Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Nov 04, 1999 08:05am | #1

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   composite beams?

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   Guest_ | Nov 04, 1999 03:50pm | #2

   *Charlie - Are you referring to I-joists ? You ought to be able to find tons of suppliers for those. Just ask at a local lumberyard. Actually, you can get a room with trusses, if you use attic trusses. They shouldn't be any more expensive than an I-joists and beam system, and they sure take a lot less labor. You can ask about them at a lumberyard or truss manufacturer.

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   Guest_ | Nov 04, 1999 06:20pm | #3

   *Have built a garage out trusses that allowed for a 2nd floor room. The trusses spanned 40 feet, the pitch of the roof line was 6 in 12, think the room upstairs ended up being about 14, 15 feet wide. The trusses were 2x8 on the perimeter, w/ 2x4 webs. Worked well, went up quickly, couldn't have bought the lumber to frame as cheaply as the trusses.

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   Guest_ | Nov 04, 1999 07:26pm | #4

   *Perhaps, you are refering to microlam, paralam or some other form of engineered lumber. (I doubt if you mean carbon fibers and resins.) Engineered lumber is common and readily available.

2. 
   David_Bloomer | Nov 04, 1999 11:08pm | #5

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   truss systems can be desined for specific needs.scissor truss. gambrell. or just plain old conventional rafters

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   Charlie_Hutchens | Nov 04, 1999 11:08pm | #6

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   A friend built a garage using composite rafters, rather than trusses. It gave him a second floor on his garage and was great for storage. By the time I decided to do my garage, the company had gone out of business and I haven't been able to find a manufacturer of those compose beams...well there are some in Australia but the shipping is a killer. I live on the Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio border and am looking for a supplier. Is there anyone out there that can sell me those beams? I need the room (can't get that with truss construction) for my darkroom since my wife turned my upstairs darkroom into a walkin closet. Any help would be appreciated.