Shed Roof Cabin Design with a few questions.

Started by chaddhamilton, August 10, 2010, 03:18:19 PM

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chaddhamilton

For the last year or so my wife and I have been trying to agree on a small cabin design.  I purchased plans for the Little House, laid out the foundation and almost pulled the trigger to start drilling my holes when she said she found a really cool 20 x 24 shed-roof cabin plan and after looking at it, I agreed that it's pretty nice.  It has two very small bedrooms-a plus for us since we have two little boys-and we can orientate the front of the house to the east where we have the most sunlight and also the best view.

I used a free online website, floorplanner.com to do my own layout and am happy with it other than the software doesn't allow you to create a porch, just a balcony.  Anyway  I gave it a 12' front wall with an 8' rear wall.

I have the design at http://plus.floorplanner.com/projects/19892276-cabin-plan-76166 

My biggest issue is the cost of the roofing materials.  Being 20 feet in width, rafters will need to be 2x12x24 spaced 16" so that I can get a 24' span with a little overlap. Just wondering if I should be looking for glued lam to span this or should I go with solid wood?   Anyone have any suggestions?

Chadd


Txcowrancher

Hi there if I understand what you are wondering...
once the roof crosses the load bearing wall you dont count the overhang as part of the span. your span should be 20 ft not 24, actually less subtracting the width of the wall, with 2x6 walls the span should be 19 ft 1 inch.
here is a pic of our house. the upper room is only 16 wide and I used a 20 ft rafter 2x12.
on the lower part I used a 22 ft rafter but have a load bearing wall close to the middle, again used 2x12 even though I could have gone smaller.



bayview



   If you make the wall between the bedrooms and the living room a load bearing wall, your span would be from the outside bedroom wall to the inside bedroom wall, and then to the outside living room wall.   You then have a bedroom span of about 9 ft. and a living room span of about 11 ft.   I not a structural engineer but it seems 2X12 16 on center is overkill.

/
    . . . said the focus was safety, not filling town coffers with permit money . . .

chaddhamilton

Guys, thanks, that's why I asked.  I didn't realize that divider wall would be load bearing.  24"oc seems like it will work, but I'm gonna take my plans to my building inspector and have him go over it.

Txcowrancher, your house was sort of an inspiration. My wife saw it a while back on the website and said "Why don't we do something like this?"  I really like it myself.

Again, thanks for the info, guys.

Chadd

IronRanger

Is this the site and plan you're referencing?

http://www.designconnection.com/plan.asp?plan=DD1904

I like this one:  http://www.designconnection.com/plan.asp?plan=DD1901

Some very nice shed roof plans, but the plans are pricey.
"They must find it difficult, those who have taken authority as the truth, rather than truth as authority"- G.Massey

"Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting." - Alan Dean Foster


ChuckinVa

"I didn't realize that divider wall would be load bearing." You need to make sure you provide the support in your foundation to allow this wall to be load bearing. Looks like a nice floor plan. Good luck with your build.
ChuckinVa
Authentic Appalachian American

Squirl

Quote from: chaddhamilton on August 10, 2010, 03:18:19 PM
It has two very small bedrooms-a plus for us since we have two little boys-and we can orientate the front of the house to the east where we have the most sunlight and also the best view.


If you orient it to the south, you will get the most sunlight year round if you are in the northern hemisphere.  It is the basic concept behind passive solar design.   Orienting things East/West gives you an equal number of hours during the day of light/dark.  Many publications comment that the average household would save 10-20% on their energy bills just by orienting the windows in the house to the south. I can't comment about the view though.

chaddhamilton