Putting up shelving for heavy stuff in the loft

[Nesmy]

Hi folks,

I do understand loading loft floor is a no no, I already boarded up most of the loft and so probably am near the weight limit but could I put up shelves on the walls for really heavy stuff? Would that have the same effect on the house as putting shelves up on any other wall in the house load wise? Or is it going to put stress on loft structure in any way?


Its a mid terraced house and im planning to put up 500mm wide shelves supported by heavy duty 300mm brackets and attach fixings with chemical anchors which are my recent favourite.


Thanks in advance for any guidance!

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Our terrace has a habitable loft space which 'er indoors uses as her sewing den. There are Spur uprights fitted at both ends of the loft space, plugged and screwed to the gable end walls to carry a lot of her sewing tackle. The only thing to watch out for is that some terraced houses only have a single skin of brick in the loft and the mortar work isn't always the best quality if the loft space isn't habitable

 

[Nesmy]

Why is the brickwork quality lower in the loft than elsewhere in the house? Am i correct to understand when things are hung onto the wall there is no load on loft joists/roof trusses? Thanks.

 

[Deleted member 174758]

Why is the brickwork quality lower in the loft than elsewhere in the house?

Because it wasn't ever going to be seen! That means you sometimes find poorer quality mortar, gaps in mortar, broken bricks, etc. Some houses don't even have a dividing wall in the loft. That's Victorian builders for you.

Am i correct to understand when things are hung onto the wall there is no load on loft joists/roof trusses?

Terrace houses generally have a different roof structure - often two purlins per side with rafters nailed onto the purlins and to either side of the timber ridge beam at the top. They may or may not have a wall plate at the tops of the front and rear walls. AFAIK truss roofs are very rare on terraced houses, although I have seen a couple of (late, 1920s) examples built that way

 

[Nesmy]

Sorry, I'm just terrible at explaining things. Im quite a newbje to all the technical terms regarding roof structures, my loft looks roughly like in the picture attached to this post

 

[Deleted member 174758]

You did say "mid terrace" and as most terraced houses were built in the Victorian and Edwardian periods... most of what I said holds. In general, other than public sector housing, most private housing built from the late-1920s to the early 1960s was semi-detached - earlier properties oftent had a cut roof - later ones (after WWII) tended increasingly to have Fink truss roofs (i.e. factory made). BTW, more modern houses, post WWI, tend to have better masonry in the attics, in part because building inspectors became more vigilent. Either way, the attic gable walls will still carry the load from shelving

So, how old is your property? And are the binders for the rafters horizontal/vertical, or in a W-pattern?

 

[Nesmy]

They are horizontal and not in a W shape. Just straight lengths of 2x4 spanning across the width of the loft and attaching to roof rafters. Old ex-council house, build circa 1962.