NEWBIE

[wcgobbler]

Brand new to this site & love the info & reading.  I recently decided after several years to build a little 20 x 24 cabin with loft...MYSELF.  It will be done a little along, as time & $$$ allow.  This weekend I got batter boards up & got it squared up.  Laying blocks next weekend hopefully.  I am bad to think things out way in advance, a little too much sometimes.  I've never built anything with an upstairs, and the loft is eating me up in my mind trying to figure one thing out.  My main question is this:  How can a support a ridge beam if I want to put a window on each end in the center of the gable end in the loft?  The support post will be in the center of the wall where I want the window to be.  This is just one of several questions to come in the coming weeks/months.

Thanks

[MountainDon]

   and I understand your excitement.

Re the ridge beam. The support path and be split. From the reidge beam down to a horizontal header/girder/beam above the window. Then from each end of that header down through the wall to the foundation. Spreading it out also reduces pint loads on the foundation / footing.

If I may make a suggestion... plan and draw out the structure from roof ridge down to foundation before commencing the actual construction. Having questioned and worked out all the structural details beforehand makes for an easier job and a better result.

[Squirl]

 

The usual "it depends" answer.

It depends on how much weight is on the ridge beam and how wide the window is.

[Paulie1959]

 
Awesome. 3 of us newbies in the last week or so. After having worked in the construction trade and been part of several builds and renos, I still refer to my library of books on construction. While you're agonizing over the roof framing, I'm still trying to decide on what type of foundation to start with. Only 2 more months to figure it out.
Go online and do some research on framing. Fine Homebuilding is one place I refer to often. And there are many more. Best of luck, I look forward to your progress.

[wcgobbler]

Thanks for the info.  I had wondered if I could "split-up" the support with some sort of a header for the window, then thoroughly support the header.