Planning to build a dock/deck by the lake. I want to build it in a way that avoids all contact with the ice, so I'm planning to attach a long beam to the rock. The span is about 7 meters for the beam that will support the joists. What dimension should I choose for the beam, steel or glulam?
Thanks in advance.
Thanks in advance.
I assume it is a freshwater lake. If you imagine the deck width to be about 3 meters, you would need a glulam beam (pressure-treated) of approximately 140x405 mm. As usual with glulam, there are alternative dimensions. Even though it is freshwater, the environment is quite aggressive. With steel, you encounter a maintenance issue, but you could over-design and let it rust. Perhaps you can get a hold of corten steel. That goes beyond my experience.