truss question, I know just enough to get into trouble
I’m looking at a cieling remodel, they would like to add a vault or tray cieling at the master bedroom.
Thirty five foot end bearing W-style truss with a peak hieght of approx. 6’6″.
Colorado so assume heavy snow load and high wind.
Cieling remodel would affect approximately 17′ to 20” of the truss.
Does this soind doable? Yes I realize there is a slew of varibles involved , thank you for your help.
JIm
Replies
jimatgreatwhite wrote:
I'm looking at a cieling remodel, they would like to add a vault or tray cieling at the master bedroom.
Thirty five foot end bearing W-style truss with a peak hieght of approx. 6'6".
Colorado so assume heavy snow load and high wind.
Cieling remodel would affect approximately 17' to 20'' of the truss.
Does this soind doable? Yes I realize there is a slew of varibles involved , thank you for your help.
JIm
In the world of residential remodeling just about anyhting is doable. It all comes down to ability and money.
How much do you have at your disposal for this project?. Part of the "ability" aspect should involve a professional engineer. Hire one.
JIm, educate your client on the expense that truss re designing will intail. Get specifics on your trusses and specifics on your vault and take them in to a truss manufacturer/distributor. they will have the capability to either design the desired vault or direct you in the direction of the person or group that can.
like you already are aware these things need to be dealt with carefully. can it be done? absolutely, wont be cheap but very doable.
If they're a 35' span and only 6' 6" tall, they're a pretty shallow pitch. That complicates things a bit. the more depth you have to work with the easier the trusses are to modify.
If you're on an outside wall near the heel of the trusses, there's isn't much depth there. If you're towards the middle of the span you might have some hope. If you can find a way to pick up some internal bearing that will also make a lot of difference.
If the trusses aren't too old and you know who built them, go to the manufacturer for specific advice. They'll know exactly how the trusses were built, sizes and grades of lumber, etc. That's the best possible starting point.
If not, they'll just tell you to hire an engineer. Hopefully they can direct you to one who is familiar with trusses.
Honestly - Over the past ~30 years I've been asked this question a lot of times. Not one person I've worked with has ever gone through with it once they found out how extensive the repairs would be and how much it would cost.
Hi Jim, glad I peeked in here.
You say the trusses are 35' long. How wide is the room perpendicular to the truss span?
Any chance you can post up off of walls to beam across the width of that room?
width of room is..............................
Oh I'd say about the same 17-20 feet. We've just begun the discussion on this part of their remodel. They are repeat offenders, kitchen and living room remodel, then two baths followed by a couple of window seat additions and covered deck update.
Thanks for the interior bearing suggestion Jim and B,Hogg. I'll run it by one of our truss designers at the local yard to see what they think.
Good to see your name Mr. Blodgett.
Well as someone once said "at
Well as someone once said "at my age it's good to be seen"!
Last time anyone called me "Mr" I knew I was in for an ass chewing.
Well as someone once said "at
Inadvertent double post. Sorry.
Existing ceiling height?
Leave truss as is, cobble on fake vault by 'lowering' the apparent side wall height.
Otherwise - steel and lots of bolts; or, jack the entire roof and raise the top plate and leave truss as is.