Products

Question: 

We are looking into developing the attic space above our garage into a media room. The garage is attached to the home and we would enter this area from the living room. We recently read if you have a truss system that in order to develop the attic, one would have to replace the entire roof with conventional construction. My question is: can we safely develop this trussed area above our garage?

Question: 

I am thinking of using wood trusses for the roofing/ceiling structural systems on some houses I shall build. I remember, though, an engineer/volunteer fireman commenting back in 1989 that the connector plates are prone to expand and pop off, early on in a fire, causing catastrophic structural failure. Was this the case, and if so, has this problem been corrected?

Question: 

Girders are trusses specially designed to carry extra loads that are a result of the structural framing members they support. Sometimes a single ply girder truss is insufficient to carry the entire load, so the truss designer designs a multiple-ply girder. This is where identical trusses are built and fastened together to act as one unit to support the load. ANSI/TPI 1 states that girder trusses up to three plies thick can be fastened together with nails. Girders over three plies must be pre-drilled and bolted rather than nailed.

Question: 

I am a structural engineer designing pool cage structures that are typically attached to the house at the fascia board. Sometimes, the structure is attached where trusses are behind the fascia board and other times there is a framed gable end overhang. Do you know of any information concerning this additional load on the trusses or overhang under design wind loads? Is there a limiting distance on the amount of overhang? I know trusses are designed for certain uplift and the pool cage will add to this uplift at design load, but what about the gable end overhangs?

Question: 

I am building a new shop that is 30 ft. x 32 ft. I need to free-span the 30 ft. dimension. Where can I get a load chart that recommends lumber size and strategic locations of the angle braces to support the free span? I am going to field erect the trusses and stick build them on the building.

Question: 

What is the industry standard for ordering residential roof truss systems: Should the general contractor/builder field measure before ordering trusses or should he rely on the blueprint? Who is responsible for their accuracy – the plan service, the truss manufacturer, the builder/general contractor or the framing contractor?

Question: 

I am a building inspector and have some questions regarding how to apply IBC 2012 2308.8.5 (IRC 2012 R802.8) (similar IBC 2015 2308.4.6 & IRC 2015 R802.8) to trusses, especially those with high heels:

Question: 

I need to know how to repair a hole that has been drilled through a truss. In installing the wiring we improperly put the wires through the truss and now need to know the proper way to repair it.

Question: 

Can you explain drag loads and how to calculate a drag load pertaining to roof trusses?

Question: 

Do you have information on purlin grades and species to meet 50 psf top chord live load using 2x4s on edge 24 in. O.C. over trusses at 6 ft. O.C.?