When one is running a job, and trusses and floor joists need to be manufactured by the truss company, how does the Contractor handle things?
Does he go to the manufacturer well in advance, place his order and then just call when he’s ready for delivery?
Does he have to time when he thinks he will need them, then place the order and hope they’re ready for delivery when he needs them?
Does he do the floor joists order firsr, then the trusses at a later date, at the same time?
Hopefully you guys can offer insight on how it all works. Thanks
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Replies
I get way out front with the truss order, getting plans and specs to the truss engineer a few weeks before we begin sitework. Sometimes it has taken me three weeks just do all the communcation back and forth that results in a fully-engineered truss package I can sign off on.
Most everyone I have ever worked with has the yard space to build and store the trusses ahead of schedule, then deliver them right when I want them.
Unless your floor system is a truss arrangement coming out of the same truss works as your roof system, there is no need to think you have to order floor structurals and roof trusses at the same time.
Presumably you are going through a pro lumber yard for your floor system and roof trusses. You should ask the manager there how best to proceed with engineering and ordering.
Your best bet is to ask around locally. Things are done so differently all across the country that I have no idea what the norm is down there. What Gene Davis told you is radically different than what we do here.
The lead times from order to delivery vary greatly. Sometimes during the winter we can ship stuff in a couple of days. And I've worked places that have been 6 weeks out when it was extraordinarilly busy.
In some places they only sell to lumberyards. Other places will sell to anyone with a checkbook. Some sell primarily to contractors.
Whatever the case, order them well in advance. Truss companies aren't known for their word in keeping delivery dates.
OK Boss, you said it is radically different. How different? I have had truss plants in Ohio, Indiana, New York, and Quebec all offer and do this . . . the make-ahead-and-store bit. The store time in the yard never amounted to more than a few weeks.
When we're busy, we're often making trusses at 10:00 at night the day before we ship them. There isn't enough production capacity to build things way in advance.Storing trusses is a constant problem. If we have a run of bad weather, the yard fills up fast. We can only store just so many orders. At times we've even had people ask us to keep their trusses inside. Like we've got a couple of airplane hangers out back with lots of empty space or something.I'd say the majority of the orders we do are measured before anything is produced. The GC or framer wants us to measure the foundation to see if it's correct or not. They're often framing the floor by the time the salesman gets there. So if we're 2 weeks out on orders, they're often waiting for trusses.When the salesman shows up, sometimes the customer doesn't even have blueprints. They often make it up as they go along, or just have sketches. Earlier this week I was given a brochure from a tract builder with a few dimensions to use as a blueprint. (That ws a first for me) Then we're expected to draw rough elevations and 3D views to make sure it will look O.K. before we build anything..Please keep in mind that I'm not saying any one way is right or wrong. But your experience may be completely different from what the original poster runs into where they are.
There are 10 kinds of people; those who can count in binary and those who can't.
Thanks
You guys have been a great help.
When this renovation is complete all our welcome to the open house fish fry (i'll be sure to have apple pie). Of course you have to be willing to run offshore with me to catch it though.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Have you seen my baseball?"