Help with Loft Ideas

[Digeratimvp]

I have a new shop and I would like to add a loft to it for more storage. The building is an Eagle Carport Building and I was thinking I would build a wooden loft, with 4 6x6 posts along the back, and then one on each side in the front and one in the middle. The reason for this is I plan to do a lift and having four posts in the front would just be in the way. I tried to take a picture and draw red lines where the posts would be.
I would floor it and put a rail up and then some stairs somewhere or something.
What I would REALLY like is ideas on how to do this and not have a post in the middle.
Like maybe I should be thinking about some metal beams of some sort?

At the middle I would be able to stand up, it would be about 8 foot in the middle and would like it to be strong enough for storage and me walking around no issues, not sags.

The span across is 36 feet. This loft would be a 5 x 36.

Any ideas and thoughts are greatly appreciated.

 

[firebirdparts]

36 feet is a long way, of course. Since the depth is only 5 feet, I would say you just want one item that'll span that 36 feet and then make that hold up everything.

Something that might be relatively cheap, if unconventional, is a parallel truss 36 feet long. The depth of it could be above the floor of the loft, and so it effectively becomes your handrail.

If you go to somebody that sells and installs steel and tell them what you want, they will probably design a steel beam for you. They would here anyway.

 

[Joemctag]

I’d use a column. It allows you to have a smaller beam(s).
Doesn’t have to be mid-span. Anywhere in, say, middle third, will greatly reduce beam size or greatly increase mezzanine load capacity, however you want to look at it.
Beam can still be one continuous or two.
Something a lot of us do is have a column that we might want to occasionally remove, so we make provisions to place one or two temporary columns nearby to take the load and then remove the real column.
5’ depth isn’t much. Are you going to just forklift pallets of stuff up there or something?
Well, it’s good you allowed for a nice high mezzanine. Good luck with it!

 

[IPACA9]

You might read through my mezzanine build in my 30x40 shop. Might be some tips. It started out one way but then I received some good help and direction on here to make it what it is today.



Thread 'Mezzanine time' https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/threads/mezzanine-time.295134/

 

[billconner]

I like the idea of upturned front beam or truss. For 5', consider 2x6 t&g decking - just 1 1/2" - no joists. If you can move the posts in just 3 to 5 feet, makes that front beam or truss much easier. Maybe the space at ends is the access loading area with no upturned framing.

An upturned LVL spanning 26 to 30' with a ledger for decking seems simple.