Can I ask a dumb question?
Before any of this happened as far back as you can remember how much space was there between the garage and the awning it is now resting on?
The foundation is going to be redone in the summer.
As for the right side brace. Would I even need one? the building isnt leaning that way and ill have the stakes on that side. Also wouldnt an x shaped brace on the back garage door be enough?
I cant remember but maybe a few inches. now its bending the awning.
In general I can find information both ways in favor of nails and in favor of screws. Most of the buildings in the world were built with nails and code is all based around nails and nail spacing for the most part. Inspectors will sometimes not pass screws without a report saying they are adequate.
Basically comparing similar size nails and screws the nails are about 20% to 30% better in shear where on pullout the screws are close to twice as good. in many cases nails will bend better than screws so if a nail starts to fail it will be visible where a screw could go suddenly.
I would go with what code requires unless I wasnt getting code involved.
For me a tight joint that wont promote movement is better than one that with time has movement. Once there is any movement in a joint there is a gap and a gap provides leverage and increases forces. I like screws and the reason I like them is having torn down as many things as I have built I can say without a doubt screws dont want to let go without a fight. The only real way to take a screwed joint apart is with unscrewing the screws. Nails you can always Jimmy apart.
In my case Im always accused of using way too many screws. So if a joint I was building called for 4 nails I would most likely be putting in 6 screws.
My free standing deck with the hot tub on it I screwed all together. It is free to move with the frost and after a couple winters is still real tight when it moves back in the spring. With nails I think I would have had more problems.
There is testing that goes both ways and even more people advertising that they build with screws as if it were better I think its a personal choice for the most part. I know your buddy Mike Holmes is also big on screws.
One of the most common and often employed methods of "racking" a building or framing is to use a diagonally place 2x, in this case, from bottom left too upper right. The upper is placed near the top of a stud and pulled down. You may need 2 or 3 and adjust them as necessary, to achieve the separation of the garage roof and the porch awning.
When you have achieved separation install a 2x cleat to the garage and install your angle braces, BEFORE removing your racking devices.
So you have jammed your 2x4 lower on the appossing wall , what if you can't trust that wall to not move, as we don't know how firm the foundation post is..
That is why I said to join the two walls with a 2x4 before stressing anything
I feel this is getting over complicated. I do appreciate everyone’s help and input but I feel the simpler solution is in most cases the better one.
Before the snow falls:
I need to do simple bracing in order to keep it where it is
In Spring:
-Take the roof off
- fix the foundation
-Straighten the walls
- put a new roof on
-cover the back garage door and put a small door in
-reinforce the garage
The reason I want to do it like this is because the help I have is very very limited before spring. Once spring hits I will have knowledgeable people helping with the major parts.
The other reason is because Im in the middle of home renovations this winter. So if I can brace the garage for the winter (fast and easy) I can focus on getting home renovations done this winter then give 100% focus on the garage in the spring.
So, if someone can help me with the best route to brace my garage for winter and then maybe tips for how to pull a roof off, straighten wall, and redo foundation and reinforcement tips for spring that would be great.
Again everyone who has been helping seems very knowledgeable and I appreciate all the help. I have been learning a lot and have been enjoying the conversations and brainstorming.
We square up walls on the floor and sheet them, so they shoulod stand up nice and plumb, key word there is should sometimes with humps and bumps in the floor anything is possible. Long walls genelally find an average and will sit plumb but short walls that are like 4 or 5 feet long, you can easiily move top over 3/4 inch out of square to get plumb. All that pushing is hard on the nails and I have not tried screws, but if you ever have just try to bend a screw over it will break at the first hit so I wouldn't trust it.
Should I use a poll jack (?) to jack the left side to get the garage of my awning and then place the 2x4 and cleats then release the jack?
Using a poll jack at the same angle as the eventual braces will primarily have the affect of lifting the wall off the foundation, because of the angel presented.
Using 2x on the inside of the garage will better address correcting the angular displacement.
The following is another method I've used, however it has the potential of causing interior cracking in the dwelling.
I would first install the 2x cleats on both the dwelling and the garage, to spread the load over several stud bays.
Then use a small hydraulic jack and a short length of 4x4, horizontally.
What about a comealong?
Okay, so this is my plan for before winter.
Put 10-36 rebar on the right side of the building to keep the wall from moving further out. Then I will attach a come along to the upper left wall and to the bottom right wall. I will pull it just enough to get the garage off the awning. At that point I will attach the bracing to the left wall foundation of my house and the left wall eve of the garage. Then I will release the come along and then do bracing on the back garage door.
I think that is simple enough for me to do myself and enough to hold it so it doesnt get worse over winter.
Enter your email address to join: