Can I dig down to increase ceiling height of Integral garage?

[ro00ster]

HI All,

I would like two more feet of ceiling height in my integral garage. It has a concrete floor. I had a crazy idea that maybe I could dig down two feet to increase ceiling height. is this atall possible? Or a big no-no ?

 

[footprints]

Do you want an indoor pond when it rains?

 

[theprinceofdarkness]

Buildings are under pinned all the time. Section of earth are removed from under their foundations and new lower foundations are put it place. They build underground swimming pools and garages in Kensington! There are many questions, apart from rain water entry, is have you got access to both sides of the wall, seems one is in side the house? and you will have to cast the concrete with an integral water proofer in it (SBR) which is expensive or you have to have a fully water proofed inner plinth to stop damp from the soil getting in. American houses are commonly made with an ordinary basement, which has a water catching drain around the edge of the wall leading to a sump with a pump in it to pump the water out when the sump fills too much. All this is hidden behind "drywall" Err, plasterboard.
Frank

 

[JohnD]

IIRC there is something in Building Regs about having the floor below ground level in a habitable room. It may cause it to be defined as a basement.

 

[cjard]

When did a garage become a habitable room?

 

[JohnD]

for some reason I had the idea that's why he wanted to do it.

 

[cjard]

Ah, my first thought was that he needed a bit more space to jack the 4x4 up to work under it in winter..

 

[ro00ster]

Thanks for the replies guys , you would never have guessed the real reason. I want to convert it into a golf simulator room. So i need the head room to swing a driver . looks liek it would be an expensive conversion though.

 

[mattylad]

If you drop it 2' then how are you going to get the car in?

 

[builder1953]

If you drop it 2' then how are you going to get the car in?

If it's gonna be a golf simulator obviously off the drive.

 

[cjard]

Your next car should be a Volkswagen, they've proven great at simulating things

 

[Nige F]

Just have it as a putting simulator - then you only need to core drill a hole