How do I build a loft for storage?

[nydrums]

I've got my 36 x 50 shop and I want to put a loft in for storage with an insulated room for my drums. The drum room will be 12.5' x 12'.

The beams going across the garage are 3 pieces, 10', 12' and 14' as shown in the picture. They're made of 8 x 2's.

I want to try not to have to put a post anywhere from the floor of the loft down to the ground, if possible. I just don't want to lose the floor space.

My plan so far is to put the flooring material over the horizontal pieces of wood (one shown in blue in the picture) along the sides and back of the shop and then, somehow, attach the loft at the front to the truss marked "Truss 1" in the picture. The blue wood is 6" deep, so I think that if I screw the floor into them all the way around, and add some vertical supports (yellow "Floor support") all the way around, they'll be fine.

Truss 1 is 12.5 feet from the back wall of the shop. So the total size of the loft would be 36 by 12.5 for a total of 450 square feet.

I'm sure I'll end up with some moderately heavy stuff up there, such as car doors or fenders, maybe a rearend or two, but mostly it'll be for lighter stuff, with some things that I can hang on the walls, so they won't put any weight on the floor of the loft anyway.

What I don't know is how to hold all the floor panels together at the seams, I'm assuming they'll be 4' x 8' panels, and how to hang the whole thing to that front truss. IF that can be done without using any posts.

I figure I'll get up there by ladder because I don't want to put any stairs in.

There won't be any other walls except the 2 I'll put in for the drum room, probably in the left rear corner, so I can put an A/C unit in the wall, so I don't die in there. (I'm in Florida.)

So, what do I do? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[nate379]

Will need posts or maybe could get away with a large I beam and go wall to wall.

 

[nate379]

Will need posts or maybe could get away with a large I beam and go wall to wall.

I am guessing they are just empty drums and don't have oil, fuel or whatever you store?

 

[nydrums]

Will need posts or maybe could get away with a large I beam and go wall to wall.

I am guessing they are just empty drums and don't have oil, fuel or whatever you store?

No, they're drums that you play. Musical instrument. Sorry. I should have been more clear.

 

[Rixter58]

I built one very similiar to what you are contemplating. My thoughts ended up being quite opposite of yours. I wanted a little as possible hanging from my trusses. As I drive the hiways and biways I have seen too many buildings with roof lines that are no longer straight and that (coupled with snow load) is why I went posts. You are looking at a large area to span without support from below. I'm sure someone with engineering expertise could calculate what kind of load you will be adding to the truss. If you search lofts there are sveral good pictures of them on here.

 

[Rixter58]

No, they're drums that you play. Musical instrument. Sorry. I should have been more clear.

Well, that changes my thinking a little. I had 55 gallon drums on the brain.

 

[kwb]

Beam between posts - Truss could carry the load if it had been designed for it at get go but as is life things change.

I did my own engineering on a box beam for 42'x11' loft. Very doable to span 36' and not have a post on the floor. If you are planning on enclosing the loft a conventionally framed wall and no windows with triple sills on edge (not in the flat) sheeted on both sides will probably span it.

If you want to cheat a bit you can possibly work the staircase arrangement to have a support post under it and cut the span down a few feet and make for a smaller beam but it technically should then have a footer under the slab where you have a post.

This isn't rocket science but it can be costly if you make mistake so either learn how to engineer it, or pay engineer to do so (some lumber yards will do this for a glue-lam if you buy from them).