I am intending to build a freestanding carport & garage, in the style of
open oak frame barns.
I can buy a kit made to my design, but they are VERY expensive.

I can come up with the design on a basic level, and calculate roof loading,
wind loading etc. .. but does anyone know of a website or information that
will allow me to size the timbers correctly, and produce the structural
calculations ... if I have to provide them to council.

I may have to submit a planning application - as I want to put one of the
open sides of the car port within 1m of my boundary - and rules state that
if this is the case then a planning application is required.
Which may also then force a Building Regs app (hopefully not)

The type of thing I am looking to build is a 2 bay affair, one bay will be
closed on all 4 sides and have wood cladding, and barn doors ... the second
bay will be open on front & one side and be 'car port'
There are a lot of Oak frame companies who make frames (£10k and up), these
use 5"x5" posts, with gallows brackets. but I don't really need Oak ...
perhaps I could use pressure impregnated stress graded softwood, possibly
two 6"x3" pieces biscuit jointed together reverse grained to stop twisting.
.... and fink trusses for roof.

Anybody any ideas of information sources for getting structural design
right?

Rick

Wind loadings on structures with openings can be surprisingly high,
especially if you are a bit exposed. Could be 2 - 3 tons lifting force on a
roof this size, so don't rely on gravity to hold it down.

On Sun, 17 Apr 2005 11:41:04 +0000 (UTC), "Rick Hughes"
wrote:

I am intending to build a freestanding carport & garage, in the style of
open oak frame barns.
I can buy a kit made to my design, but they are VERY expensive.

I can come up with the design on a basic level, and calculate roof loading,
wind loading etc. .. but does anyone know of a website or information that
will allow me to size the timbers correctly, and produce the structural
calculations ... if I have to provide them to council.

I may have to submit a planning application - as I want to put one of the
open sides of the car port within 1m of my boundary - and rules state that
if this is the case then a planning application is required.
Which may also then force a Building Regs app (hopefully not)

The type of thing I am looking to build is a 2 bay affair, one bay will be
closed on all 4 sides and have wood cladding, and barn doors ... the second
bay will be open on front & one side and be 'car port'
There are a lot of Oak frame companies who make frames (£10k and up), these
use 5"x5" posts, with gallows brackets. but I don't really need Oak ...
perhaps I could use pressure impregnated stress graded softwood, possibly
two 6"x3" pieces biscuit jointed together reverse grained to stop twisting.
... and fink trusses for roof.

Anybody any ideas of information sources for getting structural design
right?

Rick



I get oak at 14 quid a cublic foot. I sucessfully made an Oak truss,
having never done anying this big before, for over a grand less than
the cheepest one I could buy, if you are thinking of DIY it anyway,
you could simply copy the oak design. 4 inch RSJ's are also pretty
cheep, and would be even stronger.

Planning Applications does not necessarly mean building regs as the
trigger rules are not the same, but they do exchange information in
most town halls.

If you can find a strutrial engineer, who will do the job while
watching TV one evening, he will probably only cost you 50 quid. The
software they use for this is very expensive

Rick

If you can find a strutrial engineer, who will do the job while
watching TV one evening, he will probably only cost you 50 quid. The
software they use for this is very expensive

Rick

If he charges only 50 quid then he probably can't afford a TV to
watch. Do you go round to the local dentist's house at the weekend and
get a quck check up on the sofa for 10 quid? If you want a good job,
pay the going rate. You are not the only one in the world trying to
earn a living.....