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Framing a Spire?

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I've got a stairwell that I need to frame at my commercial building.

For some odd reason I'm considering building a spire/steeple/observation tower. I read our town's building code, and it specifically states that tower's and steeples shall always be allowed, and their height's are unlimited. The point of the tower would be an interesting place to have a beer, and an interesting place for the kids to have a hideout.

From the ground the peak of my building is currently about 30 feet. The stairwell I'm building will have a section 5x8 feet outside the building envelope.

I'm thinking a 5x8 tower up another 12 or 16 feet would be neat.

The shitty black plywood is where the stairwell is getting framed.

spire.jpg


This is a sketchup diagram of the building and my proposed stairs. The stairs you see are outside stairs (not in the stairwell). On the left is what I'm framing now (in blue). On the left is what I'm thinking of building. It would be open with just a wall mounted ladder to get to an upper platform with windows in all four walls.

spire2.jpg


Can't find much online about how spires and steeples are framed. I'm thinking just balloon framing and overlapping 16 foot studs should get me up there and avoid any wall hinge problems.

So, flame away I guess? Not really even sure why I'm posting this.
 
No overlapping studs. Frame it with stacked wall sections and use hold downs with all-thread on the corners and inverted hold downs at the top plate of the lower wall. Sheer the wall sections. Where it narrows down, you'll have to build a floor and go up from there. You can use foam for the chamfer or frame it out depending on your exterior waterproofing.

HDU8-SDS25HDG_RI.jpeg?keep=c&crop=0&quality=80&u=cjmyin.jpg
 
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No overlapping studs. Frame it with stacked wall sections and use hold downs with all-thread on the corners and inverted hold downs at the top plate of the lower wall. Sheer the wall sections. Where it narrows down, you'll have to build a floor and go up from there. You can use foam for the chamfer or frame it out depending on your exterior waterproofing.

Cool, I thought I couldn't stack wall sections unless there was a diaphram (floor) at the joint.

Not sure about narrowing it down, watch-tower/fire tower top would be neat.
 
My first question.
Building code states what?
second
how do you plan on transferring shear load, wind and vertical?
Hold downs and sheerwall, as stated above are key as are drag struts.
starting on second lift is a bad idea.
You want the tower\spire supported and it's weight transferred directly to the base\foundation.
cool idea!
ok wood butcher's ' lets build something
 
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My first question.
Building code states what?
second
how do you plan on transferring shear load, wind and vertical?
Hold downs and sheerwall, as stated above are key as are drag struts.
starting on second lift is a bad idea.
You want the tower\spire supported and it's weight transferred directly to the base\foundation.
cool idea!
ok wood butcher's ' lets build something

It will be built on 12 inch "commercial" block wall, basically a foundation.

See the pic that has the shitty plywood on it at the bottom, that's all 12 inch block, and the plywood is covering an original doorway with a concrete header above the door.

At this stage I could even put in some steel members at the corners.

I'm off to google drag struts.
 
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Since youre probably going to need a permit you probably need to have actual stamped drawings made. To get stamped drawings youre going to need a architect design the thing.
 
Since youre probably going to need a permit you probably need to have actual stamped drawings made. To get stamped drawings youre going to need a architect design the thing.


Engineers have stamps.
This should be buildable without either an architect or an angineer. Grab a copy of your province's building code from the library, and design it yourself. If you can show that everything is within the spec of the code, there will be no need for an engineer. And always avoid architects, they have too many ideas like sticking a fuckin church spire onto the side of a warehouse.:fangers:
 
Since youre probably going to need a permit you probably need to have actual stamped drawings made. To get stamped drawings youre going to need a architect design the thing.

Not sure where he's at, but I live in Cali and have built many structures designed without any stamps (as in sketched by me on a napkin and translated to velums by an unlicensed drafter)

With regard to the floor diaphram, that can be overcome with horiz/diag sheer or tension/compression members or corner continuous steel members, but this will require some input from at least a CE till you get over 4 stories (in ca). I don't know enough about your planning process to advise, but there are a shit ton of ways to do what you want without a huge design effort.
 
Cool, I thought I couldn't stack wall sections unless there was a diaphram (floor) at the joint.

Not sure about narrowing it down, watch-tower/fire tower top would be neat.

Whats your 20? I am giving you the most stringent code for a CA Class A Commercial, NON-OSHPD/DSA. It could be less, but there is not much difference in the UBC unless you're somehow exempt from other codes.

If you're just commercial, I'm 99.99% you can make your building look like a church....which it would. If you're convincing enough, I don't know of any legislation about turning it into a cult.. You can even make them practice drinking cyanide, as long as its not real cyanide. I wasn't of the impression that you'd have a chilled cyanide dispenser on the top floor. Am I wrong?
 
I feel like this has Netflix original written all over it.

Do you own a bulldozer?

But seriously, a lookout for drinking beer would be awesome, as long as you dont lose it because of resistance from the local .gov.
 
I feel like this has Netflix original written all over it.

Do you own a bulldozer?

But seriously, a lookout for drinking beer would be awesome, as long as you dont lose it because of resistance from the local .gov.

Then it will double as a clock tower :laughing:
 
Whats your 20? I am giving you the most stringent code for a CA Class A Commercial, NON-OSHPD/DSA. It could be less, but there is not much difference in the UBC unless you're somehow exempt from other codes.

If you're just commercial, I'm 99.99% you can make your building look like a church....which it would. If you're convincing enough, I don't know of any legislation about turning it into a cult.. You can even make them practice drinking cyanide, as long as its not real cyanide. I wasn't of the impression that you'd have a chilled cyanide dispenser on the top floor. Am I wrong?

I'm in Northern Ontario (Canada). I thought I had put that in my profile. I see it's not displayed under my avatar...
 
I feel like this has Netflix original written all over it.

Do you own a bulldozer?

But seriously, a lookout for drinking beer would be awesome, as long as you dont lose it because of resistance from the local .gov.

This is more of an Andrew Camarata thing than a Jim Jones thing.

awd.jpg

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Commercial construction? What's the requirement for fire suppression there?
 
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