Garage/Barn loft access ideas

[randyny]

Hi,

I just had a barn (I call it "barn" to differentiate from the house-attached garage) built. It is 1200sf; 24x50. I left the middle part open so I can put a lift in and get decent height. Question is what's the best way to get up top. permanent staircases would take too much space and take up too much valuable floorspace. Pull-down stairs could get me up there but it would be difficult to get any goods up there. I was recently thinking about using a kind of rolling "library-ladder" type thing. Maybe put a metal track on each lip and roll a ladder to the center so I can go up. I plan on using the lift to get heavier/bulkier things up there so having a full staircase is not as important.

Anyone have any ideas or seen a solution to this?

<a href="http://s269.photobucket.com/user/peltzr/media/photo3.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj58/peltzr/photo3.jpg" border="0" alt="Barn 1 photo photo3.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s269.photobucket.com/user/peltzr/media/photo2.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj58/peltzr/photo2.jpg" border="0" alt="Barn 2 photo photo2.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s269.photobucket.com/user/peltzr/media/photo1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj58/peltzr/photo1.jpg" border="0" alt="Barn 3 photo photo1.jpg"/></a>


As a reference point, and because I searched the forums for pricing when I was planning my garage, this cost me just under 100k. Maybe 4k more when adding architect fees/permit fees. This is as you see it. No electric/heat/insulation/etc. Yes, it's a lot, but that is the NYC tri-state/Long Island area for you. The builder offered to do it for half that if I used a commercial type metal structure but I elected to go stick frame. I have long considered doing this job myself as I have done an amaaazing amount of reno on my house. However, I figured at this point I just want it built so I can enjoy it. I did map out and lay the radiant heat tubing in the six-inch slab for future use. But these guys framed this thing in four days. I was totally humbled by that as a DIY-er. I would have been happy getting 10 rafters a weekend up. With all the overkill codes, this thing is built 10 times stronger than my humble Cape Cod I'm living in, built by my grandfather in 1951. Whatever; it's done now. Onward and upward I say.

I have some tractors in there now. When I get the C.O. I'll be moving my woodshop into one half and mechanics stuff in the other. I know many of you have been here before me, but I can't even describe the feeling of excitement I get when I picture this thing completely done with me and my son (6 y.o. now) building a kit car. Man cave! Yeah! Finally!

 

[Dale1962]

a ladder and a hf pickup hoist to lift the heavy stuff http://www.harborfreight.com/1-2-half-ton-capacity-pickup-truck-crane-with-cable-winch-37555.html

 

[Rust]

Man that is nice.
Entertain this.
Wooden spiral staircase.
Trolly hoist to lift the creature comforts and consumables, up and over the handrail.
Thats what I'd do.

 

[CNGsaves]

What all did the paid Architect draw up for the interior???

What goes in the openings up on exterior of attic??

Have electrical, heating, A/C, insulation been planned for inside??

 

[Victorymike18]

I'd second the spiral staircase idea, whether wood or metal.

Or, what about a set of steep permanent stairs, and a hoist/crane setup for the bulky items as mentioned.

Here's what I put in my garage. The steps are very steep, but rock solid and confident to climb up.

<a href="http://s2.photobucket.com/user/Jettaboy1884/media/Garage/Garage001.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y6/Jettaboy1884/Garage/Garage001.jpg" border="0" alt=" photo Garage001.jpg"/></a>

 

[2Big2Ride]

Check out post 35 in this thread for stairs that lift up. http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=131631

 

[tomroblee]

I would go with some sort of hinged or retractable staircase---something like

I had something similar at my previous home and it worked well. If it was my choice, I would go with something that had a handrail

 

[randyny]

Ha! I love hose motorized stairs, especially the last video. My architect put two pull down stairs in the plans. I didn't have them added because I wanted something more robust. Of course I didn't realize at the time that full size stairs would have to be in the middle of the floor because of lack of headroom at the sides. I put too much faith in using the 4-post lift as second floor access but now see that a lift will only get me within ~3 feet of the deck height.

Looks like a combo is needed. A spiral/steep staircase on one end and a retractable on the other.

Btw, the exterior openings will be an "x" type fake door frame. I wanted that to keep it looking barn-y. I may change it to a window however. I also have a bunch of Fypon brackets to put up after painting.

My architect have me two sets of plans- one for the town with minimal facilities. The second with electric/ heat/ water closet/ lighting/ etc. I originally had him draw up a plan that had a 40x50 basement with a lift going down, with a tunnel going to the main house. I figured excavating is not that bigo a cost. Turns out I was wrong... Add in the steel beams and deck to support the main floor and a million pounds of earth, and, well, I came back to reality rather quickly. It was fun to dream though...

 

[Pluribus]

Very nice barn/garage! I also like the idea of the pivoting/retractable stairs. Would setting something like that up on one end be enough? Then, the other end could just be for longer term storage where you'd use a normal ladder as needed.

Another option would be to build a staircase with some sort of "U" or hook on one end where it could pivot on a bar mounted on the loft edge. The same stairs/ladder could be used on either end loft, and you could mount some sort of pulley system on both ends of the barn in order to allow you to pull it up out of the way on whichever end you have it.

Getting even fancier, wouldn't it be cool to have some sort of sliding catwalk between the lofts? Then you could move it out of the way when using the lift, but you could also use the lift to get bigger stuff up to the loft height, then step onto the catwalk to the lofts. Yes, I realize this is getting a little bit out there and complicated, but it's a cool random thought. What's the distance between the lofts?

 

[humanbeingexpert]

Put them on the exterior

 

[tomroblee]

Before you make your final decision you should consider who will be using the loft, how often they will be using it, and what they might be carrying.

When I was young and thin just about any sort of ladder was fine--especially for infrequent use. As I got older and heavier, a lower slope and wider stair treads became a necessity. When I was young I loved spiral staircases---mostly for their looks. As I got older, they were less appealing, especially when I was carrying a bulky item.

If you are considering some sort of hinged or retractable staircase you should give some strong consideration of how you intend to use the area beneath it. You might find that you could locate it where it could be left in the down position except for rare occasions when you need the full width of the garage for some purpose. My previous garage dated to the 1920's and was undersized by today's standards. I seldom used the hinged staircase. When I did want to use the staircase there always seemed to be a ton of heavy junk on the floor that had to be moved before I could lower the staircase. That was a real pain.

 

[texasOFT]

A hinged staircase with a counter weight - would make raising and lowering it a snap. Suspend a small landing from the rafters and you have access. 2nd the hoist/winch idea for heavy lifting.

 

[PetesPonies]

You want a staircase that you pull down when needed and push back up when not in use. Think of the metal ladders that are on the back of old city buildings. You pull then down or push them up.

 

[SI86]

Hi,

I just had a barn (I call it "barn" to differentiate from the house-attached garage) built. It is 1200sf; 24x50. I left the middle part open so I can put a lift in and get decent height. Question is what's the best way to get up top. permanent staircases would take too much space and take up too much valuable floorspace. Pull-down stairs could get me up there but it would be difficult to get any goods up there. I was recently thinking about using a kind of rolling "library-ladder" type thing. Maybe put a metal track on each lip and roll a ladder to the center so I can go up. I plan on using the lift to get heavier/bulkier things up there so having a full staircase is not as important.

Anyone have any ideas or seen a solution to this?

<a href="http://s269.photobucket.com/user/peltzr/media/photo3.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj58/peltzr/photo3.jpg" border="0" alt="Barn 1 photo photo3.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s269.photobucket.com/user/peltzr/media/photo2.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj58/peltzr/photo2.jpg" border="0" alt="Barn 2 photo photo2.jpg"/></a>

<a href="http://s269.photobucket.com/user/peltzr/media/photo1.jpg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i269.photobucket.com/albums/jj58/peltzr/photo1.jpg" border="0" alt="Barn 3 photo photo1.jpg"/></a>


As a reference point, and because I searched the forums for pricing when I was planning my garage, this cost me just under 100k. Maybe 4k more when adding architect fees/permit fees. This is as you see it. No electric/heat/insulation/etc. Yes, it's a lot, but that is the NYC tri-state/Long Island area for you. The builder offered to do it for half that if I used a commercial type metal structure but I elected to go stick frame. I have long considered doing this job myself as I have done an amaaazing amount of reno on my house. However, I figured at this point I just want it built so I can enjoy it. I did map out and lay the radiant heat tubing in the six-inch slab for future use. But these guys framed this thing in four days. I was totally humbled by that as a DIY-er. I would have been happy getting 10 rafters a weekend up. With all the overkill codes, this thing is built 10 times stronger than my humble Cape Cod I'm living in, built by my grandfather in 1951. Whatever; it's done now. Onward and upward I say.

I have some tractors in there now. When I get the C.O. I'll be moving my woodshop into one half and mechanics stuff in the other. I know many of you have been here before me, but I can't even describe the feeling of excitement I get when I picture this thing completely done with me and my son (6 y.o. now) building a kit car. Man cave! Yeah! Finally!

What size are the Floor Joist that you are using for your loft and how far are they spanning?? Also are they LVLs? I been trying to figure out what I need to use to make a loft in my shop.

 

[aqr81]

I had the same objective with my storage space above and finally landed on a solution involving a HF hoist and welding up a cage/platform to lift items up. You can ride on it if you want but I generally use a 14' ladder. For me at least, it's used more for longer term storage and I only have to access it every 3-4 weeks to it's not a big deal using the ladder. Space was a real issue in my situation due to size limitations I was working with. Take a look at what I did and it may give you some ideas that will work for your needs. Good luck. The link is HERE start looking around post #283 or so.

AQR81

 

[randyny]

What size are the Floor Joist that you are using for your loft and how far are they spanning?? Also are they LVLs? I been trying to figure out what I need to use to make a loft in my shop.

The joists in the field are engineered I-beams, 11-7/8" TJII PRO 560 C.J. @ 16" o.c., spanning 24'. There are 2 doubled LVL's framing the loft opening. There are LVL's because of the posts up to the roof.

 

[rodster_67]

Wow, beautiful building (too nice to call it a garage! )

Like someone said, I guess it depends on how you plan on using the loft. As a rec room for the man cave, maybe permanent steps with a locking door at the top.

If just occasional storage, something more like a retracting stairs unless you are talking about hoods/fenders/engine blocks.

Keep us posted on your project and on what you eventually decide.

 

[captain14]

How about an alternating staircase? I am on my iPhone but if you google it should show up

 

[randyny]

Wow, the creativity here is amazing. All these motorized stairs are terrific. Aqr, that hoist platform looks sweet. I agree that I need to be realistic about usage. It will be storage only as there is not enough height to use more than the center six feet. I have to do something that will be movable to either side. A catwalk would be a great visual but I need to keep the space open for the 4-post lift. It's about a 20ft opening.

I am leaning to a moveable near-vertical ladder along with harbor freight lift on each side. Seems to be a decent trade off of access vs. space.

 

[glazier]

That is a very nice garage, there is nothing about it I don't like. What size tractor is that with the FEL in the air?

 

[SI86]

The joists in the field are engineered I-beams, 11-7/8" TJII PRO 560 C.J. @ 16" o.c., spanning 24'. There are 2 doubled LVL's framing the loft opening. There are LVL's because of the posts up to the roof.

Thanks! I been looking for a answer to what Im trying to do everyone told me I would need support posts on the garage floor

 

[schor]

I have a small loft in my garage. I use a stool, onto a file cabinet, onto a box on the file cabinet and onto the top of a fridge and finally up to the loft to get to my space. Pretty much everything to get up there is usable.

Maybe you could build a stepped storage system that utilizes the space below the steps to get to the loft?

 

[toolman1967]

I use a set of Attic style fold down stairs for access to my loft. The heavy duty set uses springs to make folding up much easier.I also built an elevator powered by a 110 volt winch to get items up and down from the loft.. The track is unistrut. It moves some pretty heavy items up to the loft and down whenever the need arises. It was a Great addition to the usefulness of the shop. I posted on another thread a few years ago but will add a pic to this one so you get the general idea.

Tim the Toolman

 

[SI86]

The joists in the field are engineered I-beams, 11-7/8" TJII PRO 560 C.J. @ 16" o.c., spanning 24'. There are 2 doubled LVL's framing the loft opening. There are LVL's because of the posts up to the roof.

If you don't mind me asking... Could you give me a ball park on what the I beams cost per Beam? and where you got those? is that something you can get from Depot or Lowes?

 

[randyny]

Don't know cost per beam. All framing material was 16k. You may be able to special orde from Home Depot but I'd bet bigger lumberyards have them readily available.

Tool man, that elevator is sweet and elegant. I can't use it since I do t have vertical wall height to use it but man, that's sweet.



Schor, I did a staircase, like many others, in my inlaws house. It's just not practical with this layout. I could have made a barn style roof with side walls that go near verticle but I wanted it to match my house somewhat.

Glazier- that's a Simplicity Legacy XL, the bucket is 48". It's a great tractor for for my two acres.

 

[PetesPonies]

hmm, I built the 56 x 64 Barn/shop in my sig for the same $16K in materials.

 

[LegacyIndustrial]

I use a set of Attic style fold down stairs for access to my loft. The heavy duty set uses springs to make folding up much easier.I also built an elevator powered by a 110 volt winch to get items up and down from the loft.. The track is unistrut. It moves some pretty heavy items up to the loft and down whenever the need arises. It was a Great addition to the usefulness of the shop. I posted on another thread a few years ago but will add a pic to this one so you get the general idea.

Tim the Toolman

Kick ***. You made a mini Vertical Reciprocating Conveyor!!
Did you use some rollers inside the track?