My New House & Workshop

[franklin2]

I wonder if I could modify the ceiling joist in the rafter and raise it up to gain some ceiling height?

That's what I did in my garage after I moved in. It had trusses made out of 2x4's. They had glued plywood on the bottom of the trusses for the ceiling. So I had to take a sawzall and cut the plywood out in between each truss, I could not get the ceiling pulled off the trusses. I did leave two original trusses on one end, and 1 original truss on the other.

I then bought some 2x8 lumber and long screws. I took some cardboard and cut a short piece 7 1/2 inches wide, and kept sticking it in the eave and kept trimming it with scissors till it fit snug against the roof and sat on the outside wall. That was going to be my pattern on how to cut the tails of the 2x8"s.

Figured the angle for the center, found the length I needed and cut the 2x8's. I took a extension ladder and sat it in between the trusses, and lifted the 2x8's up, sat the one end on top of the wall and pushed it up in the middle and drove a screw into the side of the original truss to hold it. Did the other side and then I cut another short 2x8 with angles on it for a cross tie up high in the middle.

I had a bunch of oddball pieces of 1/2 plywood that came from cutting out the ceiling, so I cut those to make plates to screw the cross tie in place.

Once the new 2x8 system was up there, I added a bunch of screws from the 2x8 system to the old truss, and then cut the bottom of the old truss out.

 

[Rick W]

Trusses are easy, you’ll see!

Can we set a time for a call?

My Shop was 90% done when I got hit by a tornado, and I had to rebuild one wall and roof which had been crushed by a giant pine tree. The whole area was a disaster. Volunteers showed up from the church who had no construction experience whatsoever. I laid out the TRUSSES on a concrete slab with chalk lines, and I had an accountant, a banker, and two nurses build 24 of the trusses in one afternoon. They varied by about an inch or inch and a half which is un-noticeable in the construction. And we had a blast and they had a great story for the rest of their lives. Trust me, trusses are easy!

EDITED

 

[Rick W]

A couple thoughts. Commercial trusses are precision cut, layed out on a precise jig, and fastened with truss plates, basically large multi-point staples the are pressed in with a precise pressing machine.

Mechanical engineering 101: when you screw two pieces of wood together or bolt two pieces of steel together, Most people think the screw or the bolt is carrying the load. That is not true. The screw or bolt forces the faces of the materials together, and the friction between the two faces is what carries the strength, not the bolt or the screw.

If you weld steel together, it becomes one piece, and there is no need for the screw or the bolt.

When you make homemade trusses, you make plywood plates that obviously overlap the wood. You slather them with waterproof wood glue, and then put the plates down with maybe five screws in each 2 x 4. When the glue dries, it is the same as welding. You can literally take all the screws out and it will not affect the strength of the truss. I wouldn’t take the screws out, but I’ve done this more times than I can count.

And, using the glued 2x4 plates, the cuts were the 2x4s meet each other nose to nose or perpendicularly, really do not have to be precise at all. The load is carried from the 2 x 4 through the glue to the plywood to the next piece. Of course the closer you make your cuts, the stronger the piece

 

[rumblecloud]

@Rick W : This is really good info for me. Thanks for posting.

 

[Rick W]

@Jim Oaks

How ‘bout this? Don’t be afraid of the size and scope, this is very easy to do.

For 30 feet, you would need 17 trusses. One for every 2 feet plus one for the opposite end and the ends are doubles, that way you don’t have to frame a wall. You can simply put sheathing and siding right on the side of the truss, for the fake columns, you can bolt some green waterproof plywood to the wall, and screw the siding right onto it, no real construction necessary.

As regards strength, mine is almost identical trusses. I put a 4 inch I-beam across 20 feet, with flat 2 x 2 tabs sticking up and a 3/8 inch carriage bolts through each truss on the high side of the bottom piece. I have a one and a half ton chain fall and I have pulled a 460 motor with the transmission, and it didn’t even creek. May be a hidden point, but if you’re going to pick up that kind of weight, you have to span it across several trusses, but you can actually do that with a couple of 4 x 4‘s.

Your F150 would easily fit into the bays facing the house. When you finalize this, I can sketch you a walkway covered with an arbor that goes between the garage in the house, and we can put in the middle and attractive shed roof large enough to cover the F250 or maybe two cars. If you integrate the design, the property will be worth more than the pieces. And if you were thinking “covered walkway, why?” I’m assuming there will be a lady in the picture at some point...

Want to know my real trick? If the gal is Sally tell her you named the walkway Sally’s walk. If Sally goes away and you’re dating Lucy, tell Lucy you named it Lucy’s walk. Do you want a PhD level? Carve out a little wooden plaque that says Sally’s walk or Lucy’s walk. Better than Viagra!

Let me know Jim.

 

[Jim Oaks]

Took a picture from inside the access door in the ceiling.

What could I use to jack the roof up and build up the wall under it?

Could I take the plywood sheets of every so far and lift the roof in sections?

Really don't understand why I can't lift the roof, build up the wall, set it back down, and re-shingle it.

Then add a carport on the side to park my F150 under.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I am not sure that style of roof is going to enjoy being lifted. You only have what three 1x? plus the sheeting for longitudinal support if it isn't sitting on the sills?

 

[Rick W]

Thanks. This is “rafter” construction. Trusses, once made, are a single structural unit, “rafters” aren’t a structural unit, they’re like stacked blocks. I stated earlier how to build a steel frame and jack up the roof. It works, but it’s very time consuming. You can take out the middle and build higher probably in less time for similar money. The problem with rafters, is they may settle or even fall apart once you start moving them.

Also, your roof sheathing isn’t plywood. It looks like 1x6 spruce, maybe tongue and groove even. It’s part of the structure.

Personally, I’d still do what I proposed, but I wouldn’t “demo” your roof, I’d dismantle it and save all the pieces, pull the nails, and toss the tar and shingles.

The long horizontals could be used for the new tall walls (but remember to use pressure treated for anything that touches the floor or block and preferably not against metal and sweating windows. There would be a future use for all.

 

[Rick W]

& make sure you rub yourself with oil and only ware shorts when you rip out the insulation so you get stuck with every possible fiber from the fiberglass!!!

Want more good news? On the “vinyl” floor tiles, are they 9x9 or 12x12? I’d they’re 9x9, 90% probability they and their glue is asbestos, but that’s manageable.

Ditto, if the staple ceiling is from the 70s or earlier....

I can guide you how to deal with it and work with it safely.

Remember, life is an adventure!

 

[Rick W]

I’m heading out to work on the toys, but there are a lot of other details:

Obviously bathroom is in the way. The block wall behind commode isn’t structural, but it has plumbing in it (although I didn’t see a vent through the roof ??? ). Leave it alone, but move the opposite wall in.

When you rebuild that opposite wall, it’s a partition only. Make it on the floor. Use 1x2s flat, and glue them to wafer board or 1/4” plywood, and then glue same plywood on top. Make a 1x2 sandwich, then stand it up and secure it. It will save you 4.5 - 1.25 = 3.25”. Might sound silly, but that’s a ton of space on this plan.

A million other trucks!!

 

[Rick W]

@Jim Oaks

Let me offer a different perspective too. When you look at my drawings, it looks like some huge complex project. Not so. Basically what you have to do is this.

1. Dig form and pour the 8 x 30‘ slab
2. Frame out a total of three wall panels on the ground
3. Frame two 15 foot long stub walls for the back on the ground.
4. Build 17 trusses on the ground. Heavy, but you can probably lift each one by yourself when done
5. Cut and dismantle 30 feet of roof and wall.
6. Stand the walls, and set the trusses.
7. Secure the bottom of the trusses by running a one by three near the lower W points. And then lap that one by three with another offsetting all seems by at least 2 feet. Run a similar strap on the underside of top of the trusses to hold them in place until you get plywood on it. You can actually remove this top strap if you want to save the world after the plywood is down. 1/2 “ wafer board is plenty if you use roof clips where the meet.
8. Then shingle roof and sheathe and put up the siding, install the doors.
9. 
   
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11. It really is that simple, eight simple steps, and big pieces but simple piecesIt really is that simple, eight simple steps, and big pieces but simple pieces

 

[franklin2]

Took a picture from inside the access door in the ceiling.

View attachment 58634View attachment 58636

What could I use to jack the roof up and build up the wall under it?

Could I take the plywood sheets of every so far and lift the roof in sections?

Really don't understand why I can't lift the roof, build up the wall, set it back down, and re-shingle it.

Then add a carport on the side to park my F150 under.

I had a guy I work with, he is a contractor and he suggested that I do that to my building. I was thinking about doing a variation of this, since I already had my lift installed inside.

But having the roof up there like that for any length of time did not appeal to me. If I would have had a bunch of guys helping me, I would have considered it more, but I tend to be slow and I am by myself. Piece by piece at my own pace worked better for me. But I see you have a different situation, you have a stick built low flat roof, no room unless you jack the whole thing up.

If you planned on making some sort of sub structure like the video above, and then had some jacks spaced around, I don't see why you could not lift it up. The structure you made below to lift it would take a lot of lumber and work, but you could then save that lumber for any future planned projects.

I would think a structure underneath with 6 of those fancy off road bumper jacks the jeep guys use would lift that roof up. Rick W could help you design a simple structure below to do the lifting and blocking up.

 

[Snoranger]

We had a 15 ton railroad jack for lifting the big forklifts at my old job... That thing could lift that roof no problem.

 

[Uncle Gump]

That would be a good balancing act for one jack.

 

[Snoranger]

That would be a good balancing act for one jack.

I never said it was a good idea.