Garage Wall Snafu

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rrsurfer1

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Apr 13, 2010
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Hey Guys,

I am a new homeowner and I need to do some repair work on my garage. The garage was built in the 1920s of cement block walls. The original garage was tiny, probably big enough for something like a model-T but not a modern auto. So a previous owner decided to smash out the rear wall to make it bigger so they could fit a car in.

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Obviously the issue is, they only knocked out the bottom 2/3 of the wall, then they put a wood header up to support the top 1/3 of the cement blocks still there, with the roof being supported by first the cement blocks, then the wood header underneath.

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They did not put posts in, the header is supported by the two side walls of cement block. The wood header sitting on the cement block on either side has begun to deteriorate. In addition, the cement blocks above the header have begun to crack.

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What would you guys recommend to fix this issue? My general thinking sofar is to get some posts or house jacks in on either side of the roof above the 1/3 wall of cement block, take the weight off the cement, and then knock out the existing cement block on that wall. Then I would put a new header in at the roofline of the back wall and posts on the sides. So the back of the roof would be supported by wood, with the other sides supported by the original cement block walls.

Any one have a recommendations/experiences/pointers for this?

Thanks for any help!
 
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If you feel an earthquake RUN!!!!!!
Still trying to wrap my mind around this one. Should an interesting discussion.
 
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I'm thinking some heavy, well placed steel could be a good place to start.
 
What's your calculated value for the weight of the roof? Looking down from the top, what are the roof dimensions? We'll need a location to do the snow loading, etc.
 
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