Weekend Project on my Garage... Pls Help...

[MasterAbacus]

Hi all,

Decided to do a it of a project on the garage this weekend.... No rest for the wicked...

Anyways, The garage is made of a single brick constuction with an apex style roof.

The Loft space area is open to the garage, ideal for hanging things from, but im planning on doing a propper job

Im going to install a plaster board cieling in there.... my first concern is wieght....

The garage is 18ft long by 10 ft wide. There are five trusses evenly spaced, but each one runs the whole longth of the garage....
They are 2inch by 3inch (Approx) timber construction, braced together with what look like metal squares (look simlar to a cheese grater) (Best way to describe em)..

Would adding plaster board be too heavy? the trusses dont have any other support over the entire length of the garage.

Im also considering installing a loft ladder / Hatch for access for some light storage up there once its plasterboarded... (Posibly on loft board, but again my concern is the wieght over the unsupported trusses)...

If i was to add some bracing between the trusses, would this be better nailed, or screwed through them?


Sorry for all the questions but thaught id get some input here before i trip to the Builders yard for supplies...

Look forward to replies.


Rgds


M.A.

 

[Diyisfun]

Dont know about the weight issue, but just wondering why Plaster board. I would be thinking about using ply, as a floor not a ceiling, especially if you want to use it for storage.

 

[MasterAbacus]

Plasterboard will be for the Cieling.... and ply in the actual loft space...

Im going to put insulation ontop of the plasterboard, then ply over that....


I think.....

 

[big-all]

no way off knowing the answer to your question without having a more detailed plan of your trusses if they are realy an 18ft span without support i wouldnt put any weight on them
i am assuming they cross the garage at 10ft!!!!

if you have lots of triangles and drops from the apex then you have more strength than if you have none

also curious why you are so worried about plasterboard when its probaly only a small amount of the extra weight you want to put on the trusses
the flooring and rubbish will weigh a lot more
or is it "the straw that broke the cammels back" your worried about!!!

this is a picture of the bottom of the truss on my 10ft wide shed it is a simple "A" desighn the actual span is 5ft 8" between the 12mm triangular ply plates holding the components together there is no drops at all max spacing is 4ft between them and i recon theres 2cwt supported on each one now no probs


http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b270/bigall2005/workshop005.jpg

 

[MasterAbacus]

Thanks for the replies...

The actual length of each trusse is 18 feet along its bottom edge...
There are bracings.... I cant get to take a picture, but here is a quick scetch of what i have 5 of....

The Blue lines are where there are a timber join on each one... obs the builders didnt have 18ft timbers at the time of construction.


I dont want to store anything heaving above the timbers, just light stuff, really.... Ive measured and ill require 14 (3ft x 4ft) plasterboards to do the whole area.... so there is some wieght....

Will the screwed plasterboards weaken the beams?


Anymore comments greatly recieved.

 

[big-all]

aaa right gotcha so they are every 20" centres[or 26" if youve included each end] with an unsupoted centre section of about 7ft and a join

how is the join held together and what is the roof material !!!

if you take the weigh of the roof plus a ton or so of snow i dont think your plans will cause many problems unless you plan on adding your body weight to the equation!!!!

my only concern is the joins in general they are in tension with a bit off sideways load and youre planning on dramaticly increasing the sideways load!!!!!
try loading it up gradualy using your body weight and see what happens[swing on it ]


nails or screws wont affect the strength of of your timbers at all

 

[MasterAbacus]

""]aaa right gotcha so they are every 20" centres[or 26" if youve included each end] with an unsupoted centre section of about 7ft and a join

how is the join held together and what is the roof material !!!""

The join is like all the others... its made from this metal plate stuff (I call it a cheesgrater) best way of explaining it.... the roof is felt lined with standard roofing tiles...

"if you take the weigh of the roof plus a ton or so of snow i dont think your plans will cause many problems unless you plan on adding your body weight to the equation!!!!""

I have stood up there before, but briefly... I guess it if can hold my heavty 16 stone, then its going to hold a fair bit....

my only concern is the joins in general they are in tension with a bit off sideways load and youre planning on dramaticly increasing the sideways load!!!!!
try loading it up gradualy using your body weight and see what happens[swing on it ]

How will i bit putting sideways load? I dont understand that part??

Also will adding noggins be ok for me to fasten the plasterboards to?

Im planning on screwing the noggins, and also the plasterboard...


Thanks again... Just starting to make my list for the builders yard.

 

[big-all]

dont worry a bout the sideways bit it just means loading at right angles to the wood so try swinging on the join but slowly loading it up

is it these http://www.strongtie.com/products/connectors/MP.html#gallery

if so what overlap is there on the timbers and how many of the 4 sides are coverd [i am assuming each side only]

 

[MasterAbacus]

Im home now, and just been out to the garage, I can jump up, hang of the beams, and do several pull up, and no noise / creaking or movement..... but my arms are sore now....lol

Thats the things that brace it together.... Where there is a joint with these they are on two of the sides...

 

[MasterAbacus]

Sorry yes, on each side as per your post.... they overlap by about 3 inches across each timber...

 

[big-all]

to be honest i have never used mending plates and i am unaware of exactly how good they are

the usual is 3 or4 timber dogs along a 12 or 24 inch overlap and big bolts and washers[dependant on length and loading] so 3 inches seems a bit small but having said that there are many tens of teeth per inch and your pressups seem to suggest good strength

how old is the garage and is there any sag in the roof !!!!!!

 

[MasterAbacus]

The Garage is about 19 years old, it was built the same time as the house.

Its actually a semi detatched garage, with next doors being a double garage aswel. (Shame ours isnt really). I know of several niehbours garages that are all the same, and none have been plasterboarded, all just open. Many people do have ladders and stuff thrown up between the beams tho..

The roof timber construction is of same diameter timber as the house, and there is no sagging at all that i can see.... It feels pretty strong.

The loft in the house, is over a bigger span, but does have a supporting wall underneith just off centre.

The garage is going to take about 14 sheets of 4x3 to cover the cieling, so i think ill go witht that, adding 2"x2" noggins between the rafters... Ill also double up on the joists where they are joined together, and go from there..... Im thinking once complete a light skimming of plaster will show if there is any movement.... ie if cracks appear in plaster while adding wieght to the loft space, then ill know to stop adding stuff up there....
( How much of a bodge does that sound OMG) !!!

 

[big-all]

yep youve got it sussed out ok

the fact theres no sag means its up to the job so you additions should be ok
but i would wait for at least one other opinion as i dont know about the joining method