[The Coastal Craftsman]

Hey guys. What do i need to know to calculate the max unsupported span of a truss. Just bought a house and wife wants a wall knocked down.

The lower chords are resting on a wall in one half of the house and on the other half of the house they span the whole width with no support! I cant tell if the wall not being there is from new or was done after it was built! They are same trusses along the length of the house also. This is going to decide if i have to replace a wall or can remove one so marriage could be in trouble depnding on answer :sad:

Cheers guys

 

[The Coastal Craftsman]

Cheers guys. I will get some more details next time im at the place. should be tommorow.

Framerman perhaps this is why there is a wall missing in half the house and not the other. Always though some load had to be taken by internal walls. So its good to know the house is gonna be ok if i leave it how it is.

 

[The Coastal Craftsman]

Trusses usually bear only on outside walls. Not very often is there any load bearing in mid span. You still need to get the truss engineer out to look at it and someone to sign off.

Framerman you got any more info about getting a engineer out to take a look at this wall that needs removeing. I have never had to do this so im curious to know how i go about getting one? I have spoken to some contractors and they said they have never bothered when doing what im doing but i dont wanna take any chances. Plus it cant be that expensive can it?

 

[The Coastal Craftsman]

Famous last words.

I want to say that it should be fine, but those too are famous last words. I cannot guarantee that your situation is good to go. I'm just saying that in general, trusses are designed to span from outside wall to outside wall.

Take a camera into the attic and take pictures of the trusses in question. If they are a standard Fink truss (w-shape)

or a Howe truss

then it should be perfectly safe. These will be your most common truss designs. I would guess that you have Fink trusses.

The final call is on your part. If they look any different than those two pictures, then absolutely get someone out to look at it. If it's a Fink or Howe, then like I said, it should be good to go.

BTW, make sure it is a truss. Rafters and ceiling joists are a different ball game.

Post those pictures.

Yeah i bet it's more than i am thinking. always is. heres the pics of the trusses.

 

[The Coastal Craftsman]

Cheers guys. The area of wall that she wants out is only going to leave 2-3 trusses without the wall under them so im not removing the whole length of support. Im just no truss expert so want to double check my options. :thumbsup:

Also whats the deal with all that white stuff over areas of the ply? Their aint been no leaks but it the first time i ever seen ply go like that in a loft!

 

[The Coastal Craftsman]

I aint been up there and had a great looked around yet but seems to have very good ventilation with the 2 vents on each gable end. Hopefully it's not mould. it smells better up there than in the house lol

 

[The Coastal Craftsman]

Isn't this a framing topic?

I don't think there is such a thing as an interior load bearing wall under roof trusses, is there? I have never heard of one. There are interior shear walls under roof trusses, that's the only thing you would have to watch out for. It's real unlikely the wall you want to tear out is going to be a shear wall though.

I def aint a expert but i thought shear walls used plywood or diagonal braces? These walls just have upright 2x4's with drywall!