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Am planning an addition to my existing home. Due to a height restriciton, the second floor will be built with 75″ high knee walls supporting 6/4.5/12 sizzor trusses. The inside height of the gable walls will be about 10′ floor to peak. I want to extend windows up into and across the peak area. The gable wall will be about 20’6″ wide. I am thinking about a bottom unit about 10′ wide—about 20″ off the floor— made up of 4 double hung or casement units. Above the 2 lower center units, I would like to add a single fixed glass arched top unit— same width as the 2 lower center units– that goes as high into the peak as possible. On each side of the top center unit, I want smaller square or rectangluar units. As an alternative to the above, the upper units may end up as trianguler fixed units. In that the Gable wall will have a trust above it.I assume this wall is not considered a bearing wall????
My question is: 1. From a structural stand point, can I combine all the windows as a single unit, with no header between the upper and lower units and no studs vertically except at the sides of the total unit. At this point I am assuming a window manufacturer can buid a single unit like this or in sections that can be field joined. I really would like to avoid seperating any of the upper or lower units for appearance reasons. Does this sound ok from a structural perspective??? As the question makes known I am not a builder,but want to make sure my design ideas are sound and my framer does it right. Comments will be appreciated.
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Harold, I may be missing something.Will there be one continuos member that goes from wall to wall (20'6') or are you trying to run windows up through what would be the bottom of the triangle (chord) of the gable?
*I have a couple of questionsYou keep calling them "sizzor" trusses. Is that local slang, or are you misspelling "scissor" ?You also said "Gable wall will have a trust above it" Do you mean a scissor truss, or a scissor gable ? One is structural and the other isn't.
*Harold, you i probably can combine them all. The suport for the area above the window unit will have to be built into the available attic area, or the roof system. Since it is in a gable wall, you probably don't have substantial loading, especially since you are taking the windows as close to the roof as possible. Your support might be as simple as doubling a 2x roof rafter above the windows.blue
*Make the window one unit, or make it 3. 10'x8' window could be tough to install though, particularily on the second floor. If it was my project I'd do it in multiple units. If you're planning on having a truss (or structural gable) sit over top the gable wall, it's no longer a bearing wall and I'd just run a double top plate to give you room for casing. But 'round here we get high winds, and I'd build it as a rake wall w/some type of lintel above (in the attic space, like Blue said). It sucks when your wall shakes because of a 20'6 hinge spot.
*I truly appreciate the responses I have gotten. Yes, I did is-spell scissors And the gable wall will have a structural scissors trust above it. The complete 2nd level will have a cathedral ceiling. I figure a double top plate will be used on the gable wall. After doing an elevation sketch and based on comments from others, I am going to separate the windows into 2 units, and separate the 2 units and leave about 8" between them. They should be a lot easier to install this way. Thanks for your comments
*Harold, don't rush into spacing it 8" if you prefer the window tight. On occasion, we've had to set large areas of glass that would become unmanagable if they are mulled together at the factory. To assist in the installation, they simply ship the windows in seperate units and we field mull them.blue
*on one of our jobs we had triple units stacked two high... we needed a narrow mull..Andersen sent a kit of very narrow steel apx. 1/8 x 3 which was inserted into the mull space and secured with short screws into the center unit jambs...this was a coastal install with high winds and a difficult customer... never a shake or deflection....
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Am planning an addition to my existing home. Due to a height restriciton, the second floor will be built with 75" high knee walls supporting 6/4.5/12 sizzor trusses. The inside height of the gable walls will be about 10' floor to peak. I want to extend windows up into and across the peak area. The gable wall will be about 20'6" wide. I am thinking about a bottom unit about 10' wide---about 20" off the floor--- made up of 4 double hung or casement units. Above the 2 lower center units, I would like to add a single fixed glass arched top unit--- same width as the 2 lower center units-- that goes as high into the peak as possible. On each side of the top center unit, I want smaller square or rectangluar units. As an alternative to the above, the upper units may end up as trianguler fixed units. In that the Gable wall will have a trust above it.I assume this wall is not considered a bearing wall????
My question is: 1. From a structural stand point, can I combine all the windows as a single unit, with no header between the upper and lower units and no studs vertically except at the sides of the total unit. At this point I am assuming a window manufacturer can buid a single unit like this or in sections that can be field joined. I really would like to avoid seperating any of the upper or lower units for appearance reasons. Does this sound ok from a structural perspective??? As the question makes known I am not a builder,but want to make sure my design ideas are sound and my framer does it right. Comments will be appreciated.