ᐅ Freestanding steel beam as substructure for terrace – No structural calculation required!
Created on: 15 Oct 2022 10:28
A
abc12345Good morning everyone,
I have the following issue: I made a design change to our pool and installed an in-ground roller shutter cover. A terrace is going to be built over it, and now I need a support surface at the pool edge.
Clear span length: 3.80 meters (12.5 feet).
Supports planned on both sides: 30 cm (12 inches).
Maximum height due to construction constraints: 10 cm (4 inches) for the steel beam + 2 cm (0.8 inches) of concrete all around for embedding.
The steel beam will be fully embedded in concrete (pretreated with hammer tone paint to ensure good adhesion), so that tiles can be laid on top later.
Now I want to install a steel beam here but I’m not sure which one is sufficient. I asked three building material suppliers and two steel merchants, but none could give me advice on which steel beam to use, as they’re not allowed, and I would need a structural engineer.
I am not looking for a static calculation or anything like that here, just your experience or opinion so I can decide myself.
The plan was to install IPE 80 or IPE 100 beams / alternatively HEA 100.
Here are two example drawings I created to help visualize what I mean.
Side view
Top view – the steel beam is shown in red
Thank you for your help and feedback.
I have the following issue: I made a design change to our pool and installed an in-ground roller shutter cover. A terrace is going to be built over it, and now I need a support surface at the pool edge.
Clear span length: 3.80 meters (12.5 feet).
Supports planned on both sides: 30 cm (12 inches).
Maximum height due to construction constraints: 10 cm (4 inches) for the steel beam + 2 cm (0.8 inches) of concrete all around for embedding.
The steel beam will be fully embedded in concrete (pretreated with hammer tone paint to ensure good adhesion), so that tiles can be laid on top later.
Now I want to install a steel beam here but I’m not sure which one is sufficient. I asked three building material suppliers and two steel merchants, but none could give me advice on which steel beam to use, as they’re not allowed, and I would need a structural engineer.
I am not looking for a static calculation or anything like that here, just your experience or opinion so I can decide myself.
The plan was to install IPE 80 or IPE 100 beams / alternatively HEA 100.
Here are two example drawings I created to help visualize what I mean.
Side view
Top view – the steel beam is shown in red
Thank you for your help and feedback.
abc12345 schrieb:
I have the following issue: after the pool was built, I made a design change and installed an in-ground roller shutter cover. A terrace is going to be built over it, and now I need a support surface at the pool edge. The terrace should seamlessly serve as the pool edge, but the cover is supposed to be continuously exposed to water???
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
11ant schrieb:
The terrace is supposed to be seamlessly the pool edge at the same time, and the cover is seriously meant to stand wet???Yes, because the cover is specifically designed for that. And yes, the terrace will be the pool edge, but as shown in the photo, it will not have direct contact with the water.
However, that is not my question or problem.
abc12345 schrieb:
Yes, because the cover is specifically designed for that. [...] But that's not really my question or issue. I never write my answers solely for the person asking the question, but also for the silent readers, who are statistically about ten times more numerous. At least those readers should seriously consider whether parking a cover in standing brackish water of a lagoon is truly the best solution—even if the warranty period is still valid.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Several questions arise here: The image shows a wooden deck ending at a steel beam. A tiled finish is described as the desired surface covering. So, which one is it?
I strongly assume the beam supports itself and the deck. How many people should (are allowed to / can) stand on an area of about 3.5m² (38 ft²) at most? There are regulations for this (keyword: balcony). How much load would then be applied to the beam? This can be calculated independently. What deflection results from the chosen steel beam (depending on the available depth/width)? Reference books can help with this. Can the wood handle it? -> yes (in my opinion). Can the tiles handle it? -> ? (in my opinion, probably not unless they are installed on a flexible substrate). This is just an amateur opinion/estimate.
After 10 years, if you replace the wooden deck, Bangkirai or Bongossi will be worn through or at least look unpleasant, unless you use 50mm (2 inches) or more thickness.
The building material suppliers are wise to do so. Just imagine if the beam fails while five people are standing on it and one falls, injured... Exactly these reasons make it very important to carefully check what you are doing.
All amateur opinion, because:
Technical mechanics was never my favorite subject and it’s now over 30 years ago :-(
But I have already built balconies and terraces myself without engineering calculations, and so far they are all still standing.
P.S. The deflection also depends on whether the beam can be fixed form-locking and force-locking on the left and right sides.
I strongly assume the beam supports itself and the deck. How many people should (are allowed to / can) stand on an area of about 3.5m² (38 ft²) at most? There are regulations for this (keyword: balcony). How much load would then be applied to the beam? This can be calculated independently. What deflection results from the chosen steel beam (depending on the available depth/width)? Reference books can help with this. Can the wood handle it? -> yes (in my opinion). Can the tiles handle it? -> ? (in my opinion, probably not unless they are installed on a flexible substrate). This is just an amateur opinion/estimate.
After 10 years, if you replace the wooden deck, Bangkirai or Bongossi will be worn through or at least look unpleasant, unless you use 50mm (2 inches) or more thickness.
abc12345 schrieb:
... After asking three building material suppliers and two steel dealers, no one wanted to tell me which steel beam to use, as they are not allowed to, and I would have to consult a structural engineer.... I don’t want a structural calculation or anything like that here, just your experience/opinion so I can decide myself. Thank you for your help/assessment
The building material suppliers are wise to do so. Just imagine if the beam fails while five people are standing on it and one falls, injured... Exactly these reasons make it very important to carefully check what you are doing.
All amateur opinion, because:
Technical mechanics was never my favorite subject and it’s now over 30 years ago :-(
But I have already built balconies and terraces myself without engineering calculations, and so far they are all still standing.
P.S. The deflection also depends on whether the beam can be fixed form-locking and force-locking on the left and right sides.
That would be too risky for me. You should contact a metalworker, for example a staircase builder. They either hire a structural engineer, do the calculations themselves, or have enough experience to properly size it. Additionally, they would be liable for ensuring it holds.
For me, saving maybe a few thousand euros would not be worth the responsibility in case of potential damage. Alternatively, you would have to massively oversize it, which probably wouldn’t be any cheaper.
For me, saving maybe a few thousand euros would not be worth the responsibility in case of potential damage. Alternatively, you would have to massively oversize it, which probably wouldn’t be any cheaper.
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