Protect yourself, get the professional services, it's $ well-spent. This is typical of what they may find: contractors substituting cheaper fasteners or structural materials which are not rated for the level of weather exposure or load can cause the entire load-bearing system to fail, possibly with tragic results. In the event of a failure of a structural component, the plaintiff attorneys supoena the design documents, including the plans review, the inspections, product approvals for the components right-down to the fasteners, and then a forensic engineering team reviews them with compliance to the building code at the time of construction. I am a plans examiner and a Life Safety Code inspector, and I've seen a lot of stupid, dangerous things done by amateurs and professionals. Considering what's at stake, you don't need a catastrophic failure so using the services of a structural engineer is a matter of safety for you and anyone around the structure. Yes, you may be able to use the free design skills of your local supply store, but here in Florida, you don't get a permit for structural work like that without having a professional engineer (P.E.) submitting sealed plans for the structural calcs. I adapted a 'cherry-picker.' I'll post that up in a new thread. I even went as-far as-to buy a short-web I-beam with the idea to bolt it to the underside of the box beam at the ridge, but I discovered that between the I-beam girder, the trolley, and the rigging, I would lose precious headroom, and be unable to lift much over 3' in height onto the loft deck. If it was an I-beam girder I could use an overhead trolley on the lower surface flange of the beam, but due to the box construction, that was out. One concession I made to getting heavy things up & down to/from the loft, I thought about what would make an easy load-lifter? The roof ridge beam is also a 1/2" wall thickness box beam with plates welded to it for the ceiling joists. For access, I use an A-frame ladder, but since it's used for storage, it's not an everyday trip I make. The structure has no stairs to access the loft, not-even an attic 'pull-down' stairs. The beam is sandwiched on both sides by a 2" x10" (ripped to 8" to match the box beam dimension) wood beam to allow easier attachment of the loft floor joists, which are 2" x 8" & 18" o.c. The engineer did the calcs and gave us a front-of-the loft steel box beam, 1/2" wall thickness, 4" x 8" welded into steel flitch plates cast into the masonry side walls. We used a structural engineer, and I asked for a capacity capable of supporting the weight of multiple motorcycles. The garage is a nominal 20' x 22' & the loft is a nominal 13' x 22'. That's all we could afford to do, we kept the same roof instead of bumping it higher. PWT Treated LVL also qualifies as a no added urea-formaldehyde (NAUF) and ultra-low-emitting formaldehyde (ULEF) product.I had built a loft which isn't full height above my two-car garage. The materials are sustainable, the wood is a renewable resource that stores carbon, and its regulated toxins are well below EPA tolerances. PWT treated LVL also qualifies as a “green” building product. Being an engineered product, they are stronger and straighter, allowing for farther span than conventional treated lumber. PWT Treated LVL is engineered for consistent strength and most designs can be done in-house. It also comes with a 25 year transferable limited warranty. The proprietary TRU-CORE technology treatment system protects against damage caused by fungal rot, decay, and wood destroying insects. They can even be used as treated sill material (over a suitable sill seal) and stair stringers. PWT Treated LVL can be used for deck beams, deck joists. Pacific Wood Tech has introduced a treated LVL for above ground exterior use, including beams and joists. Span tables for Kerto LVL beams, panels, studs and I-joists help designers work faster and more efficiently. Until recently it was not possible to treat LVL for exterior use. Pressure treated engineered beams and posts have been available for several years and have successfully replaced solid treated timbers in many jobs.
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