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Old slaugther house about to be redone, foundation and wall questions.

670 views 5 replies 5 participants last post by  Fishindude 
#1 ·
Hello,

I have an old slaughterhouse that's about 13ft wide, 40ft long and 18ft at peak.

The foundation looks stable, the wood beams seem okay, and roof is sound. This is connected to the cream city brick farmhouse. I am planning on puttign a metal roof over the top of the current as its sound and straight. Ideally, I'd like to pour concrete inside it for a floor (currently dirt) and reframe the inside.

My question is 2 part. First, am I going to be alright if I just 2x6 the hell out of everything on the inside to add support and squared walls to the beams? They seem old but sound.

Second and most importantly, some areas, the foundation is bowed but not critically damaged. the top in about a 6 ft section is pretty bad. With these windows and cement floor I'd like to put in - I'm wondering if I should dig out the dirt and pour 8-12'' of concrete vertically along the walls with rebar joining them together before worrying about flooring.

So many ways to go, I'm just worried about adding weight to the top with windows etc, and having this thing shift.
 
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#2 ·
Not sure I have a clear picture from your description, but some thoughts I had:

1. It shouldn't be too hard to pour a patch/new top on the foot damaged section without excavating down.

2. The bowed foundation sounds like the biggest concern. I had a bowed basement wall in my old shop and neighbour suggested strapping with old grader blades or building a secondary cinderblock wall to stop the bow from increasing. In the end, I paid a foundation company to strap it with angle iron, and that worked. With no basement, you would have to dig to strap it. Dig carefully.

3. Windows don't weigh that much. And if the beams are already carrying the roof load, your new framing could be 2x3 instead of 2x6 to save weight. If you are concerned about load on the foundation, you need to figure out the footing size. If the footing is wide enough, the current foundation should handle the extra framing.
 
#3 ·
Honestly, you should hire an engineer to look at it if you have any concerns.

A well qualified contractor may be worth paying 2 or 3 hours fee to look at it.

If it is mainly a pole barn type building, you still want 2x6 framing so you can get a useful insulation thickness. If you are installing windows, you want 2x6 so you have a solid frame to support them.

2x4 is doable, maybe, vut then your insulation space is very minimal.

Without pictures, it is virtually impossible to give any useful information.
 
#4 ·
Good point on insulation thickness, although OP doesn't say where he's located. Up here in Canada, 6 inches of insulation has high value, in someplace like Tennessee, not as much.

Also didn't say whether this was for use as a shop, or as extended living space.

Pictures would certainly help, that's for sure.
 
#5 ·
I absolutely agree you need an engineer. You could end up pouring in more money than required, or you could end up spending money on a project that is doomed to fail. Either way the money you spend on an engineer will not be wasted. If you are ever going to open the building to the public you will need an engineer to help mitigate any potential liability in case of structural failure.
 
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