I have a concrete panelled garage approximately 20ft by 12ft and wanting to reduce the size of it due to a house extension into the back garden.
The theory is that I will remove 3 panels from each side and get the brickies to brick up the front of it and just put a standard door rather than the garage door on it. It won't be of any use for a car anymore, will basically be a big shed for storage.
Now the panels seem to be bolted together but I can't seem to find anything that is securing them into the concrete base, other than a wedge of concrete between the base and the panel.
Has anyone ever undertaken such a task and if so, any tips?
Roof is the corrugated cement type (non asbestos) so the plan would be to remove the roof from the area concerned, unbolt everything that we can and then brick up the front and put roof back on.
Sounds simple in writing doesn't it??? :)
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>>Now the panels seem to be bolted together but I can't seem to find anything that is securing them into the concrete base, other than a wedge of concrete between the base and the panel.
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Many many moons ago I put up a very similar sized paneled Marley garage.
It literally just rested on the concrete plinth with not even the wedge of concrete you have.
Each panel was about 18"" wide and IIRC bolted together to and bottom with beige plastic wedge shaped washers as each panel edge was splayed.
Due to a Marley admin problem I got an excess of panels delivered and to my amazement a buyer came some distance to collect them.
( concrete garage panels) on Ebay show some for sale.
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I helped my uncle do this many years ago. From what I remember it was very easy but rather labour itensive. Somebody was pulling one down to make way for an extension so he bought if off them and removed it for them. He ended up getting a garage very cheaply!
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lI had one of these built about 40 years ago, it was free standing. If you unbolt or dismantle a corner it might be worth supporting the walls to prevent a "fall over".
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I've taken down one of these.
The corners hold it stable. The worst part was the roof, every 'J' bolt had to have an angle grinder taken to it.
Some joker wanted to take it away in his car, forty-odd panels, it took several journies by transit.
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Be EXTREMELY careful with the roof sheets. Do you know what they are made of?? Any Asbestos content??
MD
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Yes I have built one, and taken one down. Its NOT a one man job. They do just rest on the concrete.
YOu dont need builders, just get a mate, a spanner and shorten it as required, dont put a single door on the front, leave the garage door even if you use it as a shed, access for bikes. mowers and the alike will be better.
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>>YOu dont need builders, just get a mate,
Good reminder.
You have a pitched roof like mine had. The biggest, hardest task of constructing my garage was installing the very heavy traingular apex end panel that also is the lintel above the garage door.
IIRC It had to be carefully lowered onto bolts that were embedded in the front corner panels.
i.e The whole heavy unit had to be kept correctly lined up then lowered.
Due to height etc a couple of extra mates would be my suggestion for that task. The whole unit kept wanting to be apex down when handling it !
Same mates if you reinstall it.
I too would keep the garage door. Simpler and much better access.
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Thanks for thoughts so far, I got a quote from one garage alteration firm and they quoted £2300 + vat! Chi-Ching!! I think my garage and base itself cost less than that.
Lots of good info, am confident its non-asbestos, I still have the information relating to the "fabric" of it.
Job number 1 needs to be to empty some of the clutter out it to start with!!!
And then get the mates round, armed with all the tools, one Sunday.
And then get brickies to brick it up the next day!
And reward the mates handsomely!!
Looks like a good challenge!!
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>> And then get the mates round armed with all the tools one Sunday.
Use brain, not brawn, in this instance.
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>> Has anyone ever undertaken such a task and if so any tips?
Yes. The whole lot just rests on a concrete pad. I take it that it's got a "flat" roof. If so, leave steel cross-pieces when you dismantle the first bay. If you have trouble with the bolts, use a pair of bolt croppers to cut the bolts, or to split the nuts off the thread (point the croppers in the same direction as the bolt, jaws nip the nuts, they fall off in two halves). The "wedge of concrete" is a fillet placed to stop ingress of water, and will chisel off easily. I retained the original corners, and replaced the front up'n'over with a timber framework (4x2s) bolted on, covered in flakeboard, clad with horizontally-placed feather boarding. I used an ordinary fire door, second-hand, for the outside door. Any exterior door would do. You can often get them at "recycling centres" for a couple of quid. I replaced the "flat" roof with a pitched one of 4x2s, supported on a 4x2 "wall plate" laid flat, and bolted to the "walls" with strapping, the roof covered in 11mm flakeboard, with corrugated iron over.
You might be able to sell (or give away) the spare panels. They're quite fragile, don't drop them! Be very careful of tensioned (or compressed) springs when you remove the door.
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My garage is similar construction.
I moved it across the end of the garden. As well as the bolts, there may be nails upwards into a wall plate at the top. We held a 'Barn raising' with a few pals. Swmbo made a huge hotpot with french bread, etc. Plenty of tea..... and beer for afters.
I was widening it as well, from about 10 ft to 16 ft. I had some panels that I'd found earlier which I used at the back as they were a different finish on the outside. I needed two longer joists so, with the transporter, I searched for demolition sites in terraced clearance areas around Salford. We found two joists, about 10" X 4" which were long enough. I asked a man on the site if he would sell them and offered him a fiver.
He was most affronted, said he couldn't even get a bus to town and have a few pints for that !
He was happy with £6 !!
I was still short of concrete panels so made a 3" X 2" frame at the front and clad it with T & G, fitting an ordinary door. A new apex roof was made in galvanised corrugated steel which has held up very well for the last 17 yrs.
Get a couple of lengths of 3X2 and use them as props if needed and keep any children away. These things are heavy !
Ted
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Well just an update on this, Sunday was garage day!
For previous week I emptied as much rubbish, clutter etc out the garage.
Sunday we started off by removing the roof panels which were non-asbestos but they overlapped and had very thick resin gunge between them as a sealant so we ended up having to cut to fit.
Garage door came down next and we kept it attached to the timber frame.
Then panels unbolted one at a time and piled up
Not sure what definition is of a garage but don't think what I have now will justify it being called a garage. It is ultimately going to become the "guy's den" with beer fridge, dartboard and hopefully a wood burning stove in it.
Brickies are hopefully bricking up the front today and making it blend in with the house brickwork! I just need to decide what I am going to do with the excess slab of concrete which is now outside the garage. Don't know whether to get it drilled out or leave in situ and try and do something landscapy with it!
And, to the company who specialises in alterations to concrete garages and who quoted me £2300 to do this job, I do hope your business survives....
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How have you got on with the garage? Did you line it to make it warmer?
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Dismantling a concrete garage?
I'd have thought you'd have kept it, Bobby.
At least they are fireproof.
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Brickies bricked it up where the door had been, blends in very well with the house and even have a white upvc double glazed unit in it with a roller blind!!!!
Have just finished the painting, tiling etc in the house so next project is the old garage.
Now, any fans of "Still Game" may recognise why we were going to nickname it "The Clansman" but a couple of months ago when we were down in Harrogate we also passed a "licensed men's creche" so not so sure of name.
Am in two minds to strap and line it with wood to keep the heat in or leave it as brick and concrete especially if I put a wood burning stove into it. I really don't think it will get that cold that I will be thinking I wished I had lined the walls. Last Hognomay, it was minus 9.5 and we were outside at our neighbours, wrapped up and drinking till 6am so I think we are hardened enough to do without the lining! Trying to drink bottles of beer before they turned to slush puppy was a challenge....
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My mates knicknamed my place ' The Palace of Pleasure '
I must remember to take the home brew into the house this year just in case !
Ted
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It sounds rather like a blackpool brothel.
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Anyone dismantled a concrete panel garage? - henry k
