Reinforcing Wood Roof Trusses

Cut plywood gusset plates to fasten together lightweight trusses.

Reinforcing wood roof trusses. It can be nailed temporarily to each truss as the next truss is put in place. Just as there are many types of roofs with many roof parts there are many different types of roof trusses this extensive article explains through a series of custom truss diagrams the different truss configurations you can use for various roofs. When all the trusses are installed and the first row of decking is on this brace is removed. Fashion your own set of plywood gusset plates by cutting thick sheets of plywood to fit over each site where one joist meets another.

When i bought my house the garage roof had a sag. To reinforce the ends of the trusses 3 4 inch plywood gussets were to be attached to both sides of each truss with 10d nails 3 inches on center on all chords. To keep the plywood from cupping under the load 2x4 squash blocks were to be inserted between the top and bottom chords. The central w shape is how most of the loads are distributed and this is where.

These are usually accomplished during a complete re roofing. Pictures of the attic area and a drawing of what each truss looks like and the reinforcement i am considering are attached. I was thinking of adding a vertical 3 to 4 foot 2x4 between the rafter angled upper piece of the truss and the base horizontal bottom piece of the truss on each side as shown in the attached diagram. Usually trusses are put 24 inches apart.

Reinforce your roof a properly constructed roof in areas subject to high winds has trusses attached to walls with hurricane tiedowns properly nailed sheathing and heavy duty shingles. Gusset plates are used to secure the connections between the individual truss components. Consult your local code officials for details. Roof trusses offer a quick and efficient alternative to a conventional timber roof but they re quite delicate when not in their fully braced vertical position.

Thanks for your help. While this article focuses on configurations we also have a very cool set of illustrations showcasing the different parts anatomy of roof trusses. Stabilizing a sagging roof with trusses joists.