Another Loft Post ...

[BoxOfNails]

Hi. Im new to this website and have already found a bundle of useful info, but I still have a couple of questions ...

I would like to board my loft for light storage, as well as use prehaps with a desk as a hobby room. I dont want to cross the line to a habitable space.

1) It is a 1960s ex-council house with Gabled roof. The joists are 4cmx15cm at roughly 40cm centres. Will these be strong enough to take basic loft chipboards and light storage and desk? (Wall to wall is roughly 5.5mx6m and of this I plan to cover an area of 2.5mx4m)

2) I was under the impression that joists sat on the exterior wall and joined with the rafters. However, in the front and back rooms, there is a small slope in the ceiling to the exterior wall, indicating that the rafters are resting on the wall, and the joists are actually fixed to the rafters before they meet the wall. Is this possible? and if so, structurly sound to board on?

3) The Purlins are supported by 4 horizontal beams and then diagonals to the joists (the 2 diagonals do not meet), which I assume means the wall underneath is load bearing. It is just a timber frame wall, can this be supporting it?

Thanks

 

[BoxOfNails]

Oh, and I plan on making it a warm loft space, so Im not fussed about the insulation depth in the joists as I am insulating the rafters. And I dont plan on removing the Purlin supports, I will just incorporate them into the dwaft walls and board around them.

 

[ree]

Perhaps, use the Search function to view past answers to the same post question.