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Mar 24, 2007 23:33:46 GMT
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a none retro related question but car related none the less.
I am building and extension to my house and will have the architects over soon. I have got space for a garage. The width is limited, but the length can potentially be quite large.
I want to have a space to work on my car (+"s" hopefully in future) but I don't think I have clearance to instal a two post ramp, because on top of the garage will be another bedroom.
question is if I go for a pit, any ideas on how expensive would that be (concrete is kind of dear) and how deep does it need to me to have a resonable space to work on the car? or whether its just a stupid idea anyway and two post ramps can be fitted in a standard height garage?
anyway you get the idea so other ideas are also welcome
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Mar 24, 2007 23:51:27 GMT
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I got permission to put a pit in my garage but ended up deciding against it. The depth you need for the pit really depends on your height. 5`6 to 5`10 is probably the norm. I was told by my building inspector that basically the bottom of the pit should be above a 45 degree line from the bottom of the wall foundations. This was gonna cause me a few problems as my founds are pretty deep and I am fairly tall so the pit would have been on the shallow side and I didnt fancy working like a hobbit. The additional cost for a pit is not that much more really. If you do the work yourself its negligible if you are paying someone then there it depends on them  I will be putting a lift in onside of my garage at some point which is why I fitted a conventional roof instead of trusses. TBH for most of the work I have done in my garage since it was useable (just over 1 year) I havent missed having a pit. |
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tux
Part of things
Fat Bloke
Posts: 417
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Mar 25, 2007 12:55:55 GMT
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My brother had a pit in his garage when he moved into his new house a couple of years ago. Turned out to be more trouble than it was worth and he ended up filling it in.
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Mar 25, 2007 14:00:03 GMT
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I've heard of people having huge amount of trouble when planning a pit as part of a new build garage, or extension - something about not being able to get planning permission for them, or the buildings inspector not allowing them.
I'm sure someone on here, years ago, mentioned one to a buildings inspector and the reply was "la la la la I'm not listening", as by rights he should have failed it.
From a practical point of view, they're a bit limited - good for oil changes and whatnot but remember you'll still need axlestands to raise the car off the floor for anything suspension or wheel related. Friend had one and said it wouldn't have been worth the hassle to dig one, but his house had one when he moved it.
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Never trust a man
Who names himself Trevor.
Or one day you might find
He's not a real drug dealer.
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Mar 25, 2007 20:11:12 GMT
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I was told by the bloke who did my plans not to put it on the drawings but to mention it to the inspector when I was digging the founds.
When I did it wasnt a problem if I kept it above a 45 degree angle from the bottom of the founds. But like I say in the end I decided against.
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Mar 25, 2007 20:41:32 GMT
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My Aunt had a pit in her garage but as with many, she found it a pain in the posterior and it was filled in.
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1986 Citroen 2CV Dolly Other things. Check out my Blog for the latest! www.hubnut.org |
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Snoozin
Posted a lot
Toyophile
Posts: 1,557
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Mar 25, 2007 21:14:24 GMT
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My Aunt had a pit in her garage but as with many, she found it a pain in the posterior and it was filled in. As I have with mine.... fills up with water, so we're filling it in and making a far more useful concrete surface to work on. |
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Mar 25, 2007 23:50:33 GMT
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interesting, i never thought about water and general rubbish collection problem. My undrestanding is that drains are also a no no with planning permission so its not looking good for the pit
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rob0r
East of England
Posts: 2,743
Club RR Member Number: 104
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garage pit question..rob0r
@rob0r
Club Retro Rides Member 104
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Mar 25, 2007 23:59:07 GMT
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We have a pit on the ol' farm and I find it invaluable, especially trying to get to stuff normally out of reach on a -60mm BMW. It's been there for years in the workshop and is drained, but it does fill with water from time to time as it did today when I really needed to get underneath it... Being on a farm though we have a few high power pumps to sort it pretty quick.
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E30 320i 3.5 - E23 730 - E3 3.0si - E21 316 M42 - E32 750i
ETC
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You really need to have a sump hole in one corner to allow them to be pumped out.
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We had a pit in the garage at our house up in Sunderland (UK) when I was a wee fella back in the '60's. My dad hated it cause in winter it used get water in then freeze. My vote would go towards one of those car lifters that lie flat on your floor, probably just as useful as a pit.
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Vitesse 6 Saloon
Vitesse Mk2 Convertible
BMW R1150GS
VW Amarok
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my mate has a pit in his garage. we've found it a MASSIVE positive. It occasionally gets a little bit damp in winter, but never 'fills with water'.
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problem with a pit is that CO2 and CO are heavier than air and as usuch will "lie" in a pit. You have to be careful how you ventilate erxhaust fumes or welding gas or you can get poisoned or anethatised or even dead.
When I was house hunting I came across a couple of garages with filled in pits, I was told that the householders had been told to fill them in before they could sell the house. Some legal/liability thing.
You can get plastic pits you just dig a hole, drop it in and job done. They used to advertise them in practical classics,
Personally I'd spend the money on a good trolley jack and stands and a nice creeper.
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1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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Mar 26, 2007 20:53:43 GMT
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My old man had a pit in his garage,i used to use it all the time.....made every job under the car that much easier imo.He had his steel lined so it never leaked and it was deep enough to sit on a stool and work on a car. There's a filled in pit in my current garage and i've been debating whether to dig it out or not......i'm scared of what might happen! lol I keep asking myself.....why did he fill it in? He said he did it because he turned the garage into a gym. |
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dimebar
Part of things
CHPD its ace!!!
Posts: 291
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Mar 26, 2007 22:48:45 GMT
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......i'm scared of what might happen! lol I keep asking myself.....why did he fill it in? He said he did it because he turned the garage into a gym. Or what he buried down there |
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Mar 27, 2007 14:54:13 GMT
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I rented a garage with a pit in, it was pretty useful really. Good for oil changes e.t.c but you cant do much more than that. I used it to store curse word in and filled it full of worn out tyres before I vacated the garage.
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1987 Maestro 1.6 HL perkins diesel conversion 1986 Audi 100 Avant 1800cc on LPG 1979 Allegro Series 2 special 4 door 1500cc with vynil roof. IN BITS. HERITAGE ISSUES.  |
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Mar 27, 2007 18:35:58 GMT
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......i'm scared of what might happen! lol I keep asking myself.....why did he fill it in? He said he did it because he turned the garage into a gym. Or what he buried down there There's that of course!  |
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