Garage "air" space

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187
Location
Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Okay, I need some help with an idea I have. My daughter has a one car garage that she uses for her storage and one of her cars, but I think I can make use of some of her "air" space.

My idea is to use the space above the nose of the car and also above the garage door. What I am looking for help with is in selecting the vertical posts that would connect to the rafters? in the ceiling and in making the connections at the corners.

If I use steel angle supports like on shelving (Ace hardware has these in 48" lengths for $10 ea) I would have to cut and bend down one side to attach to the rafters but would have an easy time attaching the corner frame to support the shelf.

If I use 2x6's I just need to make a big enough hole to get the drill in to drill holes and install lag bolts into the rafters, but then I am having a hard time envisioning how to connect the bottom corners that will support the shelf.

If this makes sense, any suggestions, help, advice?

Regards,
Bill
 
Bill,

I used some 3/8" all-thread and ran it up through the ceiling. I layed a piece of the angle iron across the rafters and bolted the all-thread to it.

I got the idea from how our a/c is mounted in the garage.

Randy
 

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If you are planning on storing very much weight on your new shelf over the hood of the car and over the garage door, I would worry about the strength of the rafters that you would connect to (by whatever method). I suspect you would be better off going to the wall studs, if you have that option.
 
I think using the threaded rod is a good idea when supporting the AC (a known weight) but like Charlie said

I would worry about the strength of the rafters that you would connect to (by whatever method

Starting this in the corner and extending out and over allows the two sides to be mounted on boards that are screwed into the studs and then with the angle steel post for support along the fron and other side it should be able to carry a fair amount of weight.

Sure wish I could figure out the perspective drawing for the angle steel that gets cut the 8" height of the rafter and then bent down to be flushed with the bottom of the rafter. I sure would like to hear what others think of this idea.

Regards,
Bill
 
There is a somewhat drawing attached that kind of shows the shelving post with the cut end bent down.

The bent "tab" would ride on the bottom of the rafter/joist and attached with lag bolts and the other side would be attached to the side of the rafter/joist with lag bolts.

Am I getting any clearer yet. I folded over a sheet of paper to use as my model to try and get Sketchup to do my bidding on the perspective but couldn't quite get it and wound up with this masterpiece.

Hope this makes sense now.

Regards,
Bill
 

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I have added a very rough sketch of the steel angle with the top portion of one side bent down. If I knew how to use Sketchup I would have added the rafter/joist to show how the steel angle abuts the rafter/joist.

Any help, advice would be appreciated.

By the way what do you call it when it is a rafter in a garage but is the joist for the floor above?
 
bill, i`ve just reread this again......what i "think" you`re asking how to do? is suspend a load from the ceiling joists/trusses?
the first issuse to be discussed are what dimention lumber was used for the joists? then what span?(how far between walls)
if the garage has a trussed roof/ceiling?.....what members are the trusses made of? 2x4/2x6 ect...again need the span..
as a general rule any loads placed on a trusses bottom chord should be less than 25# per sq. ft. and in snow country that`s pushing the limit.
in order to create the storage space the smartest move would be to build a totally seperate structure to carry the weight, using columns directly to the floor/ground......depending on the load you want to place overhead lvl`s would most likely carry household excess.....lumber is not household excess!
by using lvl`s and "i" joists a substantial loft could be placed inside the garage without affecting the existing structure....
i would not suspend any major loads from the existing roof framing untill you know for a fact that it will bear the weight.....tod
 
Hi Tod,

Yes, that much I understand. Here is the situation. My daughter's townhouse is a three story attached structure (three units per building) with a single car garage in the front half of the bottom floor. Remember no basements and no snow load concerns here.

The garage occupies about half the width of the unit and the walls are finished with wallboard. Above this area (the garage) is the kitchen just about the same size. That why I didn't know what to call the rafters above the garage they are the floor joists for the kitchen. I don't know for sure what dimension lumber they are as the ceiling in the garage is finished and I would have to cut it open to see. The rest of this lower floor are fully finished rooms and a stair case. I would suspect they are 2x8's and am wondering if they are possibly concrete beams. I didn't think to look at that when the units were being built.

Given 2x8's I think I could suspend from the rafter and attach to at least two side walls into studs but maybe if I do what you are suggesting it would be even better:

in order to create the storage space the smartest move would be to build a totally seperate structure to carry the weight, using columns directly to the floor/ground

That would be similar to what Frank Pellow just showed except a little taller to get the nose of the car under instead of the trailer Frank has.

I will rethink my plan. I just want to get my tools out of the storage locker.
 
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