Our company recently completed a large remodel
in Huntington Beach, Calif. One part of the
plans called for the addition of a second-story
master bedroom suite, complete with a
whirlpool tub and steam shower. Ordinarily, this might be a
straightforward add-on, with a strengthened floor system
and new walls built above the
bearing walls below. But in this
case, the addition was to be
built over an existing single-story garage, which required
major structural modifications to carry the new loads.
Beefing Up the Structure
Garages — especially single-story ones — are not well-suited
for supporting habitable space above. For one thing, the large
door openings mean that one whole side of the building has
very