I started the remodel of an old beach house. The ceiling in the Main room is 12′ 2×4’s tacked to gether to make 24′. It ain’t gonna hold rock. It can bearly hold insulation. Inspector wants something better. He is of no help. There is nothing above, just attic space. No roof loads, nothing. What can I make these cieling joists of? Open span, 24′
Thanks in advance.
Can’t I go 1 day without spilling my coffee?
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Replies
Hmmmm...
were these exposed before?
short of serious changes, i.e. an entirely new roof truss package, the only thing I can think of is to add legs from the doubled 2x's up to the ridge, basically making king-post trusses in place....but by the time you get it engineered, since you have an inspector involved, you probably will get it done cheaper just going with a whole new truss package
They where not exposed until we removed ceiling
There are some scraps to the roo frafters, but they are in poor condition.Nothing holds them up, this is/was orig. there has never been a wall there. The floor plan and ceiling has always been this way. There is a clear span of 24' the wall height is 9'.
Can't I go 1 day without spilling my coffee?
I agree that 2x4 king posts from the ceiling beams to the tops of the rafters would be a logical solution. Make these connections with plywood gussets. This will be very strong if the connections are flat. Getting it approved by the inspector will be the problem. Some of our inspectors would buy this solution especially in an existing structure, others not. If you can get it approved, it is by far the cheapest solution that will adequately work.
What's holding them up now where they are nailed together at the center? Are there vertical 2x's nailed to them and up to the ridge?
Also what size rafters do you have and what is the height of the HAP cut (Height above Plate)?
You have no walls? You want a clear span ceiling of 24'
What is your wall height?
Joe Carola
Edited 12/31/2006 1:30 pm ET by Framer
rafters are 2x6 (true 2" x 6" rough cut) The height above plate is approx 4" The room is 24' x 24' There are no walls in the room, never have been.
Can't I go 1 day without spilling my coffee?
Got room for steel bar joists?
12K1 (12" tall) go 24' @ 120 lbs. Total load 166 lbs/lin ft.
Your inspector'd love 'em.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Tom, is there a site with some basic simple info on using those bar joists?
And what sort of costs?
I see then on the freeway occasionally heading south, so I know there's a plant somewhere north - probably Salt Lake.
Joe H
Hi Joe,
Took a quick search and didn't see a standard load table online, although I have in the past. Certainly any structural steel company would be happy to copy for you. What I've got is 4 pages, including an intro explaining how to use the chart. Might be small print for scanning. I'll try... Sorta worked.
I only know of one bar joist mfg. in Va, Hancock. They won't sell to me, have to go through a steel company. Haven't bought any new ones since the large steel hike, but assuming a 50% increase, the 40' 30K10 joists @ 600lbs ea would be around $400ea, including galvanized decking and cross-bracing.
I call 3 steel companies to compare prices. All for the same custom order for me. Bear in mind my use, high loading. Those 30K10's are good for 315 lbs/lin ft live and 438 lbs/lin ft total load. Joist itself weighs 15 lbs/lin ft = 600 lbs. Around $12k today for that 2000 sq ft, supporting 300 tons of roof.
You buy them by the pound, but as you specify larger size, the price/lb goes down. Makes small ones comparatively more expensive and those 40'ers very little more expensive than the 30'ers (200 lbs ea) that I used in our place.
The crane guy who unloaded and set the client bar joists couldn't believe how cheap they were compared to trusses. I've never bought a truss.
Ah, more to the point... Found a quote for 12K1 16ft inflated now to about $150 ea including decking. As the chart below shows, 282 live and 380 total lbs/ lin ft. All my building dept. needs is a copy of the loading chart. The steel company will detail installation instructions. And help determine load if needed.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!