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Brettny
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# Posted: 9 Jan 2026 05:38am
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14x18 will be bigger than you think if your sleeping in a loft. Our temporary cabin was 10x14. We had a propane stove, fridge, bunk bed, countertop and wood stove in it. Yes it was tight but fit 3 adults durring hunting season.
I would get rid of that middle beam. 14' I believe is really on the edge of needing it and just that one beam adds alot more labor and expense. If you must keep it theres really not much holding you back from going 16' wide and really needing it. Your going to have a easier time finding 16' lumber also.
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DRP
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# Posted: 9 Jan 2026 07:55am
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Use the span tables rather than guessing. 2x12's are used for 16' spans. With floor trusses and I joists I've gone up to 24' spans with no center girder.
I suspect this is not congruent to the triangle.
Correct, I'd hang the rafters from a ridgebeam.
R802.3 Ridge.
A ridge board used to connect opposing rafters shall be not less than 1 inch (25 mm) nominal thickness and not less in depth than the cut end of the rafter. Where ceiling joist or rafter ties do not provide continuous ties across the structure, a ridge beam shall be provided and supported on each end by a wall or girder.
aside; This is a footnote from the rafter span tables in chapter 8 (that's the roof framing chapter)
.The tabulated rafter spans assume that ceiling joists are located at the bottom of the attic space or that some other method of resisting the outward push of the rafters on the bearing walls, such as rafter ties, is provided at that location. Where ceiling joists or rafter ties are located higher in the attic space, the rafter spans shall be multiplied by the adjustment factors in Table R802.4.1(9).
With 2x6 walls I would notch in a 2x6 ribbon for the loft joists and avoid all those jacks. Look at the right side 2nd floor joist support in the fig below. That is a holdover from balloon framing, with 2x6 walls I let in a 2x6... Do fireblock each stud bay between floors, the downfall of balloon framing was fire could race up those tall hollow walls... thus the call for blocking at each floor.
BTW, going back to the original floor ideas, some background knowledge might be in order. When looking at 2x4's and 2x6's notice that the 8' and 9'er's are often stamped "stud". They are graded as a column not a bending member. Never lay a stud down. It is a #3 with #1 edges... not worth a damn as a beam or joist but has enough edges to catch sheet goods.
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DRP
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# Posted: 9 Jan 2026 08:07am
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Another thought depending on access at this spot.
If you can get trusses and a boom truck in, "room in the attic" trusses can create a good loft space fast.
When in doubt I get them to come look at access, alot of what I read is city people saying "the truck can't get there" when all they really know is their fiesta can't get there. Our operators like a job they can brag about  .
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TNwoodsman
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# Posted: 9 Jan 2026 11:43am
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Thank you DRP for your wealth of knowledge.
One upside to this particular site is that it is accessible.
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DRP
Member
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# Posted: 9 Jan 2026 04:40pm - Edited by: DRP
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Another way to get more room upstairs is to have trusses incorporate a porch roof, then the rafters are springing from the wider edge of the porch rather than from the building line. Below are a couple of pics from an attic truss job. Notice they did a sidewall in the lower set to give us a room inside.
attictruss.jpg
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atttruss.jpg
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DRP
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# Posted: 9 Jan 2026 10:41pm
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As you think about that 1st building.
In that same "neighborhood"... in the same part of way back of beyond, was another job. Cool neighborhood, about 500 acres inside the national forest that a group of friends bought when the ornery old timer died.
It's all just thinking stage right now, rather than being beat up you are being exposed to ideas.
This was a cool job. The garage with MIL suite above was what we built first, attic trusses are laying in the driveway.. toy parking/shop below, apartment above. The dog in the driveway was one of the best we've ever had. Mrs client lived there as soon as we could get her in, for the duration of the main build. 2nd shot you can see the shed dormer in the MIL/garage, there was a matching shed dormer on the other side of the ridge, we are starting to lift the timberframe main house in the background.
As time went on, we took care of my MIL here and they took care of his MIL there, she never lived in the MIL suite, preferring full service in the main house During the main house construction I had a shop set up in the garage where we milled timber and trim, finished and parked their stuff in secure storage. Friends, family, a caretaker have all lived in the MIL apt.
If it is going to be multigenrational, think about getting the scale right. Do, but plan. I've worked for the 7th generation, the thinking is different.
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