I-beam size 30' span

[countrybumpkin]

Nice job on all the joist hangers. I've found that it's easier for me to install the joists first, then come back and install the hangers after they are in place.

Thank you, yes I can see how it would be quite a bit faster then doing the hangers first. If I had been on a time schedule or had help holding the joists I may have done that. I couldn't use the top hangers on the beam side, so I just bought a box of the side mounts and used on both. On the beam side the joists are flush with the bottom, and on the wall side flush with the top. I have done all the work by my self on the loft including setting the beam in place, that's another reason I took the time to set the hangers in place so I could set the joists in them to hold them. I did go with the Simpson strong ties screws and hangers, really liked them.

 

[LD1]

Yep, I can see that. In Bryan's case he can't access the backside. He can't nail a 2x4 along the ledger to sit them on. If he's not going to toenail, how would he fasten them in place before installing the hangars??

Cant always do the hangars first. If you cant access the backside, cant sit on a ledger, the only option is to toenail. Just depending on the size board and just what hangar you are using, sometimes they dont always go to the top of the joist. If thats the case, toenail there where the hangar wont be anyway. If the joist sits ALL the way down into the flush face hangars, then do the hangars first.

 

[EddieWalker]

So you guys toenail the joists in place or what??

Kind of. I use screws so I can remove and adjust if I need to. I attach the joist from whatever side is the easiest to get in in place. I have no interest in how strong it is at that time, just as long as the board stays there long enough for me to come back and install the joist hanger. For something similar to what was shown in the picture, I would probably screw in a 2x4 at the bottom of the ledger board to support the joists, then attach them with a screw, remove the support and then come back and install the joist hangers.

The challenge with installing the joist hangers first is getting them in the exact right position so that when you install the joists, they are all flush with the top of the ledger board. Most boards are not exactly the same depth. A 2x10 is going to be somewhere between 9 to 9 3/8's deep. Most are close to 9 1/4, but there is enough variation to have several joist hangers be off. Then there is the fun of getting the joist into the joist hanger. Some slide right in, others fight you, or they are so loose that you have to remove the joist hanger on one side to get it tight.

 

[countrybumpkin]

I thought about doing a temp support across the bottom of the ledger, but decided to go with the hangers first. I got lucky and only had two hangers out of the bunch that had to be adjusted, definitely not something you would want to be doing on a job site were time is money.

 

[Todd727]

Can't you span 24 feet without a beam, using I-joists?

Not sure how much deflection you get but you may want to look into them to eliminate a beam altogether.

5/8" drywall garage ceiling should help with stiffness along with 3/4" flooring on the second story.

Easily. All he needs to do is take his plans to a competent lumber yard and they can hook him up with an engineer. Boise Cascade did mine. 30' is nothing for a correctly sized and spaced I-Joist. Currently building a house with I-Joist spanning 37' with a live load above. He can use smaller I-Joist by supporting the I-Joist with a Glulam halfway, plus or minus several feet. Looking at the span tables, a 16" I-Joist will span 31' 4" without web stiffeners.

 

[the old grind]

....
The challenge with installing the joist hangers first is getting them in the exact right position so that when you install the joists, they are all flush with the top of the ledger board. Most boards are not exactly the same depth. A 2x10 is going to be somewhere between 9 to 9 3/8's deep. Most are close to 9 1/4, but there is enough variation to have several joist hangers be off. ......

This^^... again, the voice of much experience. :thumbsup:

If someone is fussy enough, and/or with uh variously sourced/consistent lumber, lay a foot of 2x4 flush with joist/header top, clamp over that & snug to the bottom of the hanger. Pinch the sides together as you like and nail '(10)'-s to header in accessible/upper holes (one/side).

Once 'down the line', double check for decking spacing and finish nailing w/o the clamps in the way. Flatter than faster(?), but you work with what you have .. and even 'Elmer' can help with that last bit.

btw, getting pro help/advice may assure the OP that any particulars of the layouts, fixtures, tile, etc for rooms finished above the beam & joists are properly accounted for in load calcs. The right (size) beam should be easy. The joists ..?

 

[cmyoung2]

I would second the idea on one wide door vs. two 9' doors. Easier to get in and out a 18-20' door, and only have one opener to worry about. And 18' wide is barely wide enough for a car and pickup.

 

[EddieWalker]

I personally prefer the two smaller doors. It's not hard getting a car in and out a 9 foot door. My parents are in mid to late 70's and they do it every day. To me, it's just a nicer, cleaner look to a house that allows you to spread the cars farther apart once they are parked. Opening doors into each other without hitting the car parked right up next to the other type of thing.

 

[CurlyDave]

I have two garages in my house. One has an 18' wide 2-car door (wider than the standard 16'), and the other has two 9' wide doors.

If all you are ever going to park in it is cars, either will do, but I prefer the 18' wide door. A full sized pickup is a tight squeeze with a 9' door, I have to fold the mirrors in to make it fit. If I had it to do over, I would make the single doors 10' wide, minimum.

We get more room between the cars in the double wide door garage by pulling in at a slight angle.

 

[LD1]

I like the 18' door also.

My old garage...."shop" had all 9' doors.

The new one I built is 18'.

I agree, if parking cars in there only, it dont much matter. But I am carrying in things all the time on the pallet forks that are wider than 9'. Nice to have the wide door

 

[dstig1]

A full sized pickup is a tight squeeze with a 9' door, I have to fold the mirrors in to make it fit. If I had it to do over, I would make the single doors 10' wide, minimum.

And this is why I went with single 10'W doors in my new house. Our old house had an 18'W double, and it was a PITA to get 2 cars in there decently. If the "randomly directionally challenged" part of the household didn't park her car right then I had trouble getting mine in place and the door open. She had the side where the passenger side was by the post so her odds of hitting it correctly were lower, so I will spot her that, but after 18 yrs....well, you know... Now we have 10' wide single doors with 4' between them. Easy to see that you are in the right place, no chance of ripping off a mirror on the frame (happened 2-3 times at the old place...not by me...) and plenty of room to open doors. The F250 with the tow mirrors is a tight enough fit in these, that I'm not even sure it would go into a 9' door without folding mirrors. I have enough room to do it now, but I do need to watch and keep it closely centered.

 

[crazyal]

Kind of. I use screws so I can remove and adjust if I need to. I attach the joist from whatever side is the easiest to get in in place. I have no interest in how strong it is at that time, just as long as the board stays there long enough for me to come back and install the joist hanger. For something similar to what was shown in the picture, I would probably screw in a 2x4 at the bottom of the ledger board to support the joists, then attach them with a screw, remove the support and then come back and install the joist hangers.

The challenge with installing the joist hangers first is getting them in the exact right position so that when you install the joists, they are all flush with the top of the ledger board. Most boards are not exactly the same depth. A 2x10 is going to be somewhere between 9 to 9 3/8's deep. Most are close to 9 1/4, but there is enough variation to have several joist hangers be off. Then there is the fun of getting the joist into the joist hanger. Some slide right in, others fight you, or they are so loose that you have to remove the joist hanger on one side to get it tight.

I use my table saw. I set it up so that I can cut a couple of inches of each joist so they are all the same thickness. Then I make a block that is also the same thickness to use for putting the hangers at the right height.