Building a mezzanine in my barn

[Hardworkinguy]

I want to build a mezzanine on the wall opposite the stairs. The barn is 32x40. Is it possible to do this 40' and have it clear span? I have some lumber to put up there,so all the heavy stuff will be on the corner by the back door (shown).

The lumberyard engineers want to put a post in the middle and sell me four 20' LVLs. I would rather buy 40' LVLs and put a post closer to the heavy end. It will be mostly lawn furniture and stuff on the other end. Is it possible to buy multiple 40' LVLs and have the spans split at 15/25 or 12/28 rather than the way the lumberyard designed it?

I want to have room to store a truck under it in the winter and 20' spans would be a pain. The width of the mezzanine will only be 7 1/2' because I still want the slider on the motorhome to open when it is inside.

What are my options for this project? Will they not sell me 40' LVLs because they are not available? Am I just calling the wrong lumberyard? Any engineers that could help me on this?

(Sorry,I can't get this picture to load without being inverted)

 

[tinysparky]

forming my thoughts, but I will start this thread of by saying...just because you are throwing only lawn chair cushions up their doesn't mean the next person wont be looking to put food storage in it.....

I would suggest doing the post route....it decreases the load calcs. can you further expand why you are against the post? 20' seems fine for a truck.

 

[GMCGarage]

Weyerhaeuser sells LVL's up to 60', 24" deep. You might contact them direct for a supplier.
At that span, and load, you would be more efficient getting a steel beam. It might even be lighter than the LVL.

Make sure you check how much it will deflect, as that will control more than likely.

You cant really design for a lighter load and heavier load, pick what you want to use and go with it. Light storage by code is 125 psf, but if its what you say, design for residential live load of 40psf.

Quick design for that you would need a 3.5" x 24" LVL. On the steel side, W16x26 works.

Good luck getting them inside!

Check your footing too, dont want it settling too much.

 

[larry_g]

View media item 78173
Righted picture.

Have you considered coming in from each end wall 5-8' with a support wall and then a clear span of 26' to 30' long. You could then have a storage area under the mez behind that 5-8' wall.

There is no reason that the 40' needs to be divided into two 20' sections. Divide as best works for you and the post placement.


lg
no neat sig line

 

[Hardworkinguy]

forming my thoughts, but I will start this thread of by saying...just because you are throwing only lawn chair cushions up their doesn't mean the next person wont be looking to put food storage in it.....

You're right. I wasn't thinking about that scenario. Point taken.

can you further expand why you are against the post?

I think that clear span should always be the primary goal. You never know what the future uses might be,and a post might not work. Has anybody ever looked a a wide open space and said,"Yeah,it's OK,but it would be better if there were some posts in the way."

 

[Hardworkinguy]

Weyerhaeuser sells LVL's up to 60', 24" deep. You might contact them direct for a supplier.
At that span, and load, you would be more efficient getting a steel beam. It might even be lighter than the LVL.

Make sure you check how much it will deflect, as that will control more than likely.

You cant really design for a lighter load and heavier load, pick what you want to use and go with it. Light storage by code is 125 psf, but if its what you say, design for residential live load of 40psf.

Quick design for that you would need a 3.5" x 24" LVL. On the steel side, W16x26 works.

Good luck getting them inside!

Check your footing too, dont want it settling too much.

Thanks for the info. It appears that steel or LVL would both be way too big and likely too expensive. I think I will use the post and come up with the most convenient split instead of having it in the center.

 

[G8rDuc]

Was wondering how this worked out?

 

[dirtbikingdad]

I've got a 40x40 and completed a half mezz late last summer. I've got 14' tall walls and 12' doors, so I wanted one side to be 12' clear front to back. What I did was to install a post on one side, 10' from the rear corner, with its own base bolted to the floor and then strapped to the main pole next to it. My span is 20' clear so I have a pole 10' from the rear wall and 20' from the side. Along the back wall, I framed out a tall wall to carry the joists. While I realize a LVL would have been the way to go, that was not an option for me to as it is only me doing the construction. So, it was 2x12's for me. I had grand visions of building my own LVL in the air, placing plywood between 2x12s with glue and screws, but when I got up 13' in the air, I learned quickly that I was doing good installing the 2x12s only. So, I have 4-2x12s making the span. While it doesn't really meet standards, I only have a 10' span back to the back wall.

I am currently working on the opposite side of the garage now building a 8' tall stud mezz for more storage or some type of conditioned space (man cave). It will be built over my clean area, with fridge, computer bench with TV above, sink, and bathroom. Unfortunately my stairs have encroached my 30' sacred garage area a few sq ft! For the higher mezz, the plan will be to have a ladder or stairs into it from the lower mezz. Just so I don't HAVE to use an extension ladder to get up there (like I do now).