Don’t know if any of you guys are using Open Joist 2000 trusses (made by UFP) in your jobs. We just framed out the floor system on my new house with them, and the guys who helped me all kept saying how nice they were and easy to work with. Most of you frame with TJI’s or similar, as do my crew, and I’ve got three guys now who say they’d like to use the Open Joists.
They are lighter than dimension lumber, maybe even lighter than a TJI, no drilling or punchin holes for electric and plumbing, come in standard heights so you can use standard rim board, Simpson makes hangers for them, and the 2-1/2″ wide nailing surface is great for someone who is a complete novice with a framing nailer and misses occasionally. Plus, you can cut almost a foot off of them to fit your space, no engineering required like with metal plate trusses.
Not trying to make this an advertisement, but I was really happy with the way they went in, and the cost was only a couple hundred bucks more than solid web joists for a 1550 sf deck.
Replies
Congrats on your find. However, please consider that if you have a fire in your house, you will lose your floor with deadly speed. Many fire companies will not enter a residence with open-web floor trusses. My point is moot, however,if you have a fire protection system (sprinklers)
You have a valid point. There are a couple things I haven't mentioned, which I will:
The OJ2000 trusses are all constructed without the use of metal plates. All of the joints are glued with resorcinol glue and finger jointed. The use of solid wood for all of the parts represents a slightly longer burn time, due to thickness, than a similarly sized solid-web joist. I would actually consider these to be safer than an I-joist in an intense fire. Not much, but slightly.
I can say this based on an engineering background and eight years experience in the fire department. I'll be the first one to respond if there's a fire in my own house. I could install a floor-specific sprinkler, which I might look into. There would be a significant insurance savings if I did so.
FWIW, my fire department won't go into a building with truss construction either, unless we know in advance it's a minor call (such as a chimney fire or furnace malfunction).
I did look into using solid wood 2x12s as joists, and due to local issues with quality and cost, decided that the best solution was any type of open web floor truss. The Oj 2000 was readily available.
I used the Open Joist 2000 in a home in 1999. It was a wonderful product, with all the advantages you say. When I sold the house in 2003, due to a forced job change, there was still not a squeek anywhere in the house.
When using them the rim board should be an engineered lumber as well. If dimension lumber is used it will shrink down, leaving all the load on the trusses. They can take the load, but it's not the strongest form of construction. It's good that the truss joists match standard materials in size.
Yup, I used an OSB rim board, and Microlams for headers at the stair and fireplace openings. No solid stock in the entire floor system, except for the POS PT sill plates. Ironic, considering the house is a timber frame.
We also used Advantech subfloor - nice stuff, we'll see how it holds up. 16" o.c., 3/4" thick, glued and nailed w/ 8D ringshanks at 6" intervals.