We took over a house from '65 that originally had a garage in the basement (driveway from the street). A few years later, according to the drawings, a new garage building was built on the driveway, connected to the main building. The garage is at street level but then there's a culvert under the concrete slab that's accessed via a door.
The garage itself was divided into a garage and a storage room with a wall in between. The culvert under the garage part is cast concrete, but in the adjacent culvert (which you reach through a 1x1 m opening) under the storage room, it’s just earth. The old man who lived here intended to turn it into a grease pit (which is why there's a wooden hatch cemented in the middle of the storage floor).
We tore up the wooden floor that was there and the slab in the storage room isn’t fully cast. Now my partner is talking about bringing in someone who can level or cast what's missing (about 5-10 cm) to be able to use it as a garage.
But I'm unsure about the condition of the slab. It’s hollow in some places in the garage slab, which suggests that the concrete might have started to come loose in some areas. I looked under the storage slab and noted quite large moisture deposits on the underside. It's uncertain if it comes from above (leakage through the slab) or from the soil. I have also seen salt deposits on the top side in some spots.
WHO should be contacted to check the condition of the concrete before pouring new concrete or leveling? Maybe it’s overkill, but I'd rather not risk making it worse.
Of course, it would be a big job to go in and cast or fill the space underneath, but it's good to be aware of risks and possible measures.
I don't think it shows very well in the picture, so I can take a new one if necessary.
The garage itself was divided into a garage and a storage room with a wall in between. The culvert under the garage part is cast concrete, but in the adjacent culvert (which you reach through a 1x1 m opening) under the storage room, it’s just earth. The old man who lived here intended to turn it into a grease pit (which is why there's a wooden hatch cemented in the middle of the storage floor).
We tore up the wooden floor that was there and the slab in the storage room isn’t fully cast. Now my partner is talking about bringing in someone who can level or cast what's missing (about 5-10 cm) to be able to use it as a garage.
But I'm unsure about the condition of the slab. It’s hollow in some places in the garage slab, which suggests that the concrete might have started to come loose in some areas. I looked under the storage slab and noted quite large moisture deposits on the underside. It's uncertain if it comes from above (leakage through the slab) or from the soil. I have also seen salt deposits on the top side in some spots.
WHO should be contacted to check the condition of the concrete before pouring new concrete or leveling? Maybe it’s overkill, but I'd rather not risk making it worse.
Of course, it would be a big job to go in and cast or fill the space underneath, but it's good to be aware of risks and possible measures.
I don't think it shows very well in the picture, so I can take a new one if necessary.
