Expert: Stephen Major (Owner--Major Design Group) - 8/6/2007

Question
I have a 30 x 40 concrete slab, previously used for my kids basketball court....They have grown and moved on, so now I want to use it for a woodworking workshop floor...It is straight and slopes just a little and has steel mesh and fiberglass in it....My question is what should I do to reinforce the slab to build walls and roof system on it....I was thinking of using trusses and tin for the room and regular framing for the outside walls....thanks, Alex

Answer
Alex,

It may be possible to build on the slab as-is.  It depends on a number of factors such as geographic location (for frost heaving and snow loading considerations), the thickness of the slab, etc.

If any of the above will be a problem, I highly recommend building the structure pole-style (as in pole barn, with pressure treated posts placed in the ground, which support simple beams that in turn support the roof.

The slab, in this case, is not really part of the structure, but rather just a heavy-duty floor within the structure.

Plans and tips for constructing this common building type are available from many sources, such as:

http://www.public.iastate.edu/~mwps_dis/mwps_web/hy_plans.html

Let me know more about the slab and your location, and I may have additional advice.

--Steve Major