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I'd like to build a loft above a 12'x16' portion of my garage. My plan is to lag screw ledger boards to the studs and attach 2x10 joists to the ledgers using joist hangers. Additional supports will be added beneath the ledgers to help with shear.

Will this sufficient? Is there anything that I could add to make this more stable?

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Karl Katzke
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brian buck
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1 Answers1

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I'm not an engineer, this is just a layman review, but I think you should rethink the main supports. I'd rather see you open the walls and support your ledger boards directly on the existing wall studs rather than lagging into them. I don't think the 3 supports (2x4s?) under each ledger board is sufficient to prevent sheer and since you're lagging into a 2x4, that's a very narrow target to hit through the face of a 2x10 and the existing drywall.

I'd also go 10" on center for the joists, not 16. Otherwise I'd be concerned about the span length of the 2x10's over your car.

The Evil Greebo
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  • According to http://www.awc.org/calculators/span/calc/timbercalcstyle.asp using 2x10 joists 16"OC should support a liveload of 100psf over a span of 12 feet. Or maybe I should use 4x4 posts with a shoulder cut? I think I will add more 2x6 vertical supports however. – brian buck Sep 27 '11 at 17:42
  • Encouraging but I'd still go 12" OC for extra support and to help eliminate bounce. I'm assuming there will be people up there regularly, not just storage... – The Evil Greebo Sep 27 '11 at 17:46