I LOVE homemade I LOVE homemade fresh baked bread. I LOVE homemade rice pudding. I do NOT love homemade roof trusses. That is not to say that they can not be made properly. In fact all trusses when they were first invented were “homemade”----that is, made on site. I have even built them myself, and they can actually be stronger than manufactured trusses from a factory. The key is that there has to be some understanding of how trusses work and what they are capable of doing, what they need to be able to do-----and they need to be built to meet the needs of the span they are crossing. Current regulations require that all trusses be “engineered”----whether site built or factory built. It is smarter to go with the factory built ones---and more cost effective too. Most of the time, it is not possible to even buy the truss materials for what a truss manufacturer will deliver them to your site for----including hoisting them to where they will be installed. So why would anyone build them themselves? Well, in the case of the ones pictured below, it was probably because the second story addition to the garage was done without permits in “the middle of the night.” Considerable sagging of the roof was evident and can be seen if you look at the very last truss and see how the bottom of the truss is not parallel to the top plate of the end wall (lets not even talk about the framing around the window). There are WAY better things to be doing in the middle of the night!
pie.
Charles Buell
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Click on the Rose to check out: AHA!---A Forum of Landmark Proportions---your Group
PS, for those of you that are new to my blog (or for some other "unexplained" reason have never noticed)all pictures and smiley-face inserts (emoticons) (when I use them) have messages that show up when you point at them with your cursor.
My WORDLESS WEDNESDAY pictures and some selected POEMS & STORIES.
Great blog. I love home made apple cobbler!!! Made some last night!!
Cindy---thanks---good one, and I forgot brownies and chocolate chip cookies:)
Very funny post!
Lise, thanks----I truss you are right:)
Charles, Charles, Charles, you are looking at it all wrong, you need to look at the artistic part of the work. You know the old saying, Never know when one will find a treasure in your attic. LOL............Yea right.
"There are WAY better things to be doing in the middle of the night!"
Hallelujah, can I get a witness?
Roy----or bats in ones belfry:)
Alan, in a word----negatory:)
I think I've seen that garage before!
Teresa---I hope not at your house:)
Charles - well it does look "engineered" a few other words came to mind too... LOL ~Rita
What do you think he was thinking when he threw that together?
Homeowner engineering. You have got to love it......NOT!
Rita---I will go with the "other words" for now:)
Michael----probably something like, "Well, this should work":)
James, they are a thing of beauty aren't they?
Mr Charles,
I am sure they would support my weight just fine. I like your graphics and think the two of us should get together for an old-fashion lemon squeeze. Up for it.
Nutsy at the keyboard
So would the spit on my barbeque.
I am not too sure I would truss my weight on that roof or not. What a mess...
Your building consultant for life in the Fairview, TN area - Michael
Ho Ho...I love the same things, especially the middle of the night stuff! (What a classic title!) Charles you have the most unique way of writing about structural defects ever! I am still laughing and please keep up the good work!
Michael---not sure I would want to jump on it too hard:)
Russell thanks-----and keep smiling:)
Charles, at least they saved a few bucks, right! After all that was the point..... He he.
Now someone is going to have to spend a lot more than they saved:)
Picky, picky Charlie -- The only problem I see is he used a bit too much Elmer's glue...
Jay---I know, I know----I hate it when I am in a nit-pickin moon.
Never a dull moment in the life of a home inspector. I'm with you, there are better things to do in the middle of the night...like sleep and dream of homemade trusses falling on your head.
Charles those are good looking trusses! Like stairs, you gotta do da math.
Much better things to do in the middle of the night...like blog on Active Rain :-)
As a builder I have had all kinds of building nightmares. I have also wakened in the middle of the night with the solution to some building problem:)
Looks like this must be the "New Math":)
True Jim, but I was only thinking of star gazing and getting up to pee:)
Mr Charles,
Have you enjoyed my other fruit costume. My orange suit. Which do you think is the most flattering? I really do want a fruit outfit that everone will like.
Nutsy at the keyboard
I really think that "fruit cake" would suit you the best