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[Shop-talk] Roof trusses / framing a second floor

To: <shop-talk@autox.team.net>
Subject: [Shop-talk] Roof trusses / framing a second floor
From: "Aric" <shop@shariconglobal.com>
Date: Sun, 13 Nov 2011 19:06:00 -0500
Greetings Listerati,

Long story short, the insurance people have thrown a monkey wrench into the
renovation plan we had for the property we bought a couple months back,
which means that rehabbing the failed roof on the garage has gone from
sometime next year to ***NOW***.  Well, not exactly ***NOW** but the moment
I finish the quick&dirty patching to the stucco (which the recent cold&wet
weather made obvious had failed and was causing the paint&spackle I spent
the past 2 months on pop off the wall...) the garage is the next project so
we can get off the horrendously expensive "vacant property/construction
site" insurance and onto the "landlord policy" we had planned on.

Anyway, the garage is roughly 30' x 40' with block walls currently sporting
flat roof tht failed 10 or 15 years ago and has since had a couple layers of
blue tarp added.  We're told the previous owner had planned on adding a
second floor but never got around to it (due to his passing away), which
would explain the complete lack of pitch on the roof and the exposed joists
and seemingly halfassed attempt as a flat roof.  The roof is supported by a
pair of 14" steel I-beams going parallel to the 30' dimension, spaced 14'
apart and 12' in from either end (with 2x14" wood on 16" centers going along
the 40' dimension).  Given the waterlogged beams supporting the current
"roof" and their complete lack of pitch, we're thinking a new pitched roof
of some sort is called for (in a quick&cheap sort of way given it's too cold
here in SE PA for putting down flat roofs).  

Seems to me dropping (more than) a couple roof trusses on top of the block
walls would be the quick/easy/cheap route (there's 2 local companies that
make them)...  And while I'm at it, I could frame the walls up 4' or so easy
enough to make the attic space usuable as 2nd floor/loft.  And at that point
I may as well do a proper 2nd floor, but then I'm far from the
quick/easy/cheap route.  I've got 2 months left to do this, of which 2 weeks
are already commited to finishing and painting the stucco.  

Any advice, particularly about how to spec roof trusses or bumping the walls
up a couple feet to gain a second floor?

Thanks!

-aric.
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