Hi,
I’m new, and have a question about supporting a loft in our soon-to-be small addition – actually extending an existing small bedroom to include a comfortable sitting/den area.
The house is a straight ranch, 78 feet long by 32 feet wide. The roof is a 12/6 pitch (6/12?). To avoid complications where the garage roof line and house come together, we will be starting the extension about 3 feet in toward the roof ridge (away from where the garage joins the house), which should make it simple to bring the house roof line straight out for the 12 foot extension. My question has to do with supporting a loft. When I sketched on graph paper, I came up with about 14 feet at the highest point. So, it seemed a good idea to keep the open ceiling and add a sleeping ladder loft and include a long window above the room window below.
If all this makes sense, I’d like to have opinions as to whether this 12′ long loft could be supported by “hanging” a support from the ceiling truss. My guess is that 12′ is too long a span without a beam extending from the new room opening header – which would be really nice, but would also mean having to go up to maintain the 8′ height below. That being the case, the loft now would have to move farther into the overall room height to accommodate a high enough access.
I don’t expect to trouble you by asking for long involved explanations, but am curious as to your thoughts or experiences in previously framing in ladder lofts. If there are plans out there for examples/guidance, I’d appreciate knowing about them. Also, I’m thinking that if it is advisable/possible to use “hanging” supports, that some sort of cable would work as well as lumber and be less obtrusive.
Thanks for any ideas/advice.
Kris
Replies
Just a buch of more or less random thoughts to start with until others wake up and respond:
How wide is this loft? Just for sleeping (no pool table up there or hundreds of people dancing, for instance)?
If hung from cables, and maybe even if using wood or steel, must keep in from swinging and twisting and so on.
If hung from trusses, tell the manufacturer ahead of time--they may need to engineer the trusses differently and may have good ideas on how best to support the loft and attach it to the trusses (I'm thinking you's want this supported by more than one truss. You may even get the truss designer to engineer a truss like those used in attics where the bottom chord supports the floor of the attic. If done that way, probably wouldn't need any support under it.
Guess that's about all the thoughts I have right now. See what others say, but I would definitely ask your truss supplier. Boss Hog here on the forum designs trusses and you may want to post something to him if he doesn't cjhime in on his own. Good luck.
Thanks, Danno.
Actually, I'm hoping to keep this *real* simple. This addition will be 12x12, extending as said, from the end of the house and opening up an existing small guest room/den. So, I anticipate the loft to be about 5' wide, coming directly out from the lowest part of the vaulted ceiling, and extending the 12' length of the new room. It will be for sleeping only - not much room to do much of anything else, I'm guessing. Anyway, as I think about it, the 12' beam support actually might not interfere with the room height below, as it could double as a way to keep sleepers from rolling out at night............
I'll suggest your advice to the carpenter friend who will be doing the work - he's a little short on ideas, but experienced enough to do a good job and see it through or ask experts when needed.
Since I think and visualize in 3D, but seem to be typing in 2D (or less), I'd post pic's if I could figure out how....... ;-) No matter. You've given me good food for thought.
Thanks again.
Kris
I got lost about the time you started about the garage. I'm not sure if you are extending the house longer or if you are adding a gable at right angles with a couple of vallleys.
Also pertinent is whether you now have trusses or stick framed. You refer to trusses in the loft, but you would notrmally have rafters stick framed when building a loft.Typically, with a ranch and 6/12, there is no practical space left for a useable loft at all.Structurally, you would have to frame with a structural ridge that would be supported to foundation at both ends. That may mean the upper window you refer to would be in th e path of support so the header for it would have to be engineered to transition the loads elsewhere.This whole thing needs a lot of planning and I see only half the necessary information given to advise further.
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Sorry to be confusing. I've attached a pic for clarification.
The 12x12 extension is an extension of the existing roof..........no gables......... It will just come straight out, making 1/2 of the *width* of the house longer. The full *width* of the house is 32'.
To avoid fooling with the area where the garage roof meets the house, we'll bring the new wall out starting about 2 - 3' in, just about where the existing window is (which will just "move out" to the end of the addition). On my graph paper drawing, following the 6/12 roof line, 12' of floor space gives about 14' at the highest point of the new ceiling. A 6' wide sleeping loft, coming directly out - lengthwise - from the normal 8' ceiling-to-wall appears to allow about 4' of clearance to climb into bed. (Nothing but a mattress will be up there mostly for grandkids and their friends.) Anyway, I'm trying to keep everything "clean", without a support post from below, and making it the full 12' length of the addition, coming out from the existing wall header when everything is opened up.
Thanks for the clarification about rafters vs. trusses. Right-o. The windows mentioned before will be on the "open", tall wall (to right in the picture). Below the loft will be the new den/sitting area, with picture window and door leading to a small deck. The "upper" window, I envision will be above these, at loft level...........
If push comes to shove, I guess we can drop the floor down a step to allow more room for the loft. I suspect you're right, that we should go with our carpenter friend to the lumber yard and talk with someone there about support options... Meanwhile, I might try to google some ladder/sleeping loft plans.
Thanks for posting your thoughts.
Kris
OK, I'm totally lost now<sheepish grin>The photo didn't attach. You have to wait after telling it to until properos attachment po-up shows the title of the file. Then you cliock the "Done" button, then post.Part of myu confusion is that I have no idea what the garage is doing now, so I don't know what the reference is telling me.Then if theis bump out is making the house wider ther and no longer at the end, but no gable, it must be a hip roof, right? But then you lose a lot of headroom and you were talking a wondow in the end of it....So nothing gels to make any kind of sense without pictures or drawings.
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Gaaad.
I'll try the attachment again............. If this doesn't work, then I'll give up.
Really, this should be *so* simple.......... ;-)
This extended footprint of 12x12' probably allows for a sleeping loft in other ways than what I'm thinking, so I should go back to the graph paper & my 3D imagination.
Thanks again, Piffin
K
You shouldn't need to hang the loft from anything. The 2x8's that form the loft floor should support the loft.
You will need a structural ridge but it can be fairly modest in size. Unless you have a huge snow load a couple of 2x10's would suffice.
If you are sticking the addition between the two windows, you could get more head room by balloon framing and extending the roof plane. The loft would have much more headroom in this case.
I am a little challenged to understand it all but if I am picturing it right, a 12x12 room could be supported by the 2x8's or 2x10 floor joists run side to side. (from gable end to gable end, not from back wall to nowhere. That way, nothing is hanging from a sky hook. (or other support over your head)
If you dont have walls on either gable end, A flush beam could be installed (flush with the floor system) with joist hangers for the joists.
Hope you get it figured out!
Thanks - to everyone - for all the pointers for consideration. Lots to think about, obviously.
I'm glad to know that "sky hook" supports won't necessarily be needed. I've actually been considering adding on a very few more feet in length, to include a little "kitchenette" along the outside wall, so that may be the best place for a sleeping loft................ Back to the graph paper!
Now, if that carpenter friend could just be in touch......................
Thanks again.
Kris - in Alaska - where it's beautiful end-of-summer weather, the tundra is beginning its transformation to autumn colors, the sandhills are circling, calling and forming great "V's" in the sky, heading south. 'Sure would like to have this little addition closed in before freeze-up!