As I mentioned in last month’s article, My Road to The JobLine, there was a time when I thought I had seen everything in the truss and component world. But here I am 37 years in, and architects, builders, and do-it-yourselfers still surprise and amaze me.
The applicable building code for your area calls out standard design loads that you use daily when designing trusses. These loads would typically include provision for live loads such as snow, wind, and maybe seismic loads if you are in an area where that is a concern. In addition, we see dead loads such as the weight of the trusses themselves, roof sheathing and shingles, insulation, etc. Of course, snow loads can vary from non-existent in southern regions to greater than 150 psf in mountain areas, with similar variation in wind loads. Here in Ontario, for example, our building code tells us that wind doesn’t blow on house roofs, although the identically shaped commercial structure next door needs to be designed for wind (and this was not a very comforting thought while I sitting in my house watching a Tornado warning scroll across my computer screen). Finishes can also range from asphalt shingles to clay tile on the roof, with corresponding increases in loading.
All these loads are fairly typical, and you can usually find the loads to be applied are either spelled out on the plans – all too rare in my experience – or available in the building code documents or charts of weights of materials.
But what about those more unusual requests? Here are just a few that I have encountered during my career in this industry.
- A wealthy client was building a new waterfront vacation home and the plans called for the center piece of the main floor to be his prized 6’x12’ snooker (pool) table. Estimated weight? Something in the range of 3,500 pounds. His architect, engineer, and builder had all tried to convince him that the table would be better placed in the basement of the home, but he was firm in wanting it on the main floor with a magnificent view of the lake as the backdrop. In this case, special floor girder trusses were designed to support the table at a carefully mapped position within the room. We certainly didn’t want the table legs, each supporting something like 600 pounds, to end up resting just on the floor sheathing.
- Being located close to popular hunting areas, we were asked variations on this situation a few times – hunters wanting a garage-type building where they could hang their catch, whether it be deer, bear, or moose. In our area, a deer that has been field-dressed might weigh 150 pounds or so, but an adult bull moose could be over 1,000 pounds. Although I would carefully explain to the camp owner or builder that only the specially designed trusses should be expected to support the weight in a fixed location, I know that in reality a rope was slung at the most convenient location on any given day, and the day’s catch was hoisted up.
- Perhaps the strangest request was for a nice simple 60’x100’ barn with a gable roof. The conversation went pretty smoothly until, just as the client was leaving, I asked what the building was going to be used for. “Breeding rabbits,” I was told. As this was somewhat unusual, at least for me, I asked more questions about how they are kept, etc. The eye-opener was when I was told their plan was to suspend cages for about 100 doe rabbits from the ceiling to preserve a clear floor for easier maintenance. Of course, when rabbits do what rabbits do, the 100 doe rabbits quickly produce 5–8 babies. Although the loads were a little unusual, I don’t think I’ve ever struggled as hard to keep a straight face as the customer explained in great detail the number of rabbits they would be shipping to market.
These are some of my favorite unusual situations, but how about you? Do you have unusual loading stories that you have collected in your career? I’d love to hear about them!
If you want help finding that next perfect component designer or design job in Canada, please contact me. If your work is in the mass timber world anywhere in North America, I’d love to talk to you about connecting you to that next great job or candidate. You can reach me at secord@thejobline.com, or 800-289-5627 ext. 2. I’m also happy to engage at LinkedIn.com/in/geordiesecord.