TIL shipping container roofs can collapse under just 6 inches of snow if you don't brace them right

Read it on a structural engineering forum last night after a guy posted photos of his flattened build from a storm in Colorado, and now I'm triple-checking my own roof supports before winter hits here in Ohio.

2 comments

2 Comments

robinl9022d ago

Watch the angle of your roof too, flat roofs collect snow way faster than anything with a pitch. I'd add extra crossbracing every 4 feet if you're going into a heavy snow zone like Ohio.

fiona_lewis3722d ago

Flat roofs are the worst for snow, I learned that the hard way after watching a neighbor's shed roof cave in a few years back. You really want to look at how your crossbracing connects to the main beams too, not just how many you have. A lot of folks bolt them in wrong and the whole thing just twists and buckles under the weight. I'd also clear any snow buildup around the edges where the roof meets the walls, that's where the stress concentrates first. And check your local building codes, Ohio's got specific snow load numbers that contractors sometimes ignore on builds like this. Better to overbuild it now than shovel out a flattened container in January.