Detached Garage - Ductless MiniSplit

[Pettrix]

Nice garage. Looks like a long span for those beams, what size are they?

Span is 48 feet.

Beam is 21" tall x 6.50" wide with a thickness of 0.45 at the top and bottom plates and a web thickness of 0.35. Yield strength of 36,000 psi. The beams weighed 2,110 pounds per beam. Price was about the same at $2,200 per beam.

Steel plates were embedded into the wet concrete during the wall pour. The beams rest on these steel plates and were welded down to the steel plates.

 

[mrmikey]

Thanks for the reply Pettrix. The original pics didn't do their size justice, they're definitely big enough LOL.

 

[Pettrix]

Thanks for the reply Pettrix. The original pics didn't do their size justice, they're definitely big enough LOL.

No problem. I didn't want any mid-span supports as that would get in the way of having an open space and require footings inside the garage. So the engineer called out for these beams to span that distance without mid-span supports. These style of beams are used in NYC skyscrapers.

I can't get a 53' semi truck onto my rural lot so I had to unload the beams at the street and then use a telehandler to drive each beam, one at a time, over 1 mile to get to my site. It was a little unnerving having that beam in the air while going down the road.

 

[ponytug]

@Pettrix Wow. I'm sorry that you didn't shoot video of moving the beams! That is a lot of mass and inertia, and the photos make it clear that it has to be up in the air some of the time to clear the shrubs and trees.

It is a gorgeous garage, and some thing to be proud of.

All the best,

Peter

 

[Pettrix]

@Pettrix Wow. I'm sorry that you didn't shoot video of moving the beams! That is a lot of mass and inertia, and the photos make it clear that it has to be up in the air some of the time to clear the shrubs and trees.

It is a gorgeous garage, and some thing to be proud of.

All the best,

Peter

Thanks! The garage has taken a lot of work and money to get to this point. I work full time and then work on the garage after work and on weekends. So it has taken a while to get to this point.

The beam had to be lifted up over 20' at times to clear the juniper trees. That got scary as being so high up in the air, the wind gets it and it starts to move around. I was fearful the beam would fall. We had it strapped but it got sketchy at times. The telehandler has a wide base so it's pretty stable but everything has it's limits.

I also used polyurethane SIPS for the roof. We had the garage beams and roof installed in just 1 day. Once the beams are in place, the SIPS panels are labeled and go on pretty quickly with a crew of around 8 people. They get screwed down into the wall top plates (4x6 wood) and the steel beams had wood top plates installed on them for an anchoring point. The SIP screws are 9" in length.

Just to punish myself even more. I am also building a house now

 

[mrmikey]

Now that's what I call a balancing act .
I was watching a series where a couple built a house using those SIPS, I think their roof was 12" thick if I'm not mistaken. Their roof turned out fairly good but there were voids in between some of the panels where the foam was supposed to be sprayed in the joints. I wasn't visible until the winter and it showed up by the snow melting where there were voids. It's the way to go especially for speed.

Just to punish myself even more. I am also building a house now

Does the expression, "sucker for punishment' mean anything LOL

 

[Pettrix]

Now that's what I call a balancing act .
I was watching a series where a couple built a house using those SIPS, I think their roof was 12" thick if I'm not mistaken. Their roof turned out fairly good but there were voids in between some of the panels where the foam was supposed to be sprayed in the joints. I wasn't visible until the winter and it showed up by the snow melting where there were voids. It's the way to go especially for speed.

Does the expression, "sucker for punishment' mean anything LOL

I did an ICF (6" concrete core with 5.50" of EPS) wall and polyurethane roof SIPS. There are basically 2 types of SIPS (polyurethane core vs polystyrene core). The polyurethane is stronger, has a Class A fire rating, and has higher R-Values but it does cost more. I used SIPS of America out of Missouri. Panels are 6.50" thick and get a R-40 value.

All panel connections are T&G, double gaskets, foam/taped and sealed on both sides with SIGA tape. It makes them air tight at the connections.

Another nice thing about the SIPS is that they give you an overhang without having to frame out and build out soffits & fascia. Once the panel is installed you have a 24" roof overhang that is ready to go. I then had it covered with metal fascia and soffit pieces. There is also no need to run soffit vents, which is important in wildfire areas like mine. Embers are enemy #1 and any soffit/gable/ridge vents are an access for embers.

Building design should be specific to geographic locations. Concrete and steel are your friend in wildfire areas. Overhangs work great in desert climates to keep the sun off the walls but work against you in high wind/tornado areas as overhangs become a lift point to peel off roofs. Hip roofs work best in tornado areas. Gable roofs do not. There is no one size fits all when it comes to building. There are pros/cons to each type of material and design.

 

[2manyrocks]

Great pictures and a great story, too.

 

[ponytug]

Thanks! The garage has taken a lot of work and money to get to this point. I work full time and then work on the garage after work and on weekends. So it has taken a while to get to this point.

The beam had to be lifted up over 20' at times to clear the juniper trees. That got scary as being so high up in the air, the wind gets it and it starts to move around. I was fearful the beam would fall. We had it strapped but it got sketchy at times. The telehandler has a wide base so it's pretty stable but everything has it's limits.

I also used polyurethane SIPS for the roof. We had the garage beams and roof installed in just 1 day. Once the beams are in place, the SIPS panels are labeled and go on pretty quickly with a crew of around 8 people. They get screwed down into the wall top plates (4x6 wood) and the steel beams had wood top plates installed on them for an anchoring point. The SIP screws are 9" in length.

Just to punish myself even more. I am also building a house now

View attachment 873977View attachment 873978View attachment 873979

Oh, I get it, the garage was just a warm up run. You've set the bar (or should I say beam?) pretty high.

I look forward to a thread on the house build!

All the best,

Peter

 

[LDR812]

Really good thread! I’m planning to build a home soon and am going to investigate SIP - I had been planning on spray foam for cathedral sealings but like this much more