My garage is 25×25, single story and trusses are holding up the roof.
I would like to take out the trusses to increase head room for storage, lights, more inviting work space, etc.
Is it possible to replace the trusses with some form of 2x wood? I’m not looking for detailed directions, just curious if this is even a possibility.
thanks
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Replies
Not a good idea.
.
.
"Thank goodness for the Democrats! If you are terminally unemployable, enjoy living off of govt welfare and feel you owe society nothing you're in luck: there is a donkey waiting for you."
It's pretty well accepted that trusses are an ENGINEERED design, and therefore don't respond well to on-site modifications. Every, and I mean EVERY peice that goes into the construction of a truss sreves a very specific function. Probably best to leave 'em as is.
The best reward for a job well done is the opportunity to do another.
anything can be done once you get an engineers opnion to give directions as how to do it. Odds are it won't be simple.
actually, it is pretty simple, but it is far from cheap. Almost easier to tear things off to the top plate and start over
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
well, if you're gonna lift the roof might as well look at a 2nd floor
What you are suggesting is completely reframing the roof, which is certainly do-able, but you will drive yourself totally 'round the bend if you try to do that from inside the roof sheathing, removing one truss at a time and trying to insert rafters and screw then to the underside of the roof sheathing without piercing it.
The better way to do this is as follows:
Bring in a very good shovel operator and a 20-yard RO-RO container. Use a sawzall to cut the trusses loose from the top plates. Cut a couple of small holes in the roof spanning two or three trusses, and run a chain in one hole and back out the other. Hook the chain to the shovel's bucket, and get off the roof.
Tell the operator to remove the roof and crunch it up and put it in the container. The whole thing will be over in a couple of hours.
Now stick-frame any form of roof you want on the garage, then sheath and cover it. If you put a gambrel or mansard roof up there, you'll get enough headroom and floor space to treat it like a second storey.
Dinosaur
How now, Mighty Sauron, that thou art not brought
low by this? For thine evil pales before that which
foolish men call Justice....
sister a rafter to the top chord...
install the ties....
repeat for as many trusses that you have....
cut out webs and bottom chords of the trusses....
leave top chord....
the fly in the ointment is the rafter at the bearing point....
that's gonna be some kind of birds mouth.... it will probably be big enough to compromise the roof's load rating....
save time and money...
tear of the old... stick frame yurself a new roof...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
Something you missed.He wants to do this to gain space overhead.
That means no rafter ties, so he needs a ridge beam that will carry the distance. So how does he get that in there with the trusses in place to sister rafters to it?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
my bad....
tear it off and buld to liking it is....
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
"So how does he get that in there with the trusses in place to sister rafters to it?"
A wizard?
Very , Very Carefully.
They can't get your Goat if you don't tell them where it is hidden.
I suggested the same thing. I was thinking he could temp support the rafters, cut out the truss boards, then ram a ridge beam through the gable end.
where do you set the ridge beam to sit correctly to the 'rafter' member of the trusses?
John,
I'm just the idea guy. You have to figure the details out yourself.:>)
Edited 5/15/2008 4:21 pm ET by MSA1
I was hoping you wouldn't say that. might have to get me thinking on a rainy day...
Yeah, it's all possible, but still easier to just rebuild from top plates up
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I dont know Piffin. It depends on how old the roof is, no sense in reroofing if you dont need to. I may be dicey installing a ridge beam, but it can be done.
well, if it can be done, then surely you have an idea or concept to share with us?
I'm better on brainstorming on site, but if I have to guess, i'd probably forego the birdsmouth to accept the beam.
How about beveling the top of the beam to accept the angle of the rafters?
If you were assembling the beam from three pieces of dimensional lumber, this shoudn't be too difficult.
It's actually just basic carpentry. Cut the slot: insert the beam. It's probably a good idea to shore things before and during the cutting of the slot. Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
I don't dispute that it can be done one bit.I also know how much labour is involved in safely placing a ridge beam from up in under
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I agree that it makes a lot more sense for time and aggravation to start from top plate. I did just have a thought tho....
If you had to lose the "w" in the trusses, and let's say the roof was relatively new ( shingles ), what if ya cut holes in the gable end, and slid a steel or built up lvl thru at the points where the trusses intersect with a supporting member? Usually on a truss 25' wide, probly a vert at the center, with one diagonal at the center. The attachment of said beam at these points and the ridge would be a ### buster, but the points mid-span that are engineered to cut down the span on the 2x4 rafter part of the truss would still be supported. Just a thought, although if a customer were to ask if I had any ideas to avoid tearing off the roof and starting over, I think I'll forget this one :)
Bing
That is really getting out on the deep end engineering AFAIK
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Just spitballin'...........sometimes I don't know enough to shut up :)
Bing
Can you get a ridge beam up in there?
I wouldn't cut anything on a truss. As another post said every piece is necessary or it wouldn't be there.
Yes.
You would essentially be transforming the entire assembly into a conventional system. Your 2x4 top chords are insufficient to carry your roof load, so those would have to be beefed up.
You desire to create headroom would cause you to make a choice between a structurally strong ridge which would prevent sag, or leaving several bottom chords of the existing truss to prevent the outside walls from spreading. If you can live with just three of these chords left intact, you probably could get an engineer to stamp your design even if you sistered the trusses without adding any ridge.
Bob's next test date: 12/10/07
I've no experience in this, but I seem to recall a FHB article where they used a fabricated steel angle plate (like a V) bolted on to avoid ties and ridge beams. Just some food for thought.
There has to be something substantial to bolt that onto, which does not exist in this case.
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Doable, been there done it.
Size an appropriate conventional rafter.
Sister to existing truss. When cutting rafter cut ridges so the rafter meet in the middle and will be supported by a structural ridge from underneath.
Install all the rafters.
Open end to slide in structural ridge.
Jack up to relieve load from trusses.
Support on ends as needed to foundation.
Attach rafters to new ridge
release jacks.
Start cutting trusses chords. (Usually lots of pucker factor on the first one.)
Not as hard as it sounds.
Bruce
Of course you can remove those trusses. Just leave the ones that keep the roof from crashing down on you - or your car. The only trick is figuring out which trusses aren't doing anything, anyway. - lol
absolutely, it is very possible to remove all of the trusses, and reframe the roof with dimensional lumber for a cathedral ceiling in the garage.
it would be a fairly simple job for a framer, it could easily be done in a week.
Or one day with good crew!