Western Red Cedar Timber Framed Greenhouse

[Jason S]

So we are building a house this year on our 9 acres. As much as I would live to do a timber frame it will not be in our budget.  We are in clearing land and have been accumulating some nice logs which I am treating correctly and plan on sawn soon.

So some is Douglas Fir which I plan on beams for a car port and woodshed from. Now I have some cedars. My idea is this. Get as many 6"X6" and 8"X8" beams from.  I want to adapt the Sobon garden shed to a certain extent. Do a 10'X14' version with lower side walls and lower pitched roof. Playing with the idea of switching to a kings post design as I find them very pleasing to the eye.  Would build on a stacked Granite Rock base. With a layer of pressure treated between. The side walls the braces would be set to be flush on inside allowing for clear polycarbonate panels set inside timbers on inside. Roof would be greenhouse polycarbonate panels.

I know cedar is low on strength. But will this be doable. All wood sawn is extremely clear. I have been cuttin tops where knots are for firewood.

I need an visually pleasing building as this will be the first structure you see coming down our half mile driveway. Wood shed comes next and then a barn.

[Heartwood]

Jason,
Sure cedar will work, if visually graded and sized properly for snow and live loads. You should design the building before milling the timbers, though. How do you know you need 6x6 and 8x8? How will an 8x8 beam join a 6x6 post, for example? I suspect you'll want some 6x8 or 6x9 beams going into 6x6 posts. If using a king post (and ridge) you'll be putting a point load in the middle of a beam, rather than the Sobon design that sends the roof load out to the plates. Here's a woodshed design we're building this year that's close to what you describe, I think; it has a 10' x 12' deck with 3' front overhang. Note the struts to the king post in the front, and the horizontal plates braces since we took out the lower braces in the front because of headroom.

[Jason S]

So ordered two of Mr. Sobons books today and another also. Does anyone have something like the shed above in a sketch up file? I downloaded and have been playing with that this afternoon. To be honest the structure will be light because the dead load will be light for one. Polycarbonate roofing panels don't weight much. Snow load my ULTRA conservative county lists at 30#. No permit required to build this shed so am not going to worry about that. Lived here since 1993 and the most snow I have seen is 3-4 inches. A 12/12 pitch roof and slick polycarbonate panels I should have to worry about It. Am a good woodworker and have cut tons of tenons/mortises and dovetails by hand. That's one of the reasons timber framing intrigues me.