Thread: garage to driveway transition

Anyone know codes related to the maximum height difference between concrete garage slab and the driveway slab? I had a 4" difference today and while it seems excessive I can't find any building references for it. I'd hate to pull my car in and out of that garage.

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Originally Posted by Ken Larson

Anyone know codes related to the maximum height difference between concrete garage slab and the driveway slab? I had a 4" difference today and while it seems excessive I can't find any building references for it.

Ken,

That's because code does not address stupidity.

I'd hate to pull my car in and out of that garage.

That's a pretty good definition of excessive to me.

That would likely rip the muffler, tailpipe and all right out from under my Jag. I would not wish that on anyone with any car.

Have a nice trip.

Best

Ron

Originally Posted by Ron Bibler

Have a nice trip.

Ah, but Ron ...

It does meet the 4" minimum riser height requirement. Thus that is not a problem.

Originally Posted by Ken Larson

Anyone know codes related to the maximum height difference between concrete garage slab and the driveway slab? I had a 4" difference today and while it seems excessive I can't find any building references for it. I'd hate to pull my car in and out of that garage.

Ken,

Maybe it's just a Big Utility Closet for one of those Gas WH that are installed flat on the floor with no 18" height requirement.

thats so it will shake all the snow and ice from vehicle before pulling into the garage. Only those on the cutting edge have their driveway and garage floor designed this way. New technology

Originally Posted by daniel nantell

thats so it will shake all the snow and ice from vehicle before pulling into the garage. Only those on the cutting edge have their driveway and garage floor designed this way. New technology

Yep, all that darned Texas snow.

I suspect that the 4X4 it will take to get over that thing is not going to get under the garage door header ...

... CRASH!

Told ya.

Hey! I just thought of something ... (oh jeez, here it goes again ) ...

Don't you Texas boys build on post tension slabs, because of the expansive soil which moves around a lot?

Could it be that the drive is down and the house is up in part because of the expansive soil condition?

Maybe?



Okay, sorry, I'll go back to my corner now.

I've seen drives down 8" from the garage before, but that was because the houses were on pilings and the drives and walks were not, the soil around the house settled that much over time (not expansive soil, though). Wrecks havoc with underground sewer lines and all.

Jerry, You are correct about expansive soils and drives settling in comparison to the house. I suspect it is usually due to uncompacted soil under the drives more than the expansive soils though, since slabs and drives tend to "float" at pretty much the same rate unless there is a drainage / moisture problem.

Jim, I will have to find my notes on a very similar drive to garage height. I don't see anything myself with the exception of what Jerry said. The muni inspector failed it and I will have to check back, way back in my notes why. I believe it was a hazard due to its unusualy height difference for a tripping hazard.

Ted

Ted,

I was just looking at that photo again and ...

It looks like the bottom edge of the garage slab is showing (is the garage slab higher or lower?).

Regardless of whether or not the higher slab is the garage, if that is the bottom of the slab showing, there is a problem.

IF the garage slab higher, where to heck if the thickened edge footing? And why is the garage slab only 4" thick?

IF the drive slab is higher, the drive slab is only 4" thick.

It looks like a fiber form board, might be a little deceiving.

Jerry, I just read one of your posts above.

Ken,

That's because code does not address stupidity.

Ahhhh, but code does correct stupidity so it does address stupidity, right?

Just curious on your thought about that.

Ted

Ken, help us out here. Is that leaf under the garage slab? Are those 'crete "lips" to the left of the tape?

Originally Posted by Steve Lowery

Ken, help us out here. Is that leaf under the garage slab? Are those 'crete "lips" to the left of the tape?

Precisely my ponderings.

Seems kind of odd that if it wasn't deliberate, it's exactly four inches. Precision settling???
Had a neighbor once lived straight across from me whos driveway matched the garage floor on one side, but at the other end was a foot lower than the garage floor so he had them come 12" out from the floor and pour the drive with a 45 degree ramp up to it..................just so his basketball hoop would be right. Obviously he never parked his old honda prelude in the garage. Point is, maybe it was done deliberately.