's for sure

ConCretin · Aug 16, 2011

I don't think it will be a major problem though you will notice the pitch when working on the slab. 1/4" per foot is relatively typical if your goal is to avoid 'bird baths' but I agree with the previous comment that 1/8" would have shed water and been less noticable.

tatra · Aug 16, 2011

shop a buddy worked at had about the same or more than you have and until they came out with lock and roll boxes more than one guy had his tools dumped when moving his box and all the drawers rolled open...........probably wasn't too much of a concern with friction slides but he had a ball bearing glided box and didn't lock it so over she went..........

larry_g · Aug 16, 2011

Here is where the distinction between a shop and a garage is made. If you regularly park the daily drivers in the building it is a garage. If you have vehicles to repair, build. or otherwise don't move in and out often then it is a shop. The garage should have a sloped floor but the shop should not. I worked a bit to make sure my building floor was flat and level. For my needs and shop work it is what I wanted. When planning know the use of the building and plan the floor accordingly.

lf
no neat sig line

ConCretin · Aug 16, 2011

larry_g said:
Here is where the distinction between a shop and a garage is made. If you regularly park the daily drivers in the building it is a garage. If you have vehicles to repair, build. or otherwise don't move in and out often then it is a shop. The garage should have a sloped floor but the shop should not. I worked a bit to make sure my building floor was flat and level. For my needs and shop work it is what I wanted. When planning know the use of the building and plan the floor accordingly.

lf
no neat sig line

Well put

darkk · Aug 16, 2011

Most if not all floors in garages should be sloped towards to the door at a minimum rate of 1/8" per foot for the entire length of that floor. The slope will not affect a 4 post lift in any way. We have a Bend Pak HD9 XW lift and it is fine. We also do not have it bolted down yet. we're not sure if we are going to...

elcapitan69 · Aug 17, 2011

Thanks to all for the responses. The shop, and I say shop, not a garage will be finished within the next 2 weeks so I'm sure that once I get settled in and start working on my projects, I'll learn the best ways of dealing with it.

My wife accuses my of over "analyzing" everything which I'm sure that I'm doing now!

Thanks,
Chris

Steevo · Aug 17, 2011

What larry_g said.

My garage is sloped, and my shop is flat.

Graham08 · Aug 17, 2011

My attached garage is sloped better than 1/4" per foot and it's a PITA for doing fab work. You can't just slap a level on something to get close...you must always account for the slope of the floor. I've worked around it for about 3 years now, but my new shop (under construction!) will have the floor poured flat and level.

Ign · Aug 17, 2011

Graham08 said:
My attached garage is sloped better than 1/4" per foot and it's a PITA for doing fab work. You can't just slap a level on something to get close...you must always account for the slope of the floor.

This.

If you're just wrenching, then I guess it won't be a big deal.

If you're building anything, it becomes a serious issue.

This is where architects who never get dirty are not only worthless, but cost you money.

BillK · Aug 17, 2011

When I built my detached garage, I played heck convincing the concrete guys to make the floor level. That was the way the plans were drawn and they fought me every inch of the way. But I did get my level floor. I worked out of the attached garage on the house for 5 or 6 years and to be honest with you, the slope was a pain in the behind. Had to put chocks behind the slicks on my race car so it would not roll out the door

I would never have a shop with a sloped floor where I planned on working on things.

c/o say · Aug 17, 2011

My shop floor is sloped with a drain in the center. I would not have a flat floor unless it was a machine shop or wood shop. Its to nice to be able to wash down the floor. But every bodys different. Me just more so lol.

NRChopshop · Aug 18, 2011

flat floor? get a squeegee....problem solved

Gary S · Aug 18, 2011

NRChopshop said:
flat floor? get a squeegee....problem solved

Squeegees work like **** on melting ice and snow. I don't have 24 hours a day to standby with my squeegee in hand waiting for the snow and ice to melt so I can move it.

back2class · Aug 18, 2011

I cound not imagine having so much slope in a shop floor. 1/8" per foot is standard for sewer lines. Way more than needed for a garage! Nevermind 1/4" per foot. 1/8" per 2ft. would sufice if you had a shop that needed frequent draining from snow covered trucks or you you did alot with eater in it. A much better design is a drain in the center with a very slight slope to the drain. That way you can even wash your car in the garage in the winter LOL. Is there a reason for that crazy slope in your case? I agree with another...everything I have been involved with that "architect" has been directly involved in has been a mess. We had many of them around Yale Univ. where I once had my construction company. Most homeless has more common sense and skill.

You are kind of stuck with it unless you install tile and float a mudfloor under it to bring it close to level. If it is just some rain blowing in when open, a simple lip and/or very monor slope would keep water from pooling where it blows in.

Wastedwagesracing · Aug 18, 2011

I have been pondering this same issue. But if you have in floor heat won't the winter crud just dry up and can be swept away? I still realize, I will want a floor drain for wash down and such. But I was just going to squeegee it to the drain.

MajorLeeGassole · Aug 18, 2011

Don't worry. The idiot that poured my garage (before I even knew the house existed) has it sloping in a few spots. It is high in the middle, slopes down on both sides and on side runs to the back while the other runs to the front. And there's no drain!!!. Plus, the ledge OUTSIDE the door has NO grade, so I get water under the door every time it rains. I will have to cut the concrete, install a drain and tie it to the downspout when I get the massive amount of hours and money to be wasted.

Brentocool · Aug 18, 2011

My floor is pitched pretty well it self.. No problems at all. They use shims to level the rack . And then squeeze concrete under the rack if the gap is too large.My buddy installs them for a living! The other photo show the pitch in my floor.this is where my rack use to be.I am getting a new one and moving it to the center stall of my three car!

Brentocool · Aug 18, 2011

bad_idea · Aug 18, 2011

i have a sloped floor in my garage. i dislike it. the fab shop at work is all flat and it is sooooo much nicer. i had to chase my toolbox across my garage the other day. what a nuisance. had to build my workbench in place to make it level. i live in a climate that has no snow btw.

Brentocool · Aug 20, 2011

heres something else you have to watch for!!! I have seen big tool boxes turn over after the drawers open by themselves!!!!! Its ugly!!!

mpraddict · Aug 21, 2011

Ign said:
This.

If you're just wrenching, then I guess it won't be a big deal.

If you're building anything, it becomes a serious issue.

This is where architects who never get dirty are not only worthless, but cost you money.

And a lot of architects DO get dirty and may in fact save you money by realizing that residential building codes require a slope on a garage floor
"The area of the floor used for parking of automobiles or other vehicles shall be sloped to facilitate the movement of liquids to a drain or toward the main vehicle entry doorway."....might cost you a lot more when the inspector fails your nice new floor slab....
The code does not specify how much of a slope is required however.

This is where it's very important to communicate your needs and intended use of the building to the architect.

Sloped floor - did I screw up

New member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

New member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Banned

Well-known member

Well-known member

Attachments

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member

Well-known member