First off, what does the building code where you want to do it say? Obviously the dimensional lumber you'll get out of a mat will be huge overkill structurally speaking unless you're ripping it down or building a bunker, but there are always a million crazy regulations so better to be safe than sorry. One of the biggest hurdles I can see is that you aren't using pressure treated lumber. Most of the time that's okay except in ground contact, near ground contact or in a masonry basement for interior walls, and you can maybe even get away with it by treating it yourself with certain products, or buying in pressure treated for those few areas, but every area is different so check before you build!
The mats I'm familiar with are untreated wood because of the environmental regulations about the chemicals in pressure treated lumber leaching into the ground and the fact that if the mat sinks too deep and gets left behind by accident when being used for things like pipeline construction out through the wilds then it has to be completely biodegradable.
Second, are these used or new mats? How much wear have they had? Are they still good and sound all the way through? Do you have the equipment to do things like move them around, take out the bolts and rip them down to make things like your roof trusses?
Personally I would do it log cabin style. Take them apart, then stack them back up. You'd have one heck of a solid build at the end, and that place will stay standing for the next 150 years barring termites and such.
I think it's a great idea. If you go for it please post pictures!
I love rusty junk. So when I saw this bucket at a yard sale I liked it too much to pass it up. The question now is, what do I do with it? My only thought is to turn i...
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Does anyone have any ideas of things to do with empty cat litter plastic buckets? I did take a foam square and covered the bucket and foam with fabric to make a quick...
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We now live in a rural area with no trash pickup. I am separating our trash and doing what I can to compost, feed the chickens, burn or store to take to the dump. I...
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I am beginning to make a little private garden in my drive. I have no yard but have a small parking area off my drive, plus another entrance. And of course limited in...
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Don't see why not - depending.
First off, what does the building code where you want to do it say? Obviously the dimensional lumber you'll get out of a mat will be huge overkill structurally speaking unless you're ripping it down or building a bunker, but there are always a million crazy regulations so better to be safe than sorry. One of the biggest hurdles I can see is that you aren't using pressure treated lumber. Most of the time that's okay except in ground contact, near ground contact or in a masonry basement for interior walls, and you can maybe even get away with it by treating it yourself with certain products, or buying in pressure treated for those few areas, but every area is different so check before you build!
The mats I'm familiar with are untreated wood because of the environmental regulations about the chemicals in pressure treated lumber leaching into the ground and the fact that if the mat sinks too deep and gets left behind by accident when being used for things like pipeline construction out through the wilds then it has to be completely biodegradable.
Second, are these used or new mats? How much wear have they had? Are they still good and sound all the way through? Do you have the equipment to do things like move them around, take out the bolts and rip them down to make things like your roof trusses?
Personally I would do it log cabin style. Take them apart, then stack them back up. You'd have one heck of a solid build at the end, and that place will stay standing for the next 150 years barring termites and such.
I think it's a great idea. If you go for it please post pictures!
Fascinating. Would you use them vertically?
Please let us know if you do anything with these grown-up pallets.
Did you ever end up building with the crane mats? We are considering doing the same