A beloved child has many names. But my wife wants...(yes, and then I want too) an open ceiling in the living room.
The house is made of wood (with a full basement) and was built at the end of the 60s. It consists of two building units, slightly offset and joined at the corner.
One of the units, the slightly smaller one, consists of a fairly large living room, so aesthetically, it's as if the house was built for a high ceiling.
The roof trusses are a framework, also known as W-trusses. And this is where the questions pile up. Once I start this, I’ll have someone more professional calculate the dimensions, but I’m the kind of person who wants to know how to do this and how to construct it.
My idea is to place a glulam beam from gable to gable at the ridge and let the trusses lean against it. You would essentially cut away the trusses but replace them with three glulam beams: one at the ridge, as I mentioned, and also one on each side, maybe in the middle between the ridge and the eaves.
Is this completely off track? Is this a feasible path? And if so...how do you transfer (or reinforce) the gables? I suppose that will be required.
Hope someone understands what I mean.
Erber
The house is made of wood (with a full basement) and was built at the end of the 60s. It consists of two building units, slightly offset and joined at the corner.
One of the units, the slightly smaller one, consists of a fairly large living room, so aesthetically, it's as if the house was built for a high ceiling.The roof trusses are a framework, also known as W-trusses. And this is where the questions pile up. Once I start this, I’ll have someone more professional calculate the dimensions, but I’m the kind of person who wants to know how to do this and how to construct it.
My idea is to place a glulam beam from gable to gable at the ridge and let the trusses lean against it. You would essentially cut away the trusses but replace them with three glulam beams: one at the ridge, as I mentioned, and also one on each side, maybe in the middle between the ridge and the eaves.
Is this completely off track? Is this a feasible path? And if so...how do you transfer (or reinforce) the gables? I suppose that will be required.
Hope someone understands what I mean.
Erber
Welcome to the forum!
One way (the most common?) is, as you mentioned, a beam at the ridge, laminated wood or another suitable beam.
Then it should be supported by pillars. Depending on the length of the ridge beam, one can manage with a pillar at each end, or several pillars. A free span of about 4-5 meters is rarely a problem. But where the pillars stand, there will be large point loads, so you need to check that the slab or whatever is underneath can handle the new load.
Another solution might be to replace the current rafters with scissor trusses, which will result in slightly lower free height at the ridge, but no other structural changes to the load in the house will occur.
One way (the most common?) is, as you mentioned, a beam at the ridge, laminated wood or another suitable beam.
Then it should be supported by pillars. Depending on the length of the ridge beam, one can manage with a pillar at each end, or several pillars. A free span of about 4-5 meters is rarely a problem. But where the pillars stand, there will be large point loads, so you need to check that the slab or whatever is underneath can handle the new load.
Another solution might be to replace the current rafters with scissor trusses, which will result in slightly lower free height at the ridge, but no other structural changes to the load in the house will occur.
Thank you Mikael for the response.
I don't think roof trusses are an option since we want the ceiling to be veeeery high. Approximately 5-6 meters in height at the ridge. Then it could be that not the entire roof will be open, but rather we will have a massive wall against the "other house section." Or maybe there will be a loft over the kitchen area. We haven't decided yet. The house looks from above like two squares slightly overlapping at one corner. One part extends into the other, or however I should explain it.
I think the total span will be about 6 meters. And there must be glulam beams that can handle that?
It's these posts that are the issue. You want to avoid tearing into the gables too much as far as possible. Moreover, one gable contains a big window right where the ridge beam's support post would go... and then we'd have to brace it in some smart way...
I don't think roof trusses are an option since we want the ceiling to be veeeery high.
Approximately 5-6 meters in height at the ridge. Then it could be that not the entire roof will be open, but rather we will have a massive wall against the "other house section." Or maybe there will be a loft over the kitchen area. We haven't decided yet. The house looks from above like two squares slightly overlapping at one corner. One part extends into the other, or however I should explain it.I think the total span will be about 6 meters. And there must be glulam beams that can handle that?
It's these posts that are the issue. You want to avoid tearing into the gables too much as far as possible. Moreover, one gable contains a big window right where the ridge beam's support post would go... and then we'd have to brace it in some smart way...