8.5' x 40' Wide Clear Span Modular BoxBlind

I have designed loads of this type of mod buildings
two three storeys no problem the struct uses continual columns to bear the weight
I worked at a place called willerby holiday homes in the uk

hELLo!?:O

Brad, I agree there are some glitches that need to be worked on (like how to put the first floor ceiling onto the second floor box smoothly), I will work on it some more. The way I am stacking your modules is the way it should be done and the beam drop down is the locking joint and key to it's functionality. There will be no beam drop down every 8' as you think presently. It is designed to have a smooth ceiling throughout the entire assembled structure as you want. You could build a model off my drawings and improve on it if you can. Like you said, we are looking for concept and I know mine works. The beam pockets are solid wood studs supporting the beam end. I could draw it for you but we are getting beyond concept already. Your idea of building modular boxes is great and I commend you. I am trying and will figure it out without all the gaps in your design. Design is my field of experience. This is a fun job and I am enjoying the challenges !!

Jim,

Sorry for being out of pocket yesterday. I love the drawings, but we are still apart on the concept a bit. Here is a quick list of where we're off:

1. The ceiling of each box will need to be installed and drywall hung, in the factory. From the drawings it looks like you have the ceiling attached on the bottom of the floor of the upper box.

2. Due to above, in my mind the glulam beam will need to be part of the lower box and serve as the termination point for the ceiling to be hung with joist hangers. The beam would bear on the short exterior walls, with adequate support. The box would be constructed with wall panels, then the beam would be placed, and the ceiling (w/ drywall) would be dropped like a cap on to the box in the factory. The hangers holding the ceiling cap would install on the face of the beam and flush at the bottom so the drywall ceiling will be flat and continuous to the beam. Once installed in the field, the beam would be bare, as would the beam next to it and the joint would be covered and finished once all boxes are set. So the boxes in profile view would be a box with a rectangle protruding beyond the the top on one side or both depending if the box is an exterior unit or exterior. Your sketch 4 and 5 show a notch in the wall of the lower box and this is actually the opposite of what I had in mind as this would mean the beam would be dropped and there would be a beam protruding down from the ceiling every 8' feet or so and that would be terribly unsightly.

3. Because of , the beam is protruding beyond the top plane of the lower box, the floor joist for the upper box would need to be a floor truss with a top mount flange (I tried to portray in my scribbling I attached to the original request for design. The connection of the floor joist with the lower box on the exterior long wall is actually more concerning as I haven't quite worked that one out, but there is more opportunity to work out the details at a later point in time. I do agree a TJI would be more economical (perhaps not as the floor truss could be produced in the same factory as the wall panels, but I digress), however it would a difficult exercise to crane the upper box in place in the field and try to get everything to align into joist hangers.

Other than those items, the idea is on track, we are just seeing the beam placement differently. For me, the ceiling being flat across the entire plain, no matter how many boxes are used per story, is the essence of this project as this would over come some of the issues in appearance between current 16' wide modular box designs and site built homes. The idea of using "the beam" is to keep the interior design possibilities as numerous as possible to help bridge the gap in home buyers perceptions when comparing modular type construction versus traditional site built homes as ultimately this is the biggest hurdle in this whole en devour and the regulatory issues, but that is a whole different conversation for a different time.

Again, I can't tell you enough how much I appreciate your input so far.

Thanks,

Brad

Brad, center sections coming tomorrow, thanks...

Jim,

Thank you for your interest in my project, your insight is most welcomed. The method to my madness is to find an alternative to the modus operandi of the current home building industry, which I am a part of professionally. Rising costs, labor shortages, etc. are quickly diving the home building industry off of a cliff. The idea here is that some form of modular will be the answer, but not in it's current form, I don't think. The size I am looking for is the max sizing +/- for a load to be shipped over the road with out special permits and/or license and can be hauled with a heavy duty truck as opposed to semi's. I have attached a second file to the listing showing the max dimensions (ignore the roof in the drawing as it's not exactly what I have in mind). Therefore, height is paramount and I think with a 9-1/4" floor system, 9' walls and a 11-7/8" beam of some sort on top of a low deck trailer of 32" would keep the box right at the max 13-4".

Thanks again for your interest and assistance, and I look forward to your sketch.

Sir, I am submitting a sketch that I believe is along the lines of what you seek. If you want more clarification, please let me know and I can add more info.
I am hoping that a 1/4" steel flitch plate (2-required) between each (3 LVL's) 1 3/4" x 11 7/8 glue lam will do the trick but I'll leave that to the engineers to determine.
I also believe that a ledger plate or metal joist hangers will be adequate joist hangers off the beam. There may be some advantage to having a deeper (taller) beam so that you may have space for ducts and pipes to hide. Taller LVL's will require fewer LVL's as well and may not need the steel flitch plates per my recommendations. I can draw the details as we progress with your needs. The stud walls that support the beam will have beam pockets built into the end walls. I would stay away from steel I beams because the codes would require you support the beams at each end with steel columns ! Fun Job !!

Jim,

You are correct, an LVL isn't going to work with out breaking the span. More than likely steel or a wide Glulam, if anything will work. I am looking for a visual representation of the idea so I can share with Engineers and Designers and work out the details.

This is an attempt to work out an idea and drawing is not a skill I possess, so I am looking for help on here. With that, I intend to work out the engineering if the idea can hold any weight, pun intended. Thanks for you comment.

I'm not an engineer but I doubt a 3.5x11.75" LVL will span 40" in a floor situation. I doubt it would span any opening with a load placed on it. Is it your idea to build a three sided building 8.5 feet wide x 40 feet long, two story's high ? Where does the 12" I beam come into play ? Your drawings look like you plan for the buildings to be placed open side to open side as well as two story. Is that correct ? Double wide trailers are built similar except they don't build them two story high and never any open sides that span more than about 16 feet. This project needs an engineer badly, or allow the truss joist manufacture design the opening requirements through their facilities. If you buy the product from them the engineering is free..