Blocking Up A Garage Door And Water

bert0168

I potentially have a job upcoming involving removing 2 garage doors in an auto shop and blocking up the openings.

I am pretty sure there is adequate foundation underneath the apron to carry the block but plan to check prior to this job going thru. These were in a set of drive thru doors so there are still two in the building.

The reason for removing the doors is water intrusion. During a rain, water will flow downhill to the rear of the garage and flow under the back doors. Regrading isn't an option since it's a tight property and not enough dirt could be moved to solve the water problem.

I am wondering if there is something special that would need to be done while laying the block to keep the water that is going to back up against the new block wall from seeping in. I am hoping that the new block will force the water around the building where it can then continue on downhill.

Let 'em rip guys.

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Quote:

Originally Posted by CCCo. Yep, you guessed, sold by a fancy white guy, installed by the brown army.

tkle

Waterproof the outside if seepage is a problem.
Perhaps a speed bump under the doors would be enough to thwart the water.
Another concern would be that you're cutting down on your egress from the building which could possibly violate code.

Double-A

A nice trench drain in front of those doors would also solve that problem. I'm not sure you're going to be able to really water proof all that and still have adequate weepage.

I foresee paint failure in your future.

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rbsremodeling

Don't think a drain would be a good idea since its an auto shop garage. The oil, gas etc seeping into the drain etc??

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cleveman

The drain would go on the exterior.

Now that there will be a block wall, waterproof it and put in a tile next to the footing, then berm it up so that it slopes away from the building.

Heck, berm it up 4' if you want to and throw some polystyrene against it on the outside.

bert0168

Thanks guys for the replies.

Egress isn't an issue since there are two 12' doors remaining and 2 man doors.

The more I thought about it (and with reading the replies), I figured the block alone won't be enough. I discussed the drain but the potential owner doesn't think it can be brought around properly. I told him it would require the asphalt to be cut and dug out and the whole property is fairly steeply graded back to front.

I like the idea of the 4' berm, I might even suggest filling it in above the side elevations and making kind of a hump in the back to get the water around the sides.

We'll see what he wants to do.

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www.ddcontractors.net

Quote:

Originally Posted by CCCo. Yep, you guessed, sold by a fancy white guy, installed by the brown army.