[Shop-talk] Lightweight reflective ceiling covering?

[Jim Franklin]

I took down so much crap from up in the rafters today, that I don't think I'd
have any issue even with 1/2" sheetrock. I knew there was stuff up there but
holy cow. What sadistic bastard puts 70lb bags of tube sand up in the rafters
when the only access is from the top of a 12' ladder through 16" o.c. joists?

For your amusement, there was also:

Bags of play sand, lime, fertilizer and other gardening crap
A dozen 4' boards of Trex
A pallet
12' lengths of 6" cedar siding
Lots of 2x6 PT lumber up to 10' long
Several 4x4s 7' long
A dozen 1x8 4' melamine shelves


And that's just the heavy stuff...all in an area about 8x8. No wonder things
were sagging. As a friend and I were outside talking we heard a pop. I think
it was a rafter getting re-acquainted with its nail.

If anyone has seen a span chart indexed by existing framing rather than
expected live/dead loads, it would help me decide how to proceed on beefing
this thing up.

jim

On Apr 1, 2012, at 8:59 AM, Jim Franklin wrote:

> There are 3-4 doing that now, apparently attached to a 2x6 girder laid
flat,
> yet it still sags. I haven't gone up there yet to investigate, could be one
> pulled out from the cement and fertilizer the PO stored up there :-\
>
> The garage isn't that well built; the entire rear gable wall flexes, being
> attached only at the perimeter. It does need a bit of work which is why I'm
> reluctant to toss $$$ at it now, just to get the place lit until I put
> together A Plan.
>
> jim