Header Beam - A beam that keeps it all together.
To build the exterior walls, we had assembled a wooden frame from individual 2×6 beams and raised them. In total, we placed nine walls into the landscape of British Columbia. On top of this basic structure of the cabin, we are now adding a second level. However, we are not building a full-fledged second floor, but are content - modest as we are - with lofts.
In the picture you can see wonderfully that the individual walls at that time only have one beam at the top. This is correct at the time. After all, this is the framing of the wall, and it consists of bottom plates, studs and top plates. In order to put a roof on this framework of walls, the walls must be connected to each other. Currently, they hold only thanks to nails and good will.
The necessary connection of the individual walls is realized using a so-called header beam. This header beam distributes the load from the roof evenly to the substructure. Load distribution plays a central role in the whole construction process. What a stroke of luck that we were able to rely on the plans from Ravenhouse Designer . In them, everything is already calculated correctly.
A header beam however consists of two levels:
In our design, the top beams of the wall are first connected with horizontal 2×6 beams. On top of these, 12- and 16-foot-long 2×12 wood beams are placed upright in double rows. Upright here means that the joists do not rest on the wide side (12 inches), but on the 2 inches. In the picture below you can see how the beams are placed straight up in position.
Loft
The attentive viewer and shrewd mathematician will recognize that the two 2×12 bars standing on edge are not as wide as the bars below them. If you do the math, there are 3 inches to 5.5 inches. That gives a whopping 2.5 inches of space to use the floor for a second story or just a loft. And that's exactly what is done at this point. On each side of the main house, we put in a loft. Above the entryway, the loft will be just under 5 feet (1.5 meters), and above the living area, it will even be a stately 12 feet (3.6 meters).
The lofts are supported by 2×8 joists, which are placed upright, i.e. on edge in rows. They are connected to the header beam and the top beam of the walls. By the way, the loft beams are spaced the same distance apart as the studs in the walls: 24 inches. This ensures that the load is transferred from the top to the wall beam below and then directly on to the support beam of the cabin.
In addition to the rows of floor joists that will end up supporting the loft floor, we need to build a small box in the loft floor on the side from the living area. There will be a staircase leading into the loft. In the pictures below you can see this box as a rectangle just before the window.
Temporary loft floor
The skeleton of wooden beams will soon be covered - knock on wood - with neat wooden boards that will form the final loft floor. But until then, we still have some work to do. There are still gable walls to be assembled and placed, dormers to be built, and finally a roof to be installed. All this doesn't sound like it will be done without dirt and scratches. So we decide to start by putting in a temporary floor. To do this, we lay large 4×8 foot floor tiles on the joists and screw them in place. This gives us a feel for the space below, but more importantly, it gives us a base for the adventures ahead.
Cabin Playlist
Music is Emotion. Music holds Memory. This is the soundtrack for the build of our Cabin at the Upper Sunshine Coast.
So finden wir jederzeit zurück zu den Momenten voller Herausforderung, Freude und Zufriedenheit.
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Cabin-Blog-Zeitleiste
All our posts about RITICOLO Cabin have been organized in this fancy looking timeline. Pretty cool, eh! Have fun looking around and leave a comment if you enjoy what you are reading.
Trees, a Wood Stove, Lumber and Paws
Vapor barrier - cabin interior
Thermal Insulation and What it Takes to Get There
Roof – The big Finale
Roofing for Dummies
Roofing - shingles or metal roof?
Cabin - New Year Progress
Cabin Timeline
Roofing – Part Two
Roofing - Part One
Gable Walls and LVL
Things we learned so far
Framing the Cabin
Basecamp
From concrete piers to the finished subfloor
It's amazing what you can accomplish in a few weekends. During the construction of our
Demolition, Homework and some Problems
Progress - Getting Rid of Stuff
First Steps in Lund
On the February long weekend (Family Day), we pack up our MINI and head to our
Lund - The Property
