Browse Forums Building A New House 1 Jan 10, 2008 8:52 am Wierd question perhaps???
In our last place my hubby cut an elongated man hole (just like a std man hole but longer) into the ceiling plaster of the garage roof and laid thick ply boards along the base of the trusses to create a large storage space.... We are hoping to do this at the new place but i am not sure whether the new trusses will bear the weight of Christmas trees, bikes, clothes, toys, suitcases etc and all the other crap that we don't need to see until their required..... Has anyone else done this??? Our old garage was part of a renovation, so it was only 6 years old anyway, but the timber used was thicker than what we see going into houses today??? Not sure why... But just thought i'd put the question to everyone, have you considered using your roof/ceiling cavity for storage??? Re: Storage in your roof??? 3Jan 10, 2008 9:48 am _Al_ Needs to be designed for the extra weight. If it's plastered already you should be good to go. Thanks Al, we have not requested this with our builder, we just assumed (biggest mistake you can ever make) that this would be the same as our last place....obviously not though.... Can i ask why would it make a difference if it's plastered though (which ours will be), the plaster wouldn't make it any stronger, in regards to load bearing capabilities.... or would it??? Re: Storage in your roof??? 4Jan 10, 2008 10:16 am I did this at my old house - 1800 x 900 manhole in the garage roof, and around 4m x 10m of timber sheet (approx 25mm ply - from large motorcycle packing boxes) above the lounge/dining/kitchen/garage areas.
It was on 4x2s in genuine hardwood, at 300mm centres (owner builder in the 1960s), but I still only kept lightweight stuff up there - christmas tree, car parts like seats & lightweight panels etc. What was stored up there wasn't an issue - in fact, it provided excellent additional insulation that was a noticeable improvment in the lounge & garage! What was the issue was the minor cracks that appeared along the cornices inside after I'd been up in there walking around (tall pitch on the roof - I could pretty much stand up in the centre). This leads me to think the flexing of the roof is the issue - and in the current place I'm looking at only putting sheets around the actual hole, so I don't have to climb in there. Mind you, it never seems to be a prob when a sparky comes around & crawls around in the roof - perhaps they are lighter on their feet? I'd be a little concerned with the more 'flexible' lighter grade timbers used these days, and definately make sure any decent load (ie humans!) is distributed well across the trusses Re: Storage in your roof??? 5Jan 10, 2008 10:36 am **Phoenix** Can I ask why would it make a difference if it's plastered though (which ours will be), the plaster wouldn't make it any stronger, in regards to load bearing capabilities.... or would it??? Plaster weighs plenty, needs to be added to the load a truss can support. When I built the garage the roof truss people asked if it would be plastered or not and if I'd store anything from the roof. I said no, but no doubt I would in future. The trusses have benn upgraded to suit. If in doubt, ask the builder what has been allowed for. Plus when a person gets in the roof, you have an additional load. They design in a large safety margin, I doubt whether Xmas trees and kids bikes will make jack sh!t of difference. Re: Storage in your roof??? 6Jan 10, 2008 10:38 am Hi Phoenix.
I actually disagree with Al on this one (sorry buddy ). Unless you're planning on storing lots (and lots) of heavy stuff up there (like car engines, big TVs) there's no need to reinforce the roof trusses (lining it with plywood or yellow-tongue flooring would do that a little anyway). I actually asked for my builder not to put up the plaster ceiling in my garage so I could put whatever materials (like long lengths of wood, etc.) I liked up there (no matter how big a manhole would have been I still preferred to have the whole thing open). I currently have things from wood and boxes to an old cot stored up there. Re: Storage in your roof??? 7Jan 10, 2008 10:52 am I think we'll speak with the builder anyway and see what weight tolerances are allowed up there....
What about the option of running bracing along the base of the trusses(above the plaster), would that improve the load bearing somewhat or not worth it??? Re: Storage in your roof??? 8Jan 10, 2008 11:36 am **Phoenix** I think we'll speak with the builder anyway and see what weight tolerances are allowed up there.... What about the option of running bracing along the base of the trusses(above the plaster), would that improve the load bearing somewhat or not worth it??? That will make a nice flat surface to put stuff on. Re: Storage in your roof??? 10Jan 10, 2008 12:11 pm brittany We plan on using our roof space for storage but I never thought that there would not be enough strength . We plan on putting up a pull down ladder. Yep, a loft ladder. We're getting one of those too. Re: Storage in your roof??? 11Jan 10, 2008 1:01 pm You know the only thing I will store in my roof cavity?????
Cob webs! Like ⋅ Add a comment ⋅ Pin to Ideaboard ⋅ NEVER anything else. :? Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: Storage in your roof??? 12Jan 10, 2008 3:06 pm Our last house was 7 years old and we put plywood down and had all of the xmas decos, old suitcases, moving boxes and other bits and pieces. We never had a problem and will do the same again in the new house. We have to have a 25 deg roof pitch so there should be plenty of room.
I would think bracing the trusses before putting the ply in would make it much more stable for larger and heavier items. Jet Re: Storage in your roof??? 13Jan 10, 2008 3:15 pm Jet79 I would think bracing the trusses before putting the ply in would make it much more stable for larger and heavier items. Jet There you go, another one thinking along the same lines... I will see how it looks when the trusses go up and make the decision then... Again, no really heavy stuff being placed up there, so will see how it goes... I'm glad others out there have too much stuff in their places like us and need to hide it, until it's required.... Re: Storage in your roof??? 14Jan 10, 2008 3:20 pm Quote: You know the only thing I will store in my roof cavity????? Cob webs! Yeah - but I thought you were afraid of spiders re storage up there - the rule of thumb when in a roof space is to put your weight above a load bearing wall so the potential of going through the ceiling is reduced. Storing light stuff up there is not the real issue, it's the extra movement that occurs when people are walking on a flat floor that creates the issues because one forgets that we are in the roof and not on a strong floor. I've use this space for storage in other houses and garages and it;s a case of use it with care and be aware. Or have it specifically designed as an attic with load bearing floor structures and gain real extra space. Steve Re: Storage in your roof??? 15Jan 10, 2008 10:00 pm I'm with Michelle.
A great deal depends on whom you build with (volume builder or private) and their supplier. You need to ask your builder what live load the trusses can handle. Due to the cost effectiveness of volume builders, the trusses can sometimes be comped up to suit 100 - 150kg live loads only which can have a higher fail rate. For example - if you are having a cooler or central heater, look at the trusses where the units are to be placed (at frame stage), the bottom chords of the trusses should be heavier (there are usually 3 to 4 trusses in total - all together) tan the common trusses - these are trusses that have been comped up to suit additional weight. H 2 9451 This certainly doesn't look good. I would be engaging with an independent inspector to have a look at this. As for the unscheduled site visits, most builders are quite… 1 28326 traditional gable roof facade - Have you did the dark and light gray color combination in facade with gray stone in facade… 0 4224 |