RE: Delurk, and some questions

[jmark.vanscoter@amd.com]

Colleen-

Will certainly explain.

Most conventional trusses come to a point at the end (actually, at all three
ends). The trusses are engineered for the ends to be positioned right at the
wall. The raised end trusses look like someone made trusses too long and
then cut off the ends--the ends are blunt, not pointed.

The raised end trusses are still engineered to end at the wall, but now
there is space at the end for sufficient insulation, often a problem with
standard pointed trusses. If you were planning to let the trusses overhang
the walls and act as your overhang (and your trusses are engineered for
that), then this point is moot.

BTW, a 3:12 roof seems to be a bit flat for snow country. You might want to
consider a 4:12 (or greater) pitch.

By raised center, I am referring to non-flat bottom trusses. Imagine a very
toned-down cathedral roof, with the center raised about 1' to 2'. Not a lot,
but it breaks up the expanse of flat if you are having an open floor plan.
For a conventional (old-fashioned) structure with many little rooms, this
idea is also moot.

At the top of the bales, you would use a box-beam to connect the box
columns. The trusses would rest on the box beams and be mechanically
connected (bolted) to the box columns. Standard X bracing would be installed
in each section to prevent racking (especially before the bales are
install). This is all pretty much standard pole-barn construction methods,
just with slightly different material and no holes in ground for poles to
sit in (use mechanical attachment to the slab with j-studs, those things you
put into concrete to attach the wall to in standard stick construction).

Also, would strongly suggest you build roof and wall framing before
installing first bale. This is one point I have learned from so many who did
it the other way (bales first, roof last). Installing the last bales will
not be as difficult as nay-sayers will proclaim, and keeping your bales dry
will not be a problem. Besides, hardly anyone still needs to drive internal
rebar anymore.

Also, try to match your windows and bucks to your bale dimensions. It is a
lot of extra work to make a 48" opening if your bales are 37" long. As an
example, your door buck would have angled sides and the open width would be
the same as the bale. Just stack 2 bales above the door with no trimming and
you are done. Takes a little more work up front, but a lot less down the
road.

Mark V.S. in Austin, TX

> -----Original Message-----
> From:	Karolin [SMTP:bellstudio@mindspring.com]
> Sent:	Monday, January 31, 2000 4:43 PM
> To:	VanScoter, JMark; argyle@up.net; strawbale@crest.org
> Subject:	Re: Delurk, and some questions
> 
> What do you mean by raised-end, raised center trusses.  can you describe
> them better?  and how do they attach to the box beam posts?  a top plate
> that is also a box?? Thanks.   kb
> -----Original Message-----
> From: jmark.vanscoter@amd.com <jmark.vanscoter@amd.com>
> To: argyle@up.net <argyle@up.net>; strawbale@crest.org
> <strawbale@crest.org>
> Date: Monday, January 31, 2000 4:39 PM
> Subject: RE: Delurk, and some questions
> 
> 
> >Here are some answers, based on one person's experience.
> >
> >Pole barns and post and beam buildings differ in how the roof framing is
> >handled.
> >
> >Pole barns and pole building use large timbers (solid or built-up from
> >dimensional timbers (Bonanza Building did this) that are normally resting
> on
> >concrete pads and buried in the ground. The roof is framed with
> fabricated
> >trusses made of dimensional lumber (2x4 and 2x6) that are typically
> located
> >on 8' centers and use 2x4 purlines to support the roof material.
> >
> >Post and beam building use large timbers to frame the whole building,
> >including the roof. Typically, the posts are attached to a foundation
> >(although in the past, they would be buried).
> >
> >IMO, a better solution for SB construction, would be to use fabricated
> box
> >columns (imagine a ladder of 2x4's, sheathed in 3/8" or 1/2" plywood)
> that
> >are bale wide as the posts and use raised end/raised center trusses for
> the
> >roof. The box-columns will ELIMINATE notching the bales. The raised end
> >trusses allow space for insulation. The raised center allows more
> headroom
> >and causes your eye to look up rather than look left to right like
> regular
> >flat bottom trusses tend to do.
> >
> >One suggestion, use 3 bales (2 wire) width as the space of the uprights,
> >that way you will use either full bales or half bales only.
> >
> >If you have any questions or want any details, please feel free to
> contact
> >me.
> >
> >Mark V.S. in Austin, TX (who is getting ready to do these things)
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: Hixii [SMTP:argyle@up.net]
> >> Sent: Monday, January 31, 2000 9:07 AM
> >> To: strawbale@crest.org
> >> Subject: Delurk, and some questions
> >>
> >> Well, it's high time I said hello, girded my loins, and asked for some
> >> feedback.
> >>
> >> Hi, I'm Colleen. We live in the UP of Michigan (the Keweenaw
> penninsula,
> >> actually; sort of the UP of the UP). I've been faithfully lurking this
> >> list
> >> for almost three years (yes, really!) while we've been saving money and
> >> looking for the right bit of land to build our bale-burg. We found our
> >> land
> >> in October, and since then I've been trying to pull together many years
> of
> >> reading, researching, and thinking into a real house.
> >>
> >> The house I have in my head is a simple rectangle, oriented for passive
> >> solar, 30 X 40 ft. (interior dimensions). I have been thinking about
> doing
> >> a pole building on an insulated slab-on-grade with the poles attached
> to
> >> hardware embedded in the slab. Now, what I want to know is what to call
> >> it.
> >> Is it still a pole building? And while I'm at it, can anybody explain
> what
> >> the difference is between a pole building and a "modified
> post-and-beam"?
> >> I'm beginning to suspect it's the difference between tomay-to and
> >> tomah-to,
> >> but please advise.
> >>
> >> The roof will be 3:12 gable (with those wi-i-i-de overhangs) with 18
> >> inches
> >> of blown cellulose in the ceiling, and sheathed with plain metal
> roofing.
> >> We plan to rely on harvested rainwater/snowmelt for our house water
> >> supply,
> >> with a shallow well for irrigation. I have this wild idea for
> harvesting
> >> snow water from the roof using heat-tape: anybody else in snow country
> >> doing rainwater harvesting?
> >>
> >> BTW, we get *serious* snow here (200 or more inches most years) and The
> >> Man
> >> requires roofs to be designed for 70 lbs/sq.ft. live loads.
> >>
> >> We'll be moving onto our land and living in a temporary shelter as soon
> as
> >> the ground dries up enough (probably May) and starting on the house
> right
> >> away. We are planning to mill as much of the lumber for the house as we
> >> can
> >> ourselves from trees on our property, using an Alaskan mill. I'm
> looking
> >> forward to the whole adventure with a mix of excitement and terror...
> >>
> >> Colleen
> >> argyle@up.net
> >>
> >>