New Garagre/Workshop building

flyin' dutchman

I am contemplating building my new garage/workshop myself utilizing concrete blocks. It would be the first time doing a project like this and I have several questions.

1. Do I need to create some sort of tie-in of the first courses to the slab or can I just start laying block on top of the slab? What kind of tie-in would be needed.

2. How would I create headers over garage doors and windows?

3. How do I finish the top layer, I am planning on using wood trusses for the room construction?

4. I have looked at split face block, is there anything I need to do to seal those and if so, what do I use?

Thanks

stubborn1

1. You should have rebar dowels in the footing / slab to tie into the masonry wall. The masonry wall will need vertical reinforcing steel. I would suggest contacting a structural engineer to specify reinforcing and details for your project. I would also suggest hitting the library and reading a book or two on masonry construction.

2. Headers over windows are typically created with bond beams. You would need steel to span the garage door opening.

3. I would set anchor bolts in the top course to attach a 2x wood plate around the perimeter. The 2x material would give you a surface to attach the trusses to.

4. You could apply a clear sealer to the split face block.

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wildcat

Yes, contact a structural engineer. Trying to fly by the seat of your pants with masonry is going to give you an expensive repair bill later. Spend the money on an engineer now, it will be cheaper than the future repair bill.

Trying to just guess at what size, length and number of reinforcing bars you need to connect you walls to your foundation is a very bad idea. Also, guessing at building masonry lintels (headers above openings) is pretty bad too. There are some detailing issues with lintels that will need to be considered to prevent/minimize cracking of the wall.