Gambrel Barn Plans

[mysticokra]

Has anyone seen a barn plan that incorporates trusses with a Gambrel roof? The idea would be to have the first story area uncluttered by support beams while the second story has the traditional Grambrel roof look.

I am guessing I would like something in the neighborhood of 40 X 60.

Thanks.

[Gatorboy]

Have you ever visited BarnPlans.com?

[mysticokra]

Thanks, Gatorboy.

I had already been there, but didn't see anything that I liked.

Ironically, I found something pretty good at http://www.barnplan.com

Good marketing would have dictated that these guys should have purhcased the variations on their chosen URL's.

[egon]

With a 40 foot clear span you may be looking at an engineered design.

Egon

[BrianP]

My barn wasn't 40' but an easy solution is to call up a local truss manufacturer and say 'I want to build a barn with a gambrel roof which will be 40' wide and I want to not have a supporting beam'.

The way it works here is they key all that into a CAD program which draws up a 'certifiable' truss design. Around here, there is no obligation with respect to the design (except, of course, the certification only works if they make the trusses).

In any event, in my experience, trusses are the way to go because they are relatively cheap, save a lot of time and effort, and somebody else does the heavy thinking.

[roypat2126]

there is no obligation with respect to the design (except, of course, the certification only works if they make the trusses).

Hey BrianP, Will they give you the drawings or are you obligated to buy them if you want to use them? I have a simular, want to build a gambrel style barn with shed rooms on either side. I'ld like the loft to have clear-span (just over the gambrel roof area but I'm having hard time figuring out what the roof structure (truss) will be and allow full finish ished insulated ceiling. Would be worth paying for CAD work but not both arm and leg. Best of everything with your project,
roy

[BrianP]

Around where I live, you phone up the local truss guy and maybe fax over building drawings (in my case all I had to say was the length & width of the barn, if I had a beam anywhere, the type of walls (for me 2x6, 24" OC) and the roof material (I went with corrugated metal).

Within a day or two they emailed me truss drawings and a quote. No obligation, except, the drawing says that the engineering approval is subject to the trusses being made using a particular manufacturer's plates.

I figure Harry (my truss guy) fills out a form and sends that to the company that makes the metal plates he uses to make trusses. They run it through a CAD system and spit out the enginneering drawings.

Now, the plans inspector where I live won't approve a plan with manufactured trusses unless the truss manufacturer sends in a truss diagram, and if you get your plan approved with those, you can't make them yourself. This sort of makes sense, because manufactured trusses use strong plates, and they use special hydraulic presses to put everything together.

Quite frankly, when you look at cost of material and even your own labour, I can't see why you wouldn't use manufactured trusses, unless you were making a special ceiling design or something.

So, there's no up front obligation, but there is an obligation, sort of.

If you want, send me a private email, and I will email the PDF file they sent me as an example.

[roypat2126]

Thanks BrianP for your reply, now If I can figure out how to get email sent your way...........

[chrisjbell]

To send a private message just click on his username (BrianP) to the left of his post. It'll take you to a screen very similar to the one that you use to enter a post but will send the message only to the user you selected.

[roypat2126]

Thanks Chris....