Raising the roof

[Doing it for the kids]

60 x 60 Grainstore, eaves 3.5m, built in the 80's, good floor, 16kw of PV on half the roof.

Has anyone / how easy is it to raise the roof to say 5m (add 1.5m on)?

Strip of the side panels, get a big crane (or 2...) gas axe the steels, weld some bits in, lower roof, weld other bit, re clad.

Sounds easier enough!?

Cheaper to fit new shed over old floor right?

@RWG Contracts

 

[vantage]

60 x 60 Grainstore, eaves 3.5m, built in the 80's, good floor, 16kw of PV on half the roof.

Has anyone / how easy is it to raise the roof to say 5m (add 1.5m on)?

Strip of the side panels, get a big crane (or 2...) gas axe the steels, weld some bits in, lower roof, weld other bit, re clad.

Sounds easier enough!?

Cheaper to fit new shed over old floor right?

@RWG Contracts

Years ago I read about a farmer who raised his shed roof using hydraulic rams welded to the girders and powered by a MF tractor,seemed quite simple, some one will know more about it ,I'm sure.

 

[Happy hillbily]

Years ago I read about a farmer who raised his shed roof using hydraulic rams welded to the girders and powered by a MF tractor,seemed quite simple, some one will know more about it ,I'm sure.

I remember reading that, a potato store i think, wasn't there a tractor for each ram on each post, wouldent want to do that on a breezy day ! Was it in practical farm ideas ? Or one of the weeklys ?

 

[Pan mixer]

Back in the 80's we raised a shed by 7 feet on acrows, it was wooden trusses, timber lined tin roof and about 70' by 20'.

10 acrows a side, it was a terrible job, we kept stacking straw under it (from outside) as it went up which was a good job as it went sideways twice.

During the course of the raising it had to move 4 feet along to one end so there was a great deal of angled propping. It was successful eventually and is still being used, I have just realised that it is in the background of my avatar.

Never again though, too risky, cheaper and safer to start again. All those big bits of steel that look so solid now will become free as a bird when you gas axe them and will be very difficult to fix upright. The risk assessment itself will run to several volumes.

 

[Exfarmer]

Is it a concrete asbestos roof? If so I would say good luck, you will need it, if you are going to try jacking
Other wise it should be feasible, but not sure if cost effective

 

[PSQ]

You would probably need a tame structural engineer to run some calculations on the steel sizes, especially if your increasing the grain loading on the walls.

I had an engineer check over a shed that he had 'passed' 2 years previously, and it transpired the shed builder had specified that the grain store would be 'level filled' to the height of the grain walling, when in fact it was conveyor filled to 1.5 the wall height in the middle. The engineer went pale when he saw it, but he checked the figures using his CAD software and it just squeaked through the minimum required standards.

He also spotted that the shed builder had 'omitted' several diagonal braces that he had specified with the original design, which were eventually retrofitted by the steel company at their cost.

 

[RWG Contracts]

60 x 60 Grainstore, eaves 3.5m, built in the 80's, good floor, 16kw of PV on half the roof.

Has anyone / how easy is it to raise the roof to say 5m (add 1.5m on)?

Strip of the side panels, get a big crane (or 2...) gas axe the steels, weld some bits in, lower roof, weld other bit, re clad.

Sounds easier enough!?

Cheaper to fit new shed over old floor right?

@RWG Contracts

We lifted a roof where I used to work, about 7 year ago now. Took day and day, loosened all the purlin bolts off and lifted each rafter about 6" a time using big channel bolted to the rafter to hold it in place until job was done and then we welded new tops in on the rafter

 

[dannewhouse]

its definitely feasible depends how much you want/need the extra height?

a 60 x 60 shed you could strip the roof off all the purlins off lower rafters to ground then add your extra height with drillings there to rebolt rafters to I reckon a good building erecting team would be just over a week? provided the welding went pretty smooth?

we took a 120 x 60 down fetched it home painted it and re erected it with existing sheets we didn't buy 10 sheets (we put all new clears in but that was our choice) as long as your careful and put them on in the reverse order to taking off don't muddle them up 90% of the holes line up and the ones that don't are covered by the top sheet so don't matter non of the leaking holes some people talk about.

I don't know what it would have been like if it was out of square either 1st or after suppose id be cursing then.

if you did this I would recommend painting the steel and pressure washing the roof, it is a steady job but they look brand new when they go back up not mossy etc.

am I in the right ball park figure that erectors are roughly 50p per square foot? so for £1 you could have it down and back up plus a bit for welding/extra steel?

the 50p a square foot is not far off a guess so I could well be a long way off, does 5000 sound mega without any consideration of side cladding?

 

[renewablejohn]

Big business in the US I dont know why we dont do it in UK. EZ riser system is well established.

 

[BobGreen]

its definitely feasible depends how much you want/need the extra height?

a 60 x 60 shed you could strip the roof off all the purlins off lower rafters to ground then add your extra height with drillings there to rebolt rafters to I reckon a good building erecting team would be just over a week? provided the welding went pretty smooth?

we took a 120 x 60 down fetched it home painted it and re erected it with existing sheets we didn't buy 10 sheets (we put all new clears in but that was our choice) as long as your careful and put them on in the reverse order to taking off don't muddle them up 90% of the holes line up and the ones that don't are covered by the top sheet so don't matter non of the leaking holes some people talk about.

I don't know what it would have been like if it was out of square either 1st or after suppose id be cursing then.

if you did this I would recommend painting the steel and pressure washing the roof, it is a steady job but they look brand new when they go back up not mossy etc.

am I in the right ball park figure that erectors are roughly 50p per square foot? so for £1 you could have it down and back up plus a bit for welding/extra steel?

the 50p a square foot is not far off a guess so I could well be a long way off, does 5000 sound mega without any consideration of side cladding?

50p/ sq ft is long way out

 

[Doing it for the kids]

It does sound it - £1500 won't go v far!

 

[dannewhouse]

50p/ sq ft is long way out

i was judging it on that I have herd of gangs that buy buildings standing at 50p per sqft and sell them steel only at a little over £1 per sqft depending on a few things but they've had to dispose of roof/cladding and purlins? they might get a little scrap for some but its not going to make much difference? I know they wont take much care taking down like gas legs at base etc

in my opinion you have to watch second hand buildings as they often end up more than new, a standard straw barn not particularly high will be 2.50 per square foot as a kit but 1 steel frame by the time you get the roof/purlins/gutter/fixings etc you are more!