Ridge Beam size, I need your help
Hi guys, I’m planning a sunroom addition for my house in the Catskill mountains in New York. I’ve been a union carpenter for forty years and I just retired. I’ve never been a house framer, I’ve been a heavy construction guy all my life, but I did build this house myself.
The addition will be 16 x 16, with a cathedral ceiling with 6 skylights and 2 x 10 rafters. There will be a fireplace in the gable end so I’ll have post on a header supporting the gable beam on that end. I want to ridge to meet the existing roof so I plan to use a steel connecter at the house side and nail the crap out of the rafters on the house wall.
My thought is to use a double 2 x 12 for a ridge beam but I’ve never been a house framer fo I don’t know it that is right. This is where I need your opinion; will a double 2 x 12 be sufficient or do I need to go heavier?
Replies
Brother
I don't believe it wil be enough.
My advice-go to a real lumberyard (at your age, you know what I mean) Take your drawing of the addition and have them fax the details to a LVL supplier. There they will figure your loads and spec the proper LVL. They will also spec the header at the gable end.
You will need continuous to foundation posting below the ridge beam at the house end. In essence, you are installing a huge header. That will be in addition to a beam hanger (you might have to have that spec'd as well to pass inspection. A beam hanger of some sort to fit the LVL (s).
Best of luck
Cripes, you talk snow load.................
There is no engineer to pay here in my corner of Ohio (well, not one I need to pay). You should be able to go to a local yard, give them the plan and they'll send it off to an LVL dealer. All is free.
I suppose you could try to contact the dealer/supplier/manufacturer yourself.
On a screened porch- 14x14
1- 1-3/4" x 11-1/4" x 14' long ridge beam
At one end-2-1-3/4 x 9-1/4 lvl header. (I used scrap from a previous LVL.
At the other end, an LVL hanger (might be EWP face mount from USP).
Solid posting to foundation.
So, can't advise that end of it other than head it off up high to split and move the point load apart.
I have used rod and couplings to hold the side walls together and at one time, a cable system was spec'd at top of wall level. These were at 4' centers I believe-coast of NC and up here in NW Oh.
Have also utilized bolted collar / rafter ties one third up from the top plate to top of ridge-every other rafter pair.
All the above passed inspection, some needed backup.
Way up top there-the lumberyard got backup to please inspection on both the LVL size and header size to accomodate it at the one end-the hanger I had to run passed the LVL supplier for verification.
That's all I can tell you, of course you can engineer it any way you please and it might just be right. Being that the above was for customers, and I have no engineering background, I was pretty much in the position of an answer and was graced with lumberyards that could provide it.
I have heard from several places across the country on this board that that is commonplace for yards to pass on the info and get the specs. I wish you the best of luck.
That was one of our biggest snowfalls in the past 20 years. Normal weather is to have snow on the ground all winter. This winter we had snow in November and then again in Spring. Now that I no longer ski, I like it without the snow. I like the idea of collar ties at 9 ft a lot. I think I'll add collar ties to both ends also. I'll have a 1 x 6 T&G pine ceiling and these ''beams'' will give you something to look at.
Well hey.
Why don't you chronicle your build here in a thread? And hang around for some discussion. We're trying to rebuild this place from the ashes of a forum software change. It isn't easy. Be good to have real life experience to add to add.
Thanks and best of luck.
Local whatever the number is-recently incorporated into a tri-state area-formerly 1138.
Thank you for the invitation!
I will keep posting as I build the addition, actually two additions. I'm putting a garage with an attic on the other side. Looking at the picture sunroom right, garage left.
good idea
Just bump up the size of the photo's a tad-62 yo eyes are not that good anymore.
thanks!
We're down in Nashville, damn 80 degrees..........................
Here at the daughters home, trying to make head/tails of previous (current) remodelers attempt at a bath remodel.
Man, must be regional difference but.................
Ah well, back at it. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.