I am building a mezanine in the new shop.

[kpotter]

I am going to put up a mezanine in the new shop and I have some questions about the size of I beam or wide flange that I need to use. I want to have 10ft of open space at least between posts. I will be storing my inventory and packing supplies I think I will have a couple of tons of stuff up there. Any ideas?

 

[kustomizingkid]

The notorious beam bending calculation... A sophomore level engineering problem that is drilled into you until you want to puke. I recon if every machinist, welder, and general guy knew that one calc you could put a lot of real engineers to shame.

As far as actually answering your question I would want to know how much stuff is really going up there and then add a GENEROUS safety factor because shit adds up quicker than you realize... One time I put a 40hp diesel engine through the roof of an office

 

[Heavey Metal]

If you are going to get a permit going to need a drawing with a stamp.

Let them figure it out.

Need to figure out you expected load per square foot though.

 

[motion guru]

Kevin - I have a complete spreadsheet that I used to calculate everything I needed to know about designing a mezzanine. Your first bit of data you will need is how many pounds / square foot do you want to load it with.

I used 200 lbs/sq ft rating - over 60 tons of load considered even though I doubt I will ever get even half of that put up there. The biggest challenge I had was that I didn't want to add any posts between existing columns. I had to check foundation thickness, column buckling, etc. I am in the home stretch now and it is coming together well.

Common issues are detailed here -> Things To Know When Considering a Structural Mezzanine

If you are wanting a standard width unit (10 ft) and you don't care about posts . . . buy a prefab unit, they are well designed, cheap and knock together pretty quickly. Mine will cost more than I wanted to spend, but it kept my guys busy during a slow time and we all learned something new along the way.

 

[S_W_Bausch]

Kevin, you are a hero to me, congrats on realizing your dream of a decent shop, instead of burning your house down with pennys in the fuse box!

There are firms that make mail-order mezzanines, with prints and all. And a couple were offered in PM classifieds recently.

http://classified.practicalmachinist.com/l/1374/2-Used-Mezzanines-ready-to-ship-from-Central-Pa.html

Are you SURE you need/want to build one from scratch?

 

[kpotter]

I have been learning alot throughout this process. I had to tear down a non permited structure inside the warehouse. It has that accoustic popcorn ceiling in one 10x10 area. I called a demo company they came in and told me it was asbestos and I would need remdiation I did some calling and was told I needed a permit to remove the popcorn ceiling and it would cost about 15 grand for the removal. I was also told if I make any major changes to the property I would need to put in sprinklers and ADA complient bathrooms I checked with the city and they confirmed all that I had been told. I have torn down the structure inside the building myself and hauled it away. If I get this thing inspected chances are they will lock me out of the property because of lack of sprinklers, I will not be getting a permit but I want a safe mezanine. As long as I have no employees I can stay here with no trouble but once I get an employee I will have big trouble. So I will not be getting any employees. I cant believe how hard everything is I am amazed anything gets done in this town. The funny part is I have the same ceiling in my house and if I want to remove it in a residence you can do it with out a permit. Only commercial buildings need to have profesional remediation and permits.

 

[motion guru]

We didn't need a permit for our mezzanine, but we do need a permit for the sprinkler work.

We try to do everything by the book. Yet, we too had an unpermitted structure in our building that needed to be torn down. One weekend with a couple of college kids and a trip to the dump was all it took.

I once had a small tenant improvement project I hired a contractor to do. He said we didn't need to hassle with a permit, I knew better.

We put a set of drawings together and drove to city planning dept and walked in on a Monday morning at 9:00. The gal behind the desk was doing a "shadow" of one of the inspectors. Apparently she was a city commissioner or some such thing, and was looking into complaints about how hard it was to get permits. She walked us through the whole process and by 11:00 am we had our plans stamped and permit in hand . . . Our contractor said he had never seen anything like it . . . (A miracle) were his exact words.

Sometimes regulations are a complete hassle, but you are always better off playing by the straight and narrow.

 

[kpotter]

I have witnessed first hand how patient the city is. The c of O office said we will get everyone eventually there is no rush. I read that a mezzaninne is a capital improvement and is classified as a piece of equipment, so no permit is needed. That is good news thanks. I dont want to run afoul of the law it is too big of a pain to get back in line. The big mess that was in that building made it possible for me to buy it cheap. I am meeting with a structural engineer this weekend he is an iron expert. The guy who does my weldin is a union ironworker he is going to help me put the thing up.

 

[tailstock]

We put a mezzanine across the end of the shop by using a forty foot flat bed trailer deck stripped of all it's running gear. A bit of overkill but no worry about load rating and no fab cost. Put up cement piles and had a machinery mover come in and set the deck on top, works great .

 

[metalmaster10]

We put a mezzanine across the end of the shop by using a forty foot flat bed trailer deck stripped of all it's running gear. A bit of overkill but no worry about load rating and no fab cost. Put up cement piles and had a machinery mover come in and set the deck on top, works great .

Not a bad idea there... I see those trailers for sale for a couple thousand... Cheaper than buying the material. And, they are built to haul 40,000 plus! One big issue with that much weight is the foundation on which your beams set. If you are going to have much weight you will need some concrete pilings as mentioned here. My dad bought a building 20 yrs ago that someone had just put the posts on the concrete floor... And the posts were driven thru the floor and the whole floor buckled up for 20 feet around the post area

 

[Maathai]

Not a bad idea there... I see those trailers for sale for a couple thousand... Cheaper than buying the material. And, they are built to haul 40,000 plus! One big issue with that much weight is the foundation on which your beams set. If you are going to have much weight you will need some concrete pilings as mentioned here. My dad bought a building 20 yrs ago that someone had just put the posts on the concrete floor... And the posts were driven thru the floor and the whole floor buckled up for 20 feet around the post area

Agree with your opinion and professional tips. I am also recommends to your tips for newbies.

 

[kb0thn]

what wonderful SPAM you contribute

Agree with your opinion and professional tips. I am also recommends to your tips for newbies.

what wonderful SPAM you contribute!

 

[Paul1935]

Even if it is asbestos in your building I believe that you can get it removed relatively inexpensively. My brother used to do the remediation, and how he got his "license" is he went to the local community college for an 8 hour course and he was then "licensed" in Pennsylvania. The license may work in other states, As I remember he travelled a great amount of time for the company that he was working for and it was in fact Interstate travel not just Intrastate.

This may be an option for you as well, I cannot imagine that AZ. is more restrictive than PA.

Hope this helped

Paul

 

[Chip Chester]

kpotter, check this out: 20'x20' Steel mezzanine w/ sprinkler system and stairs

Also, there's a 10,000 square-foot one in Columbus, OH... but looks expensive to dismantle and ship... Maybe a group buy? There are probably similar opportunities in every state.

I have some 5000 lb per shelf pallet racking in the garage at home, and with the right flooring, that could be the basis of a mezzanine, too. You'd probably end up with pallet racking shelving below, and mezz above, rather than the usual 'mostly clear space' below philosophy. But it would be pretty cheap, and likely not raise the eyebrows of the building folks. The top would be just one big shelf, with stairs up to it.

Chip

 

[Milacron]

what wonderful SPAM you contribute!

Is he spamming ? At quick glance of past post all I see is that he is making worthless comments rather than spam specifically. But if you see spam, please let me know and he will be toast immediately.

 

[sealark37]

Calculate the heaviest load that your forklift would be capable of placing on the mezzanine, then engineer the steel beams needed to support twice that load. It sounds like overkill, but it is not fun to see people run out of an office while it collapses on their desks. Regards, Clark

 

[sae8425]

motion guru –

regarding your mezzanine spreadsheet – PM sent

 

[henrya]

First, how large will this mezzanine be?

Sounds like a job for wood construction if that is allowed in your type of building. A "couple of tons" spread over a 10X20 floor area isn't much at all. And a span (spans) of 10 feet is not that difficult either. And it'll be lots cheaper and easier than steel.

If its not too big, I'd just build a timber frame type structure, properly braced and decked with plywood. Build stairs on one end or access from a lift or ladder if you're not going up there very often. You will need a railing that meets codes.

 

[kpotter]

I checked the price on W-8 beams I want to use them for the whole thing any opinions. I cant stand wood it rots it burns and I am no good at working with it.

 

[henrya]

I checked the price on W-8 beams I want to use them for the whole thing any opinions. I cant stand wood it rots it burns and I am no good at working with it.

You're in Arizona. Wood doesn't even begin to rot there, especially not inside a building. It does burn.
And since you're so sure your W8 beams will do the job then get crackin' - don't waste your time asking here.