Balcony?

[Ries]

So I’m wanting to make use of the 18’ ceilings on the one side of my shop. I also wanted a more robust way of getting to my loft (currently using a ships ladder)

I’m planning the addition of a bathroom in the back corner so I was thinking I could build it such that I could use the ceiling as support for a balcony that could wrap around the one side of the garage and go in front of the loft. I could then add a pull down staircase, which I could use to access the loft.

Now I do not want to add large posts and LVL’s to support the balcony. I’m hoping I can install a ledger board anchored into the existing wall studs and then for added support on the ends of the cantilevered sectio. I could run vertical support cables up into the ceiling where I could attached them to a 2x6 that would span across multiple roof trusses. I would think this should suffice to support a standard 3’ wide walkway along the wall.

Thoughts? Is this crazy talk? From what I have found it seems like it should work. I’ve added a couple of photos with some crude sketches to try and show the idea. Blue is the bathroom, red/green is the balcony space and stairs, and black is just an initial thought on cable locations.

 

[Cypress]

I would extend the bathroom roof framing over to connect to the loft area with LVL's or BCI's. There are span charts you can find online. Might be worth consulting a structural engineer too but that's your call.

Also, I would avoid dropping a stair directly in front of your internal door. In your first picture (on the left) can the stair drop down along that back wall?

EDIT: you said no LVL's...

 

[GMCGarage]

As with any structure, its seems a good plan until its overloaded.

Hanging things from trusses is sketchy.

If you hang things, pay attention to your connections.

 

[Ries]

I would extend the bathroom roof framing over to connect to the loft area with LVL's or BCI's. There are span charts you can find online. Might be worth consulting a structural engineer too but that's your call.

Also, I would avoid dropping a stair directly in front of your internal door. In your first picture (on the left) can the stair drop down along that back wall?

EDIT: you said no LVL's...

Well I said no LVL’s because those require posts. However running it over to the loft area from the bathroom ceiling... that might not be a bad idea. It would make it a little bigger than what I was imagining then. It would effectively become a mezzanine at that point.

 

[cvairwerks]

Might want to peruse thu this first...

https://www.engineering.com/Library...cleView/ArticleID/175/PageID/199/Default.aspx

Kansas City Hyatt, 17 July 1981....

 

[Charlie51]

Whatever you do, do a better engineering job than the Hyatt Regency engineers did.

 

[Ries]

Might want to peruse thu this first...

https://www.engineering.com/Library...cleView/ArticleID/175/PageID/199/Default.aspx

Kansas City Hyatt, 17 July 1981....

Good read. Seems to highlight some piss poor engineering work. If I do this I’d be sure to build it correctly. Consider this a napkin concept sketch.

 

[Ries]

As with any structure, its seems a good plan until its overloaded.

Hanging things from trusses is sketchy.

If you hang things, pay attention to your connections.

Well if I pursue this I would cross brace and tie multiple sections together to distribute the load across many trusses. Those tension cables would not be tied to just a single truss.

I suspect what I will end up doing is building and installing a new supporting structure that will span the width of the garage and be supported by the outer walls. That way I don’t have to worry about exceeding the dead load capacity of the bottom chords

 

[Cypress]

Well I said no LVL’s because those require posts. However running it over to the loft area from the bathroom ceiling... that might not be a bad idea. It would make it a little bigger than what I was imagining then. It would effectively become a mezzanine at that point.

Just do a ledger across the face of the loft and hang the joists in some simpson hangers. should be pretty stout I would think and simple to frame. no need for posts or tension cables.

 

[Ries]

Just do a ledger across the face of the loft and hang the joists in some simpson hangers. should be pretty stout I would think and simple to frame. no need for posts or tension cables.

Yea, that’s pretty much what I’ve concluded. It’s effectively making it into a mezzanine, but I think I’ll be fine with that. Just not sure what I will do with the space yet.

 

[K'ledgeBldr]

Trusses are design for ONE thing- supporting the roof/roofing material.
Need anymore be said?

 

[nadogail]

Scaffolding is a way to build a platform.

 

[Ries]

Trusses are design for ONE thing- supporting the roof/roofing material.
Need anymore be said?

Already concluded that. However I suppose it’s best to state it flat out so that in the event others can’t come to that conclusion on their own, it’s a little more obvious.

 

[Cypress]

Yea, that’s pretty much what I’ve concluded. It’s effectively making it into a mezzanine, but I think I’ll be fine with that. Just not sure what I will do with the space yet.

I think a partial mezzanine in your garage would look great. You certainly have the ceiling height / space for it and over time, I'm sure you'll come up with some unique and creative uses for it.

Good luck with the project.

 

[Vahispd]

Yea, that’s pretty much what I’ve concluded. It’s effectively making it into a mezzanine, but I think I’ll be fine with that. Just not sure what I will do with the space yet.

You could add narrow shelves or cabinets to store small parts, manuals etc along the mezzanine wall which will leave the loft for larger items. Or place the shelf unit on the outside of the mezzanine to act as your safety rail.

 

[coljar]

I think it's a really good idea, but it depends on what you plan on using it for. I hate the pull down stairs because they're steep and it's difficult to get stuff up and through the hole. Seems like I remember a guy on here that made an elevator of sorts to lift items to his attic area.

 

[Ries]

I think it's a really good idea, but it depends on what you plan on using it for. I hate the pull down stairs because they're steep and it's difficult to get stuff up and through the hole. Seems like I remember a guy on here that made an elevator of sorts to lift items to his attic area.

Yup. So the plan for large stuff is to use my 4 post lift with a platform to bring large items up to the loft area as needed. I was going to build a freight elevator, but again I would need to build supporting structure in the attic to hold that kind of capacity. Just didn’t seem worth it when I could create a small stair case from the loft to the lift platform.

 

[Ries]

You could add narrow shelves or cabinets to store small parts, manuals etc along the mezzanine wall which will leave the loft for larger items. Or place the shelf unit on the outside of the mezzanine to act as your safety rail.

So looking at it again the space directly above the door really would be crowded. The height there is probably only 6’ or less with a platform at the loft level. So where you see the ceiling slant down I’ll probably just put some built in shelving/cabinets in that space.

 

[Vahispd]

So looking at it again the space directly above the door really would be crowded. The height there is probably only 6’ or less with a platform at the loft level. So where you see the ceiling slant down I’ll probably just put some built in shelving/cabinets in that space.

That's a good plan.