Conference 7.286::home_work

    That's why the pits in garages are now illegal.  You know before
    the hydraulic lifts they just drive a car over a pit and walk down
    steps to work on it.  Lots of guys have died that way.  CO is heavier
    than air.
    
    As long as you buld it so that there is no chance of air passing
    from the garage to living space below, I don't see why you can't
    build this.  That's a big condition though.
    
    As the saying goes, check with the building inspector in your area.
    If he had a brother who was a grease monkey who had a garage with
    a pit and is now ...  you won't have much chance of gettin that
    one by him.

    >> Lots of guys have died that way.  CO is heavier
    >> than air.
    
    So are gasoline fumes.
    
    If the garage has a cement floor, and there's no direct access from
    the garage to the downstairs, I'd be comfortable - not otherwise.

    
    	Thanks for the replies.  What I think I'll do is talk to the
    building inspector with an approach like this:
    
    	- Total cement floor on garage level
    
    	- No direct access from the garage to the basement room(s) (i.e.,
    to get "downstairs", exit the garage to the middle room (up a step
    or two) and then down a staircase from there).
    
    	- Vapor barrier on the basement room's ceiling insulation.
    
    	- Since the garage floor will have to be sloped for any water
    run-off, the exhaust fumes would tend toward that corner of the
    garage.  In that corner, put a 3" exhaust fan at floor level that
    automatically goes on whenever the garage door is opened and stays
    on for X minutes after the door closes.  This should vent most of
    the remaining fumes outside.  (It will have to have a one-shot cut-off
    button, though, so that its not running all day when the garage
    door is open in the summer.)
    
    	The worst he can say is "no".  This isn't critical space, so
    if I can't get it, its not biggie.
    
    							-craig

    
    I there anyway one can build it so that you your garage is at basement
    level? 
    
    My wife and I are building a house without a garage at this time, but  
    plan on adding a garage later.  The garage will have the doors at the
    end instead of the front with the driveway going down beside the
    garage.  This will give us a good size family room above the garage.
    
    Just a thought,
    
    TimB

    	If you are concerned about carbon monoxide (CO) seeping into
    the living space why not put in a CO sensor alarm.  They look and
    act like smoke detectors.  I saw one advertised for about $75. 
    My uncle has a electric garage door opener with a CO alarm built
    in.  In case of high CO the alarm goes off and the garage door opens.
    
    						=Ralph=

    
    Re: .8
    
    	Good suggestion, thanks.
    
    Re: .7
    
    	I've thought of that (plenty!).  The slope of the driveway would
    just be too great for winter usage.  Now, if only the Notes Readers
    could come up with an inexpensive way of heating a driveway to melt
    the snow and ice...
    
    							-c

    
    re.6
    
      I'm curious, how thick is your garage floor and how is it supported
    underneath? 
    
    clay

	Re: .10

>  I'm curious, how thick is your garage floor and how is it supported
>underneath?

	0 inches thick -- the addition that includes the garage being discussed
is still in the long-term planning stage.  Sigh.

								-c

	My solution was pre-cast concrete, a tad more expensive, it would
	take time to extrapolate the $$, it's worth it to me,  No posts,
	no fumes, no fire hazards and will support a bulldozer.  Live load
	calculations are available thru pre-cast concrete companies like
	San-Vel in Ayer, Ma.