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SonnyB
Member
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2012 08:29am
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What is your opinion on roof pitches? I have a 20x32 with 12' walls and really am thinking of having a 8/12pitch roof and not the 12/12 a lot of people have. I think it will be a lot easier to frame and install roofing with a smaller pitch roof than a steeper one. Is there a benifit to having a steeper roof?
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OwenChristensen
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2012 09:15am
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I think your doing the right thing. A 12/12 on a 20' wide is quite high with 12' walls. I take it you'll have a loft or second story. The benifit to a stepper roof is strength and lack of acumulating snow loads. I've seen old houses here in the North that are holding up for eighty years with nothing more than 2x4 rafter on a 12/12 pitch.
Owen
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GomerPile
Member
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2012 09:24am
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A 12 pitch roof is very steep to work on and climb up but you do get a lit more attic space.
If you are installing roofing, you will need to use brackets and planks to stand on.
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TheCabinCalls
Member
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2012 09:54am
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Our cabin is 20ft deep (18'6 on inside). We went with a 13/12 to get as much headroom as possible. It is more than enough.
End use reasons to go 8/12:
- little cheaper
- if you can make clever use of nooks it won't be wasted space
- will feel cozier
- if you are okay with a ladder (stairs were one reason we went higher pitch)
- might look more pleasing on the oustide
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SonnyB
Member
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2012 10:57am
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Thanks for the replies! I will have a loft in both ends of the cabin and with 12' walls I will have the short wall in the loft at about 3' so I think head room will be ok. Also I will have a walkway (catwalk) from one side to the other with steps coming up near the middle of the walkway.
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TheCabinCalls
Member
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2012 11:00am
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Than you won't regret 8/12 pitch.
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701
Member
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2012 11:43am
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SonnyB,
Its what I have a 8/12
Walls 8ft x 12ft wide
Check here: http://www.small-cabin.com/forum/6_2157_0.html
Lot smaller but it can give you an idea
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Malamute
Member
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2012 11:50am
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I tend toward even lower pitches, mine is 4/12. I've built up to 6/12, but dont care for working on steeper pitches if I can avoid it. I understand the desire for more headroom inside, but I like the traditional looks of the lower pitches, and the extreme ease of building them and dealing with things when you need to get up on the roof to clean the stove pipe etc. Even a 6/12 can be treacherous when it has dust on it.
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VTweekender
Member
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2012 11:59am
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With the 3' short walls on the sides, 20 wide and the 8/12 pitch you will still have 11' wide stand up room in the middle of the lofts before starting to bend over some, sounds like plenty to me!
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SonnyB
Member
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2012 03:11pm
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Thanks for all the help! Thats why I like this site so much is that everyone is always willing to help!
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suburbancowboy
Member
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2012 05:14pm
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Something else to think about. If you live in an area where everything has to be engineered then you might think about scissor trusses. I am building in a 120 pound sqft snow load area. With a higher pitch roof you wont need as many trusses. We ended up going with scissor trusses 12/12 on the out side and 9/12 on the inside and 12 foot wall for a 1 1/2 story cabin. I would have needed 1/3 more trusses if I when 8/12.
Here is a picture of the trusses
We also have a catwalk between the upstairs rooms. You will love it. It looks great. The following picture is during the early build.
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SonnyB
Member
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# Posted: 15 Aug 2012 10:19pm
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suburbancowboy
What is your site so I can check out your build? Your the first I saw that has the catwalk like I want!
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TheCabinCalls
Member
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# Posted: 16 Aug 2012 02:39am
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Here is the link to suburbancowboy's build: http://www.small-cabin.com/forum/6_1204_0.html
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suburbancowboy
Member
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# Posted: 16 Aug 2012 10:33am
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Here is an updated picture of the catwalk. I'm about 95% done on the insides.
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SonnyB
Member
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# Posted: 16 Aug 2012 05:16pm
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Man that looks good!!! What is the size of your cabin? Any problems with the walkway sagging or moving?
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suburbancowboy
Member
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# Posted: 17 Aug 2012 10:34am
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Cabin is 20X36. Very little wood waste with this size. No problem with catwalk. there are 4 2X8X12' board to support the catwalk. I used joist hangers to attach them to the two glue lam beams. The plans were engineered to support this.
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SonnyB
Member
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# Posted: 19 Aug 2012 05:24pm
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Can you post a picture of how it looks underneath the cat walk? Like to see how that looks!
Thanks!!
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suburbancowboy
Member
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# Posted: 19 Aug 2012 10:47pm
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This is the only one that I could find in the pics list.
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SonnyB
Member
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# Posted: 20 Aug 2012 09:49pm
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Do you get much bounce on the cat walk? Or do you have some type of post under the cat walk?
This is what I want to do and have not seen anyone do it yet so Im excited to see someone else do it!
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suburbancowboy
Member
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# Posted: 21 Aug 2012 10:40am
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No bounce and no supports. It was engineered not to need any. The Glulam beams that they attach to are 3-2X12X20'. So they are very solid. The catwalk span is 12'4".
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CBK9811
Member
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# Posted: 25 May 2014 03:27pm
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Hi suburbancowboy,
Would you mind sharing any more pictures of your cabin?
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Don_P
Member
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# Posted: 25 May 2014 10:26pm
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Just a terminology thing for those researching, those are LVL's rather than glulams, which are quite strong, roughly double the strength of similar sized dimensional lumber and are cheaper and more readily available than glulams. Glulams would be a good appearance choice if the beams are to be left exposed. An LVL is "laminated veneer lumber", sort of like plywood with all the plies running in the lengthwise direction to form a beam. A glulam is a glued up stack of 2x lumber forming a beam. Either can be sized and supplied by the lumber desk at a building supply.
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