Garage with Attic trusses

[Royalwapiti]

Hi Bulding a new 24x30 garage. It will be mostly for storage of boat, utility trailer, a classic car.

I am debating with myself if the use of Attic trusses would be worth the added $1100.

I do have treestands and some other things that could go up there. But in general I could probably sell a lot of it too...I tend to hang onto things.

It will only be a 5/12 pitch so it would not be a real attic, just a storage area.

Would 6/12 pitch trusses gain me much?

Thoughts?

 

[Voi]

Hi Bulding a new 24x30 garage. It will be mostly for storage of boat, utility trailer, a classic car.

I am debating with myself if the use of Attic trusses would be worth the added $1100.

I do have treestands and some other things that could go up there. But in general I could probably sell a lot of it too...I tend to hang onto things.

It will only be a 5/12 pitch so it would not be a real attic, just a storage area.

Would 6/12 pitch trusses gain me much?

Thoughts?

A raised heel attic truss at 5/12 would gain you more than a 6/12 truss.

If you use Google to search Garage Journal for raised heel attic truss you should find some build threads.

But on the other hand, I'd be more inclined to put the money into greater sidewall height than raised heels or even attic trusses.

 

[like2wheel]

I have a 6/12 attic truss on the part of my barn that has a 24' width. Gave me a 9' wide floor.
Have to crouch, but its a nice space. I put a roller stool to make it easier to get around up there.

Do it, you wont be sorry. Can't build a 9x30 shed for $1100...

 

[matt_i]

I have a 6:12 attic with storage across 25' of interior, I can stand up between each truss but not walk upright. There is however plenty of storage space, 12' wide x 40' long = 480 square feet, I added around $2k. But try to build freestanding 480sqft for $2000...at roughly $4.00/square foot for roofed space its a smoking deal...

It is a minor regret I didn't go for 7:12 although not standard, it would gain 12-1/2" in the center and I probably still could have roofed it without special care. When I designed it I capped it at 6:12 over concerns I wouldnt be able to roof an 8:12 but I didn't really think carefully about a "custom" pitch.

Also don't forget the added cost of 3/4" ply flooring, I used a tongue & groove product.

 

[BillK]

I would do it for sure. That is my only regret as far as my 24x24 detached garage I built years ago. Really wish I had done attic trusses at the time.

 

[wes73]

Definitely do it. Something you cannot go back and redo and it will haunt you forever. I'm glad i added them to my build.

 

[Boilerhouse]

I have attic trusses on my 24 x 30. When I decided to go with them, I upped the slope from 12/5 to 12/6 so that I would just have head clearance (a bit over 6 ft), and it worked well. Do the math to confirm. I put a receptacle and two lights up there.

I use it mainly for camping gear and a few other odds and ends. Nothing heavy. I went with 1/2 ply for the floor. Very light duty, but its not a dance hall. It does accumulate some **** that is occasionally purged.

I went with a pull down unfolding stair, since permanent stairs take up valuable real estate in a smallish shop. Placed it in the center of a bay. Upside is that entrance is in the middle of the attic, so quick and easy to access things. Downside is there is often a vehicle parked in the bay, so it needs to be moved first. In hindsight, I would consider the hatch near the garage door entrance, then to access the hatch, the only precondition is that the garage door would need to be down, but it would clear any parked vehicle.

 

[finn]

I did it on my 32’x54’ garage but consider it a waste of money now, fifteen years later.

To be useful, you need to include a fixed stairway instead of a folding attic ladder, but the stairs rob you of valuable floor space. I probably access the attic two times per year, and hate the awkward folding aluminum stairs. Access has become much more difficult as I am now fifteen years older than when the building was put up.

Most of the treasures in the attic haven’t moved in fifteen years and should have been thrown out long ago.

I would invest the money in a larger footprint or an auxiliary storage shed before I even considered attic trusses.

How often do you go into the attic of your house?

 

[glentre]

You say this garage will be for storage only and that you tend to hang on to things. I get the feeling from your statement that you really don't need the extra space and if you have it, the area will get filled with stuff you should have thrown away anyway. If that's the case, save the extra $1,100.

Glen

 

[Jackfre]

My shop is 30x30x10 with a 4'x14' bump out for the big door. Pitch is 8/12. I have a 7x8x30' storage area. I have a double hung window at each end. I also have a 350# rated folding ladder. I am not wide. Thick, yes, in so many ways, but you have to consider your build going up a 22.5" opening folding ladder. I cut a 4' hole in the floor and installed a winch up top to lift the odd thing up there. Yes, it is light storage, but I consider it an excellent space as I can stand up in it and walk around. If I had to wear knee-pads to access, load and unload I wouldn't do it.

 

[Bretny]

A gambrel truss could really gain you some stand up attic space.

With the things you want to store in there i dont see alot of extra room for even one lolly colum. Are the options truss or beam with a colum?

 

[vavet]

I considered it and really wanted to do it when I had my shop built about a year ago. It was between building a 24x24 or maybe 26x26 with an upstairs or a 24x32 without. I opted for the 24x32.
I never considered a pull-down staircase. Maybe that would've worked out OK. I knew I wanted a 12 foot ceiling to accommodate a car lift, so that meant stairs built to code would use up a lot of floor space. Since it also meant downsizing the footprint, every square foot was more valuable. Is it possible to get a pull down staircase to reach a 12 foot area? I don't know. Another option I considered was outdoor stairs - which sounds reasonable, but it also means stairs that require maintenance and replacement in 10 years.
If the ceiling height is less important to you, then the math is different for you. I agree that is a lot of extra square footage for not a lot of extra money.
Maybe the pull-down stairs is a better option than I'm imagining, but all I can think of is the rickety attic staircases that scare the hell out of me. I'm a big ol' chickenshit when it comes to being on a ladder more than 6 feet and the attic stairs are essentially that same thing to me. It's one thing ascending or descending the stairs with your arms and hands free, but it's quite another when they're full of whatever is being stored up there.
I like to save a buck when and where I can, but there's a few things I don't mind paying for - roofing, gutter clean out, and dental work.

 

[matt_i]

There are other staircases you can design yourself. I copied this idea but its built of LVLs and 2x10s and is raised with a hoist. It is also 32" wide although the opening is 22-1/2" wide, I should have gone wider there...but its built to address the shortcomings of a pull-down staircase.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/140070332@N07/40612436632/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/140070332@N07/40612435182/

 

[finn]

I considered it and really wanted to do it when I had my shop built about a year ago. It was between building a 24x24 or maybe 26x26 with an upstairs or a 24x32 without. I opted for the 24x32.
I never considered a pull-down staircase. Maybe that would've worked out OK. I knew I wanted a 12 foot ceiling to accommodate a car lift, so that meant stairs built to code would use up a lot of floor space. Since it also meant downsizing the footprint, every square foot was more valuable. Is it possible to get a pull down staircase to reach a 12 foot area? I don't know. Another option I considered was outdoor stairs - which sounds reasonable, but it also means stairs that require maintenance and replacement in 10 years.
If the ceiling height is less important to you, then the math is different for you. I agree that is a lot of extra square footage for not a lot of extra money.
Maybe the pull-down stairs is a better option than I'm imagining, but all I can think of is the rickety attic staircases that scare the hell out of me. I'm a big ol' chickenshit when it comes to being on a ladder more than 6 feet and the attic stairs are essentially that same thing to me. It's one thing ascending or descending the stairs with your arms and hands free, but it's quite another when they're full of whatever is being stored up there.
I like to save a buck when and where I can, but there's a few things I don't mind paying for - roofing, gutter clean out, and dental work.

The stairs have to fit between the trusses, so they are narrow, as well as steep. The ceiling in my garage is 10’6”, so I had to make a “drop box” to make my aluminum 10’ stair ladder work. That makes for an uncomfortable top step.

The stair rating is adequate, I think 300 lbs, but being so narrow and steep, it is hard to move bins or large objects up there without help.

Compounding the issue is that the treads themselves are very shallow on the final four or five feet, where the ceiling closure panel is behind the tread.

My size 10.5 boot barely fits on the tread.

As I said previously, adding a conventional staircase seems dumb, as the additional floor space required would be better utilized as just a larger footprint.

Outside stairs are unusable for five months of the year in snow country, unless you are willing to add daily shoveling to your schedule.

I”m not willing to do that.

 

[lakelandcat]

If you are going to use it for storage Install ridge vents, they work great and you don.t have to worry with gable vents.

 

[maxpat82]

I have raised heel(3') attic trusses in my garage with a 5/12 and love it.

after having done my shingle roof myself: 5/12 is pretty much the max I'm confortable to do by myself.....more then that doesn't worth the risk. (even with harness, rope and roofing bracket)

 

[ridgepatrol]

Definitely get the attic trusses, you will not regret the extra space.

This past winter I had a detached 25 X 30ft garage built.

I used scissor trusses over the one garage bay to allow clearance for my four post lift.

Above the other bay, I used attic trusses and had a dormer built on each side.

I used a foldable attic ladder instead of full stairs, due the amount of extra room the stairs would take up.

I still need to install a railing on the attic balcony above the lift bay. The railing will have a gate so that if I need to move large items up there, I can bypass the attic ladder.

The attic has almost 8ft of headspace. The knee walls are set at 4ft, and the distance between the knee walls is 14ft. From the edge of the balcony to the gable end is 18ft.

I have enough room in the attic for a pool table and two pull out sofas, and a beer fridge.

I still need to wire it and insulate it, but it is coming along.

 

[Stuart in MN]

I think attic trusses are a good idea, I have them in my garage. It is a 10/12 pitch so I do have a lot of headroom. As for the space available in your application, just sit down with a piece of paper and a pencil and draw out 5/12 and 6/12 pitch roofs to see the difference.

 

[Royalwapiti]

Thanks for the replies. A few things I didn't say. I live in an HOA that requires the roof and siding of garage must match house, so technically I need a 6/12. I was going to build it 5/12 anyway, but may go with 6/12 now. I was also going with 2x6 9 foot walls. Initially not insulated but would be in time. I also cannot go higher than a traditional garage. My existing garage is 10" walls so to me that is traditional. I also have to have traditional gable truss, not barn type or dormers, etc.

I already have a 26 x 44 tandem garage attached to the house, so our vehicles park in there. plus a shop area in one stall. That space is already heated and finished inside. I have a 16x8 door on that with a 9x7 on the back side. I just put new r18 insulated doors on them two doors. (I just bought the house and the previous owner heated the garage for 17 years with no insulation on garage doors...duh!) The back garage door faces the stiff north wind from South Dakota winters. Currently I used the small door that leads to the back yard for my mower and Polaris ranger.

My present garage walls are lined with shelves to store camping gear, coolers, fishing/hunting gear, etc. I do a lot of outdoor activities.

I do like the attic idea to put some of the gear in the attic. I had a 12x16 barn shed at old house and used the fold down stairs, liked them.

No plans for lift or other tall tools, just floor space for storage. May add a carport off to one side for boat storage.

I think I have enough to go on.

Thanks everyone.

 

[xyster101]

When is the last time you had too much storage? Do attic trusses. Even if you don't use it, it adds value when you sell the place down the road. Do add windows so light comes in.

I skipped trusses and did rafters for a full attic and storage!

 

[n20junkie]

Go attic trusses. It was the single best decision I made when building my shop,

 

[Vt_k9]

I went with attic trusses on my 34x48. I have 16'x48' area in my attic trusses. One roof pitch was 35 degrees...specifically for the placement of solar panels. The other side worked out to be about 40 degrees. I don't recall the pitch numbers.

You won't regret the attic truss. My area will allow me to move my wood shop out to the garage and my wife will be happier without the noise.

Mike