"Loft" Over Garage Door

akapero · Nov 7, 2011

Hi all,

As the title states, I'm looking to build a loft area over my garage door (really just a big shelf). I have a lot of unused space up there and really want to get as much stuff as possible off the floor and cleared out of my way.

I've searched and found some interesting ideas of how to design the area, but what I'm not exactly sure on are the specifics on the specs of the build, i.e. what lumber to use, types of mounting hardware, bracing, etc. I'd appreciate the help of people with more experience and expertice. I've built shelves and workbenches for other areas, but this will be hanging over the cars and motorcycle, not to mention people, so I'd like to be as confident as possible in it's construction.

My plans are to do something like this:

or this:

But instead of the threaded rod I'd just mount a 2x4 across the joists and then use 2x4 to secure the loft, like this:

I want to the dimensions to be about 20' x 4', and maybe even deeper (might go as deep as 5' or 6' depending on the clearances with the garage door track).

The current plan is to build two 10' x 4' foot 2x4 box sections, with braces every 16", and 3/4 OSB as the floor, mounted to the back wall and side walls.

How far apart can I reasonably space my vertical supports? What type of screws/lags/nails should I use? What about my plans so far? Are they workable? Comments or criticisms?

Thanks for any input you can provide.

ErickForest · Nov 7, 2011

I built a loft in my garage. Very similar to the photos you posted. I used the threaded rod 4'-0" o.c. to support the front. I used 2x6 framing at 16" on center and 1/2" osb for the floor. The size is 30' x 6'. There is about 5'-2" clear above.

I also built a railing with 1" square tubing and covered it with galvanized siding to hide the things that are stored up there. I have 2 gates that allow me to get bigger items up there. I also built permanant stairs to access.

I secured a ledger board to the walls with lag bots into ever stud. I used Spax lag bolts. They work really well and you do not need to pre-drill holes for them.

I can post some photos tonight when I get home

akapero · Nov 7, 2011

ErickForest said:
I built a loft in my garage. Very similar to the photos you posted. I used the threaded rod 4'-0" o.c. to support the front. I used 2x6 framing at 16" on center and 1/2" osb for the floor. The size is 30' x 6'. There is about 5'-2" clear above.

I also built a railing with 1" square tubing and covered it with galvanized siding to hide the things that are stored up there. I have 2 gates that allow me to get bigger items up there. I also built permanant stairs to access.

I secured a ledger board to the walls with lag bots into ever stud. I used Spax lag bolts. They work really well and you do not need to pre-drill holes for them.

I can post some photos tonight when I get home

Thanks. I'd appreciate pictures of what you did as your setup sounds relatively similar to want I want to accomplish. I haven't taken final measurements yet but I figure I will have about a 3.5-4' height up there when all is said and done. I'm especially curious about the railing and grates you're describing. That sounds like a great idea I hadn't considered.

Is there a particular reason why you went with the threaded rod instead of the 2x4 method I mentioned? Also, how much of a benefit is it to go with the 2x6 for this application over 2x4's?

hobie1dog · Nov 7, 2011

if you have cheap manufactured trusses (all 2x4's) above your garage, you will not want to let that support your loft, as they are really only meant to hold up the roof and the drywall below. It is best to go along your side wall and double up the vertical 2x4's and then use an engineered truss ( osb board in the middle, I beam ) that will sit on top of the extra 2x4's in the wall..been there, done all this before....but the house I'm in now already had a loft although done incorrectly with 2x6's spliced for the main beam horizontally, which I had to end up adding extra supports up to the trusses...the idiot that owned the house before me frigged everything up he touched.

rlitman · Nov 7, 2011

akapero said:
But instead of the threaded rod I'd just mount a 2x4 across the joists and then use 2x4 to secure the loft

That would be putting the 2x4 in tension, in exactly the worst way. Bad idea.
I expect the fasteners to pull out in the direction of the grain.
Stick with the allthread. That's a good way to do it, but avoid doing something like this:
http://antoine.frostburg.edu/phys/invention/case_studies/disasters/kansas_city_walkway.html

If you've got an engineered truss above the garage, the ceiling joists are designed to support the weight of the ceiling, and not really anything more.

When I built the loft in my garage, I consulted the American Wood Council span tables, and selected joists that run from wall to wall, to carry the entire load (no posts underneath, no support from above). In my case though I didn't have enough height clearance to do anything over the doors, and instead, put the loft in the rear half of the garage.

akapero · Nov 7, 2011

hobie1dog said:
if you have cheap manufactured trusses (all 2x4's) above your garage, you will not want to let that support your loft, as they are really only meant to hold up the roof and the drywall below. It is best to go along your side wall and double up the vertical 2x4's and then use an engineered truss ( osb board in the middle, I beam ) that will sit on top of the extra 2x4's in the wall..been there, done all this before....but the house I'm in now already had a loft although done incorrectly with 2x6's spliced for the main beam horizontally, which I had to end up adding extra supports up to the trusses...the idiot that owned the house before me frigged everything up he touched.

Thanks, Hobie1dog. I actually saw your pictures when searching and they are one of the better examples of something I'm looking for.

I do have the cheap trusses, which is one of the reasons I'm asking about this. I'm no engineer and don't have much experience with something like this so I want to make sure I can do it right.

My drywall is up so I don't have access to the vertical 2x4's without removing it. Any way around this? I'm also not sure I understand what your saying about the OSB board I beam.

akapero · Nov 7, 2011

rlitman said:
That would be putting the 2x4 in tension, in exactly the worst way. Bad idea.
I expect the fasteners to pull out in the direction of the grain.
Stick with the allthread. That's a good way to do it, but avoid doing something like this:
http://antoine.frostburg.edu/phys/invention/case_studies/disasters/kansas_city_walkway.html

If you've got an engineered truss above the garage, the ceiling joists are designed to support the weight of the ceiling, and not really anything more.

When I built the loft in my garage, I consulted the American Wood Council span tables, and selected joists that run from wall to wall, to carry the entire load (no posts underneath, no support from above). In my case though I didn't have enough height clearance to do anything over the doors, and instead, put the loft in the rear half of the garage.

This is why I asked. I'll have to rethink the rods I guess.

I do just have the engineered truss. Is there a way around the weight limitations of the engineered truss without too much money or work? This is just an idea for cleaning up my garage space, but if I can't afford to do it correctly and safely, then I'll figure something else out.

I would assume that the side and front wall would carry a lot of the load, especially if the loft isn't too deep. But I'm just guessing here.

hobie1dog · Nov 7, 2011

go to this site:

http://www.ilevel.com/floors/f_TJI_joists.aspx

It has pictures of them...you can buy them at Lowes, HD, you just have to go to the contractors desk and ask for them.....they come in shitloads of different lengths and are rated for very high loads. I know it is sounds like alot of trouble, but if you cut your drywall out on the side walls just enough to install the extra 2x4's or so to sit the I beam on top of, you will know that you can put all the weight you want in your loft and not have to worry about it. You can get a small drywall saw and mark the drywall so that it cuts just the depth of the existing drywall, and in the middle of your vertical wall studs, and put the piece you cut out, right back in where it came out, then it's just doing the patching work and sanding/finishing work, and painting.

akapero · Nov 7, 2011

Ahh, now I think I get it. So you actually double up the 2x4 in the wall stud so that you can rest the I-beam on top of them? In that case it's not as much work as I though. I thought you meant doubling up all the studs long the length of the loft. :lol_hitti

I'll have to look into those. Although I'd also have to drop my garage door track to mount the beam. I can think of a few ways around that, though.

hobie1dog · Nov 7, 2011

I was also talking about using one of the I beams across the front span and then use regular 2x6's or so to go back and rest on the beam that is on the front wall of your garage.

akapero · Nov 7, 2011

Got it. Still not as much work as I was thinking. Yours is definitely set up to hold some serious weight. I won't be storing any karts up there, but I'd rather it be over-engineered than under.

I need to get some final measurements and then I can start looking at actual options and pricing. This is a good start though.

Keep the good suggestions!

ErickForest · Nov 7, 2011

Here is the photo of the loft that I built above the doors that I described above. Hopefully it will work out for you. I sure like the extra space. I just need to clean up and get things put away.

camarotoolman · Nov 8, 2011

You could run some run some lumber lenght wise through the trusses and spread the weight onto 3-5 trusses. Could be easier and cheaper?

Freestyle72 · Nov 8, 2011

The cart loft is a wicked example of a good loft. Makes me want to build one too...

My question is though, how do you get your cart down typically? Or any other real heavy object?

Rich H. · Nov 8, 2011

As said, whatever you do....don't hang a loft off the bottom of a 2x4 truss, it is a disaster waiting to happen. You're better off either building a wall inside the existing walls to the height you need, or as stated cutting the studs, installing headers, doubling up the studs on the ends and putting I joists on top of the studs. The only catch is, if you cut the studs and install headers, leave the corners alone.

I had doubled-up 2x10 window headers on both side walls to start with which I sort of used as a "guide". The headers were slightly wider than the windows, maybe 30" or so. I removed those headers, then sliced the studs all the way to the corner (leaving the corner itself intact), and installed longer (about 5' long) 2x10 headers. The engineered I joists then rest on top of the headers, and then 3/4" osb for the loft flooring.

The back of the loft floor, against the wall does not have an I joist. It is supported with a
2x6 glued and screwed to the studs instead.

I'd recommend go check out the catalog at HD, you will see a few different dimensions available for the load and span, but in general they will have minimum recommended residential (for household flooring), then the manufacturer recommended minimum which is one step up, and I went one step up from that. Careful overbuilding it, though as the thicker/taller I joists are harder to maneuver and they do eat up some headroom.

I've got better pictures (somewhere) if it will help to see the details better.

http://garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=136919&d=1316799306

http://garagejournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=144310&d=1319385237

hobie1dog · Nov 8, 2011

Freestyle72 said:
The cart loft is a wicked example of a good loft. Makes me want to build one too...

My question is though, how do you get your cart down typically? Or any other real heavy object?

the barn door track is used in conjunction with an electric hoist, so that you slide the hoist back and lower the cable, attach to kart, raise the kart up with the 8ft coiled remote control box and then push the kart and hoist down the track into the loft area.

hobie1dog · Nov 8, 2011

Chip Chester said:
The barndoor track in his picture is a hint...

I just did a loft above one of the doors this past weekend. I used commercial pallet racking. Two uprights at $60 ea., two beams @ $18 ea. 5000lb. load limit. Done before lunch.

Chip

pics of it?

hobie1dog · Nov 8, 2011

akapero said:
Ahh, now I think I get it. So you actually double up the 2x4 in the wall stud so that you can rest the I-beam on top of them? In that case it's not as much work as I though.

Now you've got it. and you can also just add a 4x4 post to the wall if you have drywall on your garage walls. Just secure the vertical post into your existing wall with large lag bolts, etc. a 4x4 has enormous strength when used in a vertical application, you can set a hell of a beam and span across your garage if it sits on top of 4x4's....and you could do this across the front and back of the loft so that the entire loft is self supporting, and only secured into the walls for stability, with the entire vertical load being independent of the garage itself.

a side note: all this depends on how much weight you really want to put up there, but as always, next thing you know, instead of xmas

boxes, you end up with tires, etc. and the weight is alot more than your loft will comfortably handle.

dirttracker18 · Nov 8, 2011

Chip Chester said:
The barndoor track in his picture is a hint...

I just did a loft above one of the doors this past weekend. I used commercial pallet racking. Two uprights at $60 ea., two beams @ $18 ea. 5000lb. load limit. Done before lunch.

Chip

Damn thats a good idea!!

I have three set of pallet racking in my garage and never thought to do that. I am going to go and see if there is any left at the secret location :beer:

One more set for just that idea!

Rich H. · Nov 8, 2011

hobie1dog said:
the barn door track is used in conjunction with an electric hoist, so that you slide the hoist back and lower the cable, attach to kart, raise the kart up with the 8ft coiled remote control box and then push the kart and hoist down the track into the loft area.

Hey I need that!

But I bet I can't attach that to the bottom of my trusses and expect 'em to hold?

Or can I??

hobie1dog · Nov 8, 2011

Rich H. said:
Hey I need that!

But I bet I can't attach that to the bottom of my trusses and expect 'em to hold?

Or can I??

The kart weighs about 200 lbs, but I had an engineer look it over and the track is attached at every truss, so the load is spread over several trusses, remember, this is just for my specific application, it works for what I want it to do. See if you can find a mechanical engineer to give you a quick look over at what you need to support and hoist, and get his stamp of approval on it.

disclaimer: may cause heart attack, nosebleeds, decreased ****** performance, death, scurvy, locust attacks, and a tendency to watch pornographic material. :thumbup:

Nitsuj · Nov 9, 2011

hobie1dog said:
the barn door track is used in conjunction with an electric hoist, so that you slide the hoist back and lower the cable, attach to kart, raise the kart up with the 8ft coiled remote control box and then push the kart and hoist down the track into the loft area.

That is effing brilliant. I'm stealing that idea. Like tomorrow. Where did you get the track and hoist? Anything special?

hobie1dog · Nov 9, 2011

The track came from Grainger, along with the 4-wheel hangers made for the sliding door track. I got the hoist for $69.95 at Harbor Freight.

hobie1dog · Nov 9, 2011

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/BA...cm_sp=IO-_-IDP-_-RR_VTV70300505&cm_vc=IDPRRZ1

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/BA...m_sp=IO-_-IDP-_-BTM_BTB05209020&cm_vc=IDPBBZ2

akapero · Nov 9, 2011

Some great ideas in here and I appreciate the input, everyone. I've been giving it some thought and taking some measurements and I'm not sure I can afford to do the full-length loft like I wanted.

I have bunker garage tastes on a garden shed budget. :bounce:

Are there any options for making shelves up above the garage doors in the corners? I'd really like to be able to store the summer items up there, such as patio furniture, hose reels, kid's toys, etc. The patio furniture would take room but doesn't weigh much.

This is the space I'm working with:

There's just a lot of unused room up there. What about two corner shelves that sit above the garage door tracks? I'm thinking maybe 4-6' long and 4' deep? Could I do this and not put too much stress on the trusses? What if I put boards in the attic spanning several trusses to distribute the weight?

I'm just thinking out loud here, trying to figure out ways to reclaim some garage space. With all the stuff in there in the winter I can't even get my motorcycle out on the occasional nice day.

Nitsuj · Nov 9, 2011

hobie1dog said:
http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/BA...cm_sp=IO-_-IDP-_-RR_VTV70300505&cm_vc=IDPRRZ1

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/BA...m_sp=IO-_-IDP-_-BTM_BTB05209020&cm_vc=IDPBBZ2

Awesome! Thanks. I've been looking for a way to get an overhead hoist of some sort in my garage. This is just the ticket! Plus, I can get a safety harness and play Batman!

hobie1dog · Nov 9, 2011

akpero: Now that I see what you have, why don't you go across the front wall since you know where all your vertical studs are, and take (2) 2x6 or even 2x4's and fasten them into your front wall, having them **** into each other in the middle of that wide board in the center, (right above your garage door opener track mounting point)..that way you could buy (2) 12 ft boards for that and keep cost down. Then you could use regular metal joist hangers (like the use for decks) and run 2x4's up to your front beam...like was pictured in my photo above. For the front, I still suggest using 4x4 posts on each side, anchored into the wall for support(right on top of your drywall), then use one I beam to span across the whole garage and sit on top of your 4x4's. Then use standard 7/16" OSB board for your flooring up there. This way, there is very little extra load on your trusses....all done at minimal costs, with shitloads of extra space created.

akapero · Nov 9, 2011

hobie1dog said:
akpero: Now that I see what you have, why don't you go across the front wall since you know where all your vertical studs are, and take (2) 2x6 or even 2x4's and fasten them into your front wall, having them **** into each other in the middle of that wide board in the center, (right above your garage door opener track mounting point)..that way you could buy (2) 12 ft boards for that and keep cost down. Then you could use regular metal joist hangers (like the use for decks) and run 2x4's up to your front beam...like was pictured in my photo above. For the front, I still suggest using 4x4 posts on each side, anchored into the wall for support(right on top of your drywall), then use one I beam to span across the whole garage and sit on top of your 4x4's. Then use standard 7/16" OSB board for your flooring up there. This way, there is very little extra load on your trusses....all done at minimal costs, with shitloads of extra space created.

Thanks, hobie, that makes sense. I don't suppose it changes much that my drywall and studs don't go down to the floor, does it? I have a 36" concrete wall upon which the frame for the garage was built.

Like this:

I could open up the drywall on each side and attach the 4x4s for the beam to a stud and the sill plate.

hobie1dog · Nov 9, 2011

now that I see that picture, why don't you use a 4x4 and sit it on top of your sill plate, and then use lag bolts that you can pocket into the side of the 4x4 and bolt your 4x4 to your side walls for horizontal stability? That would secure the 4x4 tightly to the wall, and let the big *** slab of sill plate support the front of the loft.

hobie1dog · Nov 9, 2011

and please.......paint your walls first...LOL.....that's the ultimate NO NO in the garage journal world.

akapero · Nov 10, 2011

hobie1dog said:
now that I see that picture, why don't you use a 4x4 and sit it on top of your sill plate, and then use lag bolts that you can pocket into the side of the 4x4 and bolt your 4x4 to your side walls for horizontal stability? That would secure the 4x4 tightly to the wall, and let the big *** slab of sill plate support the front of the loft.

I'll think about how best to do this. I went to Home Depot to price a beam and talk with someone about it and no one was there that knew about them. I'll try again today or tomorrow. Thanks again.

hobie1dog said:
and please.......paint your walls first...LOL.....that's the ultimate NO NO in the garage journal world.

I know. I may not post much but I read on here a lot. The wall painting is under way and that area will be painted before any thing goes up there. I'm currently working on the front of the garage, but just planning the back.

The problem is that the temps have dropped too low for painting most days, and my garage is unheated. It's going to be a piecemeal project.

vegar · Nov 10, 2011

I would do as hobie1dog says and use a 4x4 on each side to hold jour I-beam up. It is what I have done, even if my beam are located in the wall itself

My beam are a 7,2 meter long 40 x 16 cm and are located on 6x6 (really it is 3 pieces of 2x6), this is of course a little overkill for you, but my plan is to store a lot of **** up there, along with a small car

akapero · Nov 10, 2011

I've actually been following your thread, vegar. I like what you're doing with your shop.

My beam will probably end up inside the wall, too, but we'll see. I want to get a friend over who has a bit of experience in construction and get his ideas. I think what hobie1dog has been suggesting sounds the most feasible, though. Price dependent, of course.

rlitman · Nov 10, 2011

hobie1dog said:
I was also talking about using one of the I beams across the front span and then use regular 2x6's or so to go back and rest on the beam that is on the front wall of your garage.

The problem I see with that picture, is that half the loft is supported by the beam, and half is supported by the header over the garage door.
The side walls can easily support a serious load, but the header over the door isn't made to hold much more than the gable end weight. Load on that loft can cause that header to sag. Could that interfere with the door's operation; perhaps.
In the very least, I'd say to double up the header over the door opening before connecting to it like this.

hobie1dog · Nov 10, 2011

vegar...what in the world is your beam made of?

vegar · Nov 11, 2011

hobie1dog said:
vegar...what in the world is your beam made of?

Its wood. They both are. I have 1 in top as a main beam for the roof itself also. The direct translation from Norwegian is "glued wood beam". In reality it is made up of smaller pieces of wood and laminated under big pressure. Its much more rigid and heavy duty than one piece of wood in the same dimension

On the pic it have a plastic wraping for transportation. Here are 2 close up for you

vonhef · Nov 11, 2011

Great idea on the hoist. I did the same thing several months back for my loft:

Ole_Red · Nov 11, 2011

great thread. I will definitely be following this for ideas when we get our new house.

Freestyle72 · Nov 22, 2011

Got me thinking now I might want to throw my 60gal upright compressor up there if I do build a loft. That would definately give me back some space. My garage/shop is onyl 12x19ft... so very limited hardly enough space right now to pull in my car with the compressor on one side right now.

rlitman · Nov 22, 2011

I've got my 80 gallon upright in the loft. It was interesting to get up there with the hoist, but I got it up there myself in three pieces. The tank had to go up horizontally because of height clearance issues, and once up there, I tipped it upright.

"Loft" Over Garage Door

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