ᐅ Which type of carport? Increased snow load?

Created on: 16 Jun 2016 20:57
5
5schwaben5
5
5schwaben5
16 Jun 2016 20:57
Hello,
we originally planned to build a large carport measuring 6 m (20 feet) wide and 8 m (26 feet) long, with a storage room inside. However, we now have the issue of snow load at an altitude of 735 m (2,411 feet). A snow load of 297 kg/m² (61 lbs/ft²) was recommended to us. We are facing the problem that there are hardly any manufacturers offering structures that meet this requirement.
What are your experiences? Or would a garage be a better option? Unfortunately, we have calculated everything based on a carport…
Thank you in advance for your advice…
B
Bauexperte
17 Jun 2016 11:18
5schwaben5 schrieb:

Unfortunately, we calculated everything including a carport...
A good carport costs about the same as a prefabricated garage. In my opinion, switching now shouldn’t be a problem for your budget.

Regards, Bauexperte
andimann17 Jun 2016 14:43
Hello,
A roof load of 300 kg/m² (62 lbs/ft²) is significant. For typical simple carport designs with 2 supports over 6 m (20 ft) or 3 supports over 8 m (26 ft) length, that results in a line load on the beams of roughly 750–800 kg/m (50–54 lbs/ft), depending on the roof structure. For a 6 m (20 ft) span and a maximum deflection limit of L/300, you’re looking at something like an I-beam 240, which is a 240 mm (9.5 inch) tall I-beam profile as the main roof beam.
Even with main beams running lengthwise on the supports and only secondary purlins spaced at 1 m (3.3 ft) intervals as the roof construction, you still need to support about 350 kg/m (23 lbs/ft) maximum load. For that, you’d still need an I-beam 200 beam, spaced at 1 m (3.3 ft) centers.

In other words, it’s doable, no problem! But this is definitely no longer a standard situation and requires quite substantial steel. It probably won’t look very sleek or elegant.
At that size and with those roof loads, the structure must be able to carry a total roof load of nearly 17 tons (approximately 37,500 lbs). And that’s over a 6 m (20 ft) clear span...

Maybe contact a local steel fabricator; they might have some nice ideas.

Best regards,
Andreas
P
Payday
17 Jun 2016 17:09
How about a much steeper roof (for example, a gable roof) that allows snow to slide or fall off the sides? This would still make snow guards feasible, as your house roof would be constructed the same way.

A flat roof is not a solution for such heavy snowfall anyway.

A prefabricated garage is not significantly more stable structurally than a well-built carport. Our carport already has 5 or 6 posts distributed along nearly 9 meters (30 feet) per side.