How much can I store up here?

[bheemsoth]

I'm in the process of rehabbing my 24x20 attached two car garage. We bought the house last year and the garage was in pretty tough shape compared to the rest of the house. I've finished re-taping all the drywall and painting and have now turned my attention to storage and building my bench.

I have an attic which previously had a very small access. I have a few projects going on that will require me getting up there, so I decided to create a new 24x48 access in the center of the garage.

The joists are 2x6's with approximately an 18' span, spaced 24". In the center there is another 2x6 that ties each joist to the peak of the rafters. I'm trying to figure out whether or not I can use this space for storage. I'm not planning on putting anything heavy up there - just beach chairs and other infrequently used light things. Since I'll need to use a ladder to get up there, I won't be storing anything over 30-40lbs probably.

I've attached a couple of pictures that I snapped. If anyone has any input I would very much appreciate it!

Thanks,
Brian

 

[930dreamer]

Not sure what part of the country you live in but I'd add some insulation at a minimum. People have been adding decking in the attic for years and using the space for storage.

 

[bheemsoth]

We are in Connecticut, so insulation will go in at some point. At this point I'm more concerned about how much weight I can put up there.

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[Grumpy365]

The last picture It looks like 1x4 joist and 2 x 4 Braces to the rafters?

I haven't seen that before.

 

[wyb2]

Can you crawl around up there without fear of falling through? That should give you an idea of how much weight.

A more specific answer:

Crawl around and listen for any scary creaking or cracking noises. If you don't hear anything, each rafter can more or less hold your body weight. Multiply that by the number of rafters and divide by a made-up safety factor. Since getting it wrong involves the ceiling collapsing, I would pick a pretty good safety factor, say 5.

That's how much weight you can put up there.

 

[930dreamer]

Remember insulation looses r-value when it's compressed i.e. under plywood decking.

 

[bczygan]

It's kind of a losing battle trying to use that space. The center under the peak can hold bulky but light things. Near the eaves you can put heavier things. Long things are near impossible cause they are hard to jockey into place. You will need some plywood to put things on. That will add weight. And when you put enough insulation to matter, it will be above the ceiling joists and fill up most of the space and eliminate the plywood you could put stuff on.

 

[bheemsoth]

The last picture It looks like 1x4 joist and 2 x 4 Braces to the rafters?

I haven't seen that before.

They're 2x6 braces and joists. The braces are connected to the joists using pieces of 3/8" plywood.

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[deter]

Looks just like my garage. you should be fine storing that kind of stuff up there. If you want to gauge it, tie a string in the center of your garage from one end to the other, perpendicular to the joists. Put it 1" below the ceiling. When any part of the ceiling touches the string, that's max capacity

 

[Falcon67]

I had nearly 1000 lbs in an attic like that. Joists sagged 1" over 12 years. Crankshafts, steel frame seats, windshields, bumpers - you name it. Put down some OSB, screw it to the joists and light weight stuff would be no problem.