For a while now I've been kicking around the idea of digging a pit in my garage and after spending today clearing out all the junk, I've now got plenty of room for one, plus work benches...I can finally move in there now! Did a search on Google for any DIY guides but didn't turn up much except for an obscure American archived thread. They mentioned you might need permission from the local authority, and suggested a few things:

 

"Lining the walls with concrete block, covered in a concrete and fiberglass mix that will bond them as strong as concrete."

 

"Depending on your water table, you might need to dig extra deep and make a french drain with gravel under a duck-board type floor." (No idea what a french drain is! :D)

 

Has anyone got any experience of digging one or can point me in the right direction? Need a bit more information before I tackle this as it might be beyond my abilities! :)

 

Cheers,

 

Leigh.

I think you do need permission to dig a pit.

 

I wouldnt do a DIY job if I was you. I would get a pro out to do it. If the walls of the pit are not stong enough and cave in, it could cause structural damage to the garage walls.

Leigh,

 

Check with building regulations and your insurer. Some won't allow or insure you.

 

It is possible to externally waterproof your pit ( a pond in reverse :D ) although any waste you lose into the pit would need to be removed internally. Can be a pain if you are bringing in a wet car, or spill oil.

 

A french drain is basically a sloping trench to take away the water. Obviously at the bottom of a pit it would be a clay lined, gravel filled affair, allowing the waste liquid to soakaway into the ground. Again here you have to check with building regs and environmental health to ensure you are not spilling oils etc.

 

Sorry to be so negative,

 

 

Simon.

if your digging one inside, you wouldnt need any drain (a french drain is an old fashioned method for drainage lol)

 

don't know about planning, i'd assume you would as your going deeper than the foundations, and if your gonna do one then do it properly, steps and deep enough so you aint gonna crick your neck;)

I would do Stu but not sure I can stretch to paying someone to do it!:(Three of the garage walls are wooden (built by me and my Dad) and the garage is 15ftx20ft so I "guess" the pit would be far enough away from the walls themselves to be safe.

i wouldnt worry to much about drainage m8

you could have some raised wooden slats on the floor, which would make any spillage drop below your footing, and easy to clean up when you want

the most important thing is the wall strengths, so any weight from cars is not bendng the walls and make it dangerous for you

I think you may need planning permission, or if not, you will have to check with the council that there are no water or gas lines under there, as you would be surprised how shallow they maybe.

My sister dug up a phone line by accident while doing gardening. But the phone company where at fault because it wasnt deep enough. ;)

Oddly enough this has been on my job list for a while. The pit doesn't need to be very deep, you can raise the car by 6 inches or so with a railway sleeper ramp, so then if the pit is a couple of feet then that should give plenty of room. My hassle is that my garage is built over an old pond, so I haven't been in too much of a rush to get the cutting discs out yet !

I was discussing this at the weekend and aparently you can buy fibreglass pits ready made so you just dig the hole and drop it in, complete with steps etc moulded in and it's watertight so nothing can flood in.

Just like a giant pond liner!

I'm planning a pit when I build my new double garage later in the year (hopefully), there are all sorts of regs on pits, quite a few are to do with heavy vapours and contamination of the water table.

 

This seems to be the way to go:

 

http://www.mech-mate.com/

 

Standard pit is coming in at £985 + VAT

 

Tim

Nice Leigh, I'll watch this space with interest!

From a health and safety point of view (i know its boring, but my job) a pit can be considered a confined space. I know the top is open, but (as mentioned by TT Tim) heavier than air gases/ fumes will sit in there. You could climb down into a noxious environ and collapse. The regs dont apply to you as it is not, I presume, a place of work, but you should certainly think about the dangers

Cheers for the info guys :)

 

This seems to be the way to go:

 

http://www.mech-mate.com/

 

Standard pit is coming in at £985 + VAT

 

The Mech-Mate pit is perfect but at that price it's waaaaaay over what I can afford :(

 

Think the first thing I need to do then is see if the site is actually viable for building a pit ie no water/gas/phone lines. Guess the council will have that kind of information, right?

 

The pit doesn't need to be very deep, you can raise the car by 6 inches or so with a railway sleeper ramp, so then if the pit is a couple of feet then that should give plenty of room.

My thoughts exactly mate. Raised ramp=less digging!:D

 

Nice Leigh, I'll watch this space with interest!

To hell with watching this space...how handy are you with a shovel bud? ;) :rofl:

 

Cheers

 

Leigh

To hell with watching this space...how handy are you with a shovel bud? ;) :rofl:

Leigh

 

Lol, I'll give it a go. I'm no expert mind ;)