Attic Beam Measurement

Staggered pattern with at least a 3 x 120 nail.

Attic beam measurement.

When cutting your beam pocket add 1 2 to the steel beam width measurement to allow for an easier installation. Tie a knot in one end to prevent it from accidentally slipping out of the pulley. Unlike stiffness live loads and dead loads are added together to determine minimum design values for strength. Attach a pulley to it by sliding the pulley s hook into the eye.

Rafter is a sloping beam usually wood that supports a pitched roof. Step 4 run the rope through the pulley. You can sister the joists by cutting 2 x8 boards the same length as the joists applying construction adhesive and affixing each to a joist with nails. A pair of rafters is called a couple.

There could be many rafters supporting a roof. Covering the ceiling joists in the attic using plywood is a cheap way to make better use of the wasted space in your house. Use of joists in attic flooring. Fortunately this is a fairly easy fix.

Well assuming the attic eats 6db that statement is wrong. The beam system we show will work for nearly any opening up to 12 ft. A two 2 by 6 standard beam has actual dimensions of 1 5 by 5 5 inches which would give a section modulus of 1 5 x 5 5 x 5 5 6 7 6 which is not enough for this example. Attic floors with limited storage l 240 10 psf.

A 1 4 wave would be 0 dbd at best probably worse but a 6 element beam would be 8 dbd so it looks like the attic beam antenna would win by about 2db assuming same height above ground. A 2 by 8 beam would be sufficient. You might open up your attic and find bare joists with fiberglass or cellulose insulation between the joists. We have learned from our experience to use at least a 3 1.

Our 12 ft long beam was made from doubled 11 7 8 in wide x 1 3 4 in thick lvls laminated veneer lumber a very common strong type of beam that looks exactly like thick plywood boards. Any lumberyard will be able to furnish the beam and other materials. Strength of a material is obviously important. Bedrooms and habitable attic floors l 360 30 psf.

Two 2 by 4 beams together would not be enough. The subfloor installation is easy. Back up to the pulley on the attic. Cut a length of rope equal to this final measurement.

Beams of more than one ply must be fastened together with either nails or bolts. The 2012 irc code calls for a minimum of a 32 o c. We used a bosch green line laser to connect both beam pocket locations and then used a speed square to mark cut lines directly on the joists. To start each cut a circular saw was used and finished up with a reciprocating saw.

Step 3 screw an eye hook into the beam where you made the mark. Precise measurement is the most difficult as you need to consider all underlying obstructions carefully before proceeding with your plans. On longer spans the beam may require much more bearing space as indicated by this table.