Fixing Roof Trusses To Wall Plate

The ledger is needed to properly attach the perpendicular roof trusses to the top of the structure.

Fixing roof trusses to wall plate. Squaring and fixing the wall plates to the brickwork. The legislation states that where any roof truss rafter or beam is supported by any wall provision shall be made to fix such truss rafter or beam to such wall in a secure manner that will ensure that any actions to which the roof may normally be subjected will be transmitted to such wall. Fitting roofing wall plates top plates setting out squaring levelling and fixing strapping gable and hip roof wall plates for rafters joists and roof. If is wasn t for this joint a rafter or roofing joist would only balance on top of the wall plate making fixing difficult not to mention the fact that there wouldn t be any solid connection between the roof and the supporting walls below.

A ledger is a horizontal board that is attached to the top of the the wall. Birdsmouth joints cut into roofing rafters and mounted in place on top of the wall plate. First work your way along the brickwork and clear any snots off. Fixings used to connect the roof structure to the wall plate should be specified according to the roof construction and exposure of the site.

Set out the ceiling. Walls that are constructed of concrete block that need to be covered with a roof will require the use of a ledger. As with rafter style roofs toenailing is one of the most common ways of attaching a truss style roof to a wall plate. Toenail a truss into the top of the wall plate by nailing through the sides of the bottom chord at a 30 degree angle.

These are some examples of truss repairs performed by carpenters who were given detailed drawings to follow. Install a hurricane tie bracket in the joint between the top plate and the bottom board of the truss nailing through each hole in the bracket into the top plate and bottom horizontal of the truss. Standard repair detail to replace a missing stud on a gable truss. Standard repair detail to pad top chord to match roof plane 2 1 2 minimum.

Install one bracket for each truss to the top plate on each wall. For truss repairs to be effective the gusset plates must be in contact with the wood members and the nails must extend through all members. Where trussed rafter roofs are not subject to uplift a minimum of two 4 5mm x 100mm galvanized round wire nails skew nailed one on each side of the trussed rafter or truss clips fixed in accordance with the manufacturer s instructions are acceptable. Given that this section of the bottom chord is likely where one of the connector plates that hold the truss.

Drive the nail through at an angle beginning the nail 5 cm 2 inches up from the bottom of the truss.