×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Advice on Tearing off 2nd Floor Roof Trusses Cleanly?...

Advice on Tearing off 2nd Floor Roof Trusses Cleanly?...

Advice on Tearing off 2nd Floor Roof Trusses Cleanly?...

(OP)
Any Advice on Tearing off 2nd Floor Roof Trusses Cleanly...
I used to work for a hospital and am trying to remove a roof and add a second floor to it.  Please direct me to any sites you know of that coordinate roof removal.

I am thinking of taking off everything except the bottom two feet of the existing trusses...since we are adding back steel trusses, we can keep everything already tied together and keep the existing plaster ceilings.

I am hopeful that we can get a crane and a bunch of guys who are clean and fast workers...advice requested.

RE: Advice on Tearing off 2nd Floor Roof Trusses Cleanly?...

When you remove the existing roof - you may create an instability in the structure.  Most all structures depend upon the stiffness of the roof deck diaphragm to transfer lateral forces across the building and into the foundation.

If you remove all of the roof at one time, you probably should provide lots of temporary bracing to ensure that the remaining structure is stable.

Also, since you are adding a second floor (and presumably a new roof level) you should definitely verify that the existing walls/columns/footings can accept the additional loading safely.  If you don't know how do check/design or verify these things, you should hire a competent structural engineer.

RE: Advice on Tearing off 2nd Floor Roof Trusses Cleanly?...

As JAE pointed out there are many considerations that need to be analyzed before deciding whether this construction approach is even feasible.

I doubt whether the remaining bottom chord will have  enough strength or stiffness by itself to support the plaster ceiling without additional supports or strengthening.

Much more information is needed for one to completely understand the challenges of this project. You really do need to hire a local structural engineer, at this stage, to analyze the feasibility of your proposal.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources