Raising my garage ceiling height, a work in progress

[Bob911]

My 20 x 24 garage has been adequate but never really satisfied my need/desire for a nice working garage, "working" as it relates to maintaining motorcycles, cars and other related projects. I'm not a professional by any means, this is just hobby stuff. I've lurked around the forum for a few years while I tried to figure out what to do differently (add a few feet in wall height, re-truss the roof and add height and an attic, knock it down and start over, etc.), with the primary goal of adding a 4 post storage/maintenance lift. Like anything else the cost/value ratio played a role and has kept me from doing a total rebuild, but I've been inspired by several posters here who vaulted their garage ceiling and have decided to proceed in that direction.

 

[cowboy73]

Looking good! Looks like a big undertaking.

 

[JRC3]

How are you carrying the load that will transfer down across the garage door? Did you beef up that header?

 

[theoldwizard1]

Remind me to NEVER enter your garage after a heavy snow !

So one half of the weight of the entire roof (and snow load) is supported by a 2x8 face nailed to 2 2x4 studs ?

The other half of the weight of the entire roof (and snow load) is supported by a 2x8 supported on the garage door header ?

The primary purpose of those ceiling joist was to prevent the walls from bowing out. In theory, your new ridge beam SHOULD pick up the load and there would be very little horizontal force where the rafter connects to the wall.

Just "for fun", at the center of the garage measure the distance between the 2 footers. Then, at the same location, measure the distance between the top plates.

Wait until spring and you have had a few good snows. Check your measurements again. If the top plates are more than about 1/2" do yourself a favor. Temporarily put a 4x4 post in the center and apply some force on your new ridge beam. Get a come-a-long, connect it to the top plate at each rafter and pull the wall in until in matches the distance at the floor. Now, add a collar tie between the 2 rafter just below the new ridge beam.

You need to run a 4x6 post from the ridge beam at the back wall from that face nailed 2x8 down to the floor. Rest it on a block 4x6 block of PT. At the front, you said you wanted to change the header. You are going to need to go steel to span the garage door and at each end of the steel box/I-beam you need some more 4x6 posts.

 

[850xpeps]

Remind me to NEVER enter your garage after a heavy snow !



So one half of the weight of the entire roof (and snow load) is supported by a 2x8 face nailed to 2 2x4 studs ?

The other half of the weight of the entire roof (and snow load) is supported by a 2x8 supported on the garage door header ?

Just "for fun", at the center of the garage measure the distance between the 2 footers. Then, at the same location, measure the distance between the headers.

Lol let’s hope he isn’t done. But looking how it is I’m gonna guess he has no plan tearing out the door and putting in a beam which might support the roof load. Not sure what size that would require.

In my mind neither side is aloud to be loaded because there’s most likely no post under the other side and no footing there other than what the garage originally had. It would require a larger pad to support half the roof load.

Do you have a building permit and proper drawings? Or just winging it?

 

[theoldwizard1]

Of yeah. I forgot to mention. If there is a structural failure while you are living there, your insurance company likely will not cover it because the structure was changed without any approved engineering drawings. When you go to sell the house, most states would require that you tell the buyer that there were non-approved structural changes made to the building. That will really help the value !

 

[PugetDude]

Remind me to NEVER enter your garage after a heavy snow !

So one half of the weight of the entire roof (and snow load) is supported by a 2x8 face nailed to 2 2x4 studs ?

The other half of the weight of the entire roof (and snow load) is supported by a 2x8 supported on the garage door header ?

The primary purpose of those ceiling joist was to prevent the walls from bowing out. In theory, your new ridge beam SHOULD pick up the load and there would be very little horizontal force where the rafter connects to the wall.

Just "for fun", at the center of the garage measure the distance between the 2 footers. Then, at the same location, measure the distance between the top plates.

Wait until spring and you have had a few good snows. Check your measurements again. If the top plates are more than about 1/2" do yourself a favor. Temporarily put a 4x4 post in the center and apply some force on your new ridge beam. Get a come-a-long, connect it to the top plate at each rafter and pull the wall in until in matches the distance at the floor. Now, add a collar tie between the 2 rafter just below the new ridge beam.

You need to run a 4x6 post from the ridge beam at the back wall from that face nailed 2x8 down to the floor. Rest it on a block 4x6 block of PT. At the front, you said you wanted to change the header. You are going to need to go steel to span the garage door and at each end of the steel box/I-beam you need some more 4x6 posts.

Count the nails in the 2x8... (hint: you can count them on one hand, even if you've suffered a horrific table saw accident..)

 

[theoldwizard1]

Lol let’s hope he isn’t done. But looking how it is I’m gonna guess he has no plan tearing out the door and putting in a beam which might support the roof load. Not sure what size that would require.

Steel !

Do you have a building permit and proper drawings? Or just winging it?

Permit would require engineering approved/stamped drawings !

 

[spudley]

How are you carrying the load that will transfer down across the garage door? Did you beef up that header?

From the posted pix, I see no evidence of any header upgrade. Looks like adequate sized lvls, with inadequate path to transfer the new load now that the rafter ties are removed. Hopefully there's some other support not visible.

 

[850xpeps]

From the posted pix, I see no evidence of any header upgrade. Looks like adequate sized lvls, with inadequate path to transfer the new load now that the rafter ties are removed. Hopefully there's some other support not visible.

Me thinks the header should have been swapped in prior to cutting the roof esp in winter.

The walls don’t look they were opened up either.

 

[spudley]

Me thinks the header should have been swapped in prior to cutting the roof esp in winter.

The walls don’t look they were opened up either.

Me thinks the semi-retired contractor that helped should go full fledged retired.

 

[850xpeps]

Me thinks the semi-retired contractor that helped should go full fledged retired.

Maybe he’s only 30 and was forced to retire lol