How to build a house in Vancouver 12 (Ordering Trusses)

Now that the framing is well underway it is time to order trusses.

There is 2 ways to do this, on simpler houses as long as the house has been built exactly to plan they can be ordered off the drawings. This will allow the project to keep moving quickly since the trusses can be delivered right after the walls receiving the trusses are erected and braced. Some things to consider when ordering the trusses are heel heights, as most homes are built to max height allowed these must be kept as per drawing to avoid being over height. Skylight placement is also to be considered carefully at this point, with simple skylights 2′ wide these can be accommodated by ordering 1 extra truss if the section of skylight has typical trusses ( the same truss is on both sides of the skylight ), for areas where this is not the exact location of the skylight must be communicated to the truss manufacturer. For larger skylights this is also the case, remember that skylights cannot be placed within 9″ of any ridge or valley ( obviously a skylight cannot be installed on or near a change in roof pitch ).

Its good to review the truss shop drawings with the framer to ensure that everything is correct. For more complicated homes or if any changes have been made while framing its best to wait until most or all of the walls have been built and have the truss manufacturer’ representative do a site visit with you and the framer to do a site measure to ensure an accurate order. Remember to double check your floor assemblies and heights against the drawings to make sure that the walls receiving the trusses were built at the correct height, if they are over and you are at max building height, this is the last chance to correct by reducing the pitch of the trusses/ or reducing the heel heights so your building will not be over height.

Make sure that your site is fully ready to receive trusses, proper access, walls are fully built and properly braced, and either yourself or your framer is on site to recieve the trusses and ensure that they are placed where they are supposed to go as well as in the correct order ( its very difficult to move trusses by hand, especially if it is a tall building ).