AlanUK Posted August 1, 2020 Share Posted August 1, 2020 Hi all, I have attached a rough (very rough) drawing of the balcony I want to put on the end of my garage that is currently being built. The garage has a room above, and the balcony will have a spiral staircase going up to it. Basic frame is to be oak, with joists (pine), and floor boards/decking of some kind on the top. Does this look like a practical approach? Any comments on what I've got wrong? Thanks. Alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted August 1, 2020 Share Posted August 1, 2020 Why go into the end wall with the oak? 4 posts instead maybe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanUK Posted August 1, 2020 Author Share Posted August 1, 2020 I did originally think about four posts, but the builders said I could go into the wall instead, and save the cost of two posts. They may have been envisaging someting a bit smaller than what I've drawn though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted August 1, 2020 Share Posted August 1, 2020 I will watch this with interest as I will be doing much the same but I doubt my budget stretches to Oak. I will be going for a 2 post design, with the 2 posts supporting 99% of the weight, and the attachments to the wall just to stop it falling over, nothing more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanUK Posted August 1, 2020 Author Share Posted August 1, 2020 What sort of size are you going for Dave? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanUK Posted August 1, 2020 Author Share Posted August 1, 2020 One thing I was worried about was the beams expanding, and cracking the wall, but they said they could go into expansion joints. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tennentslager Posted August 1, 2020 Share Posted August 1, 2020 Nice drawing by the way why oak if you have pine joists? Are you treating/painting it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterW Posted August 1, 2020 Share Posted August 1, 2020 1 hour ago, AlanUK said: One thing I was worried about was the beams expanding, and cracking the wall, but they said they could go into expansion joints. very unlikely. Best way would be to get a T-plate made to bolt to the wall, then slot the oak beam around it and bolt through. If the plate (probably best as stainless) has an oval slot rather than a hole for a bolt it will allow a little movement. The oak frame will then move and you can use an oak rear beam between the two attached beams. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProDave Posted August 1, 2020 Share Posted August 1, 2020 2 hours ago, AlanUK said: What sort of size are you going for Dave? I haven't decided but at least 3M by 6M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted August 1, 2020 Share Posted August 1, 2020 3 hours ago, PeterW said: very unlikely. Best way would be to get a T-plate made to bolt to the wall, then slot the oak beam around it and bolt through. If the plate (probably best as stainless) has an oval slot rather than a hole for a bolt it will allow a little movement. The oak frame will then move and you can use an oak rear beam between the two attached beams. Don't know much about oak. What about coping with lateral expansion of the rear oak beam i.e perpendicular the ridge direction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanUK Posted August 2, 2020 Author Share Posted August 2, 2020 21 hours ago, Tennentslager said: Nice drawing by the way why oak if you have pine joists? Are you treating/painting it I would stain the joists to darken them, but they would be more hidden than the main frame, and so wouldn't be so noticeable. That's the idea anyway. I'm also intending having a shed under the balcony, that would hide them further. The oak would be either untreated, or linseeded. (any idea which is best?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted August 2, 2020 Share Posted August 2, 2020 With the spiral stair you will need to account for the entire diameter of the staircase being lost from the balcony. 1/4 for the landing and 3/4 cut out for headroom and protected by handrail. 1500mm is a sensible minimum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanUK Posted August 3, 2020 Author Share Posted August 3, 2020 15 hours ago, Mr Punter said: With the spiral stair you will need to account for the entire diameter of the staircase being lost from the balcony. 1/4 for the landing and 3/4 cut out for headroom and protected by handrail. 1500mm is a sensible minimum. Are you assuming there that the staircase goes up into the balcony, rather than connecting at the edge? I want it to connect to the edge, but I'm not clear in my mind at what angle the staircase will need to meet the balcony. The drop will be about 3m or so, but I'm not sure of the exact height yet. I'm assuming the central pole of the staircase will have to be away from the balcony by some amount (I'm guessing maybe half of the radius of the staircase). Would that be about right? Where would I find more info on that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Punter Posted August 3, 2020 Share Posted August 3, 2020 It will be easier to have the stair either completely outside or completely inside the balcony, otherwise you will need to cut through the main balcony framework. To connect at the edge the stair would need a small landing at the top. The stair people can make this to form the top tread as a quarter landing with some holes so that you can fix it to your balcony. Get them to also provide for the outside handrail to return to the centre post at the top. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Onoff Posted August 3, 2020 Share Posted August 3, 2020 This worked on kids tree(less) house: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanUK Posted August 3, 2020 Author Share Posted August 3, 2020 Mr Punter, would something like this work? The finishing angle (and starting angle) can be chosen to provide the sufficient headroom under the balcony. That way some of the staircase is under the balcony, saving some space. This is fairly similar to your upper drawing, but with the central post moved in towards the balcony itself. I was imagining it would be around a 360° twist. Onoff, that's an interesting simple design. I suspect something rising around 3m might need something more substantial. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now