Strenthening Roof trusses

[sadsyndrome]

Hi
I am need of more room in my 1986 semi detached house which originally had 3 bedrooms the 3rd one being 6' 6" x 6' 6". The house is approx 22ft (front to back) by 15ft (partition wall to gable) with trusses spanning the 22ft at pitch of approx 30 degrees. Trusses are modern fink type i.e. with qiute small timber. There is just enough room for me 5' 7 (and a 1.2) " to stand on trusses with head just below apex of roof.

What I would like to do is strengthen trusses (at least in the middle third of span where roof height is greatest), to allow one of my grown up children to use it as a wardrobe (not bedroom). I do not think there is enough headroom to put steels across gables etc, and more importantly not enough cash in my bank either!

Can anyone advise me whether this is feasible and if so how to go about it.
I am a relatively experienced DIYer having built an extension on this house some years ago (with a bricky doing the outside and plasterer doing walls).

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

[tony1851]

With respect, your idea seems a little vague.
By 'strengthening' the trusses, do you mean adding timber to them? or cutting some timber out and replacing it ?(neither of which is adviseable).
What size is this wardrobe to be and how will you get access to it?
Unless you show some pics or sketches, or explain more clearly what you want to achieve I doubt you will get much response here.

 

[sadsyndrome]

Sorry for being vague I was seeking advice on whether it was feasible to re-adjust roof trusses ( i would obviously use StructEng but thought someone could say whether it was feasible before I wasted my time and money).
I wanted to convert fink roof truss to more of a attic truss maybe by doubling up wood etc.I have heard this can be done, bit I would want to do it properly and legit etc.Thought some people may have a view on this idea.

Two quick sketches attached. Entrance would be via loft hatch which exists today. Red line shows proposed new timbers dotted line shows removed timbers

Untitled

• sadsyndrome
• 30 Aug 2012
• 1

Untitled

• sadsyndrome
• 30 Aug 2012
• 1

 

[IJWS15]

Lofts are frequently damp and always cold in winter

Generally too hot in summer

They are generally accessed by a ladder and you should not climb or descend a ladder carrying anything, especially clothes on hangers which may trip you.

Without looking at the detail you should think carefully about the principle of what you are considering. Is the space really suitable.

A full loft conversion, done properly, would address these problems but you don't have enough height and if you did you would lose as much space on the first floor as you would gain in the loft.

Time to move?

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Aye just sounds potty to me, he's gonna have to open up the loft hatch, pull down the ladder, shimmy up there and mess about in a wardrobe, then reverse the procedure, every time he wants a new shirt?

 

[sadsyndrome]

Good points well made. Idea canned: we'll make do with what room we have

 

[chickenlips]

Its not advisable and certainly not by any free to use engineering programme, but it may not be completely out of the question.

The best advice I can give you is to try and find out who manufactured the roof trusses. Taking into account the fact they are 26 years old, finding the actual supplier may be difficult. However finding out which engineering programme was used to engineer the truss, might not be as difficult.

Take a picture of one of the node points which shows the metal toothed plate and post it.
Once/if you find that out, then make the desicion wether its a real feasibilty
I would like to add that even if you could figure out the engineer of the trusses, getting a truss manufacturer (who uses the same plate engineer) to supply a remedial detail to alter the trusses might be difficult.

Basically consider the following (if any engineering detail can be worked out of course);
The cost of a detail, the cost of materials to change every truss you want changing, actually getting materials in between the existing bracing, fitting any additional bracing needed not to compromise the structural element of the roof after.

If you really want the extra space without replacing the fink trusses with attic style trusses, its probably worth a little investigation before you throw the towel in.

Hope what ive said makes sense and is not to long winded