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I am in the planning phase of a single storey extension.
I have used both an architect and a structural engineer, and now have the plans.
The bit I am having an issue with is the support over the top of the bifold doors (it's to be a glazed gable end).
The suggestion from the engineer is to use an I-Beam steel and then fill the "I" gaps with insulation and then clad over the whole thing with UPVC, the problem is the doors will be aluminium and I don't really want a mix of plastic and Alu on the end.
Has anyone any experience with this sort of thing, with regards to making the metal work all match?
Something like this is what I have in mind
Any advice would be appreciated.
Stainless steel rod to tie the walls together then do the whole end bit (doors, panel above etc) in aluminium.
You can buy colour matched upvc soffits / facias (esp. if you want Anthracite Grey), but it will look different.
You should be able to get aluminium fascia to fit. Isn't this something the window supplier can help with?
Seems crazy to pay for a structural engineer and an architect to then have to come up with your own ideas 🙂
Anyway, the only bit you'll see is the cladding and that can be anything so may as well be the same material as the doors
architect specs the finishes/doors/windows/cladding etc, engineer makes it work (not usually too fussed about it being pretty as that's the architects job) so sounds like the architect and engineer need to speak to each other. give them both a nudge to get what you want 🙂
Plenty of architectural metal places that fold metal and paint it to your colour requirement (I think that's ral 7016, the current trend).
eg http://contourarchitectural.com/
You just need to get some metal formed depending on size, as above, full bespoke service or any sheet metal fabricators then get it coated/painted yourself. If it's a really long run then maybe look at metal roofers who have stock on a coil and can form returns on site. Or go Romanian style, flash band on to plywood, finish with spray painted aluminium angle top and bottom.
Use of an rsj over that span is just poor detailing and not required as it's not adding bugger all structural capabilities. Any decent architectural glazing company could design a standard curtain wall detail with bifolds as the openers. It may require beefing up your door jambs so they act like pillars though. Where you based?
Hi All, thanks for all the responses.
I'm favoring the "decorative" aluminium sheet approach and will look into that.
wrightyson, I'm based in Wiltshire, but I think reason for the rsj is to hold the walls together as there are no cross members inside the extension (I may have got the terms wrong but I hope it makes sense) so the force from the roof would push the walls apart is my limited understanding.
If the steel is just sat there like on the picture it won't offer any structural capabilities as it hasn't got any weight above it.... unless youve got some kind of steel column on each corner forming a frame with steel for your wall plates too?
it could act as a tie if steel is bolted down to some very large padstones.
are the doors hung off the beam over?
what's the overall width of the extension? doors? size of piers at side?
Our bifold are on rollers on the bottom runner no weight on top just a guide runner.