TRUSS, TRUSS, and More TRUSSES! September 2014

The truss roof was a lot of work, and took longer than we had anticipated due to the complexity of the roof.  We had decided during the planning process that we would hire some help for the roof, and we hired BP Builders to help with some of the trusses and finish the roof afterwards.

The photo below is standing in the house, looking towards the back of the house.  The framed area is the master bedroom, bathroom, laundry room and closet.

The Lull was a fantastic piece of equipment for placing the trusses since it it easily maneuverable and can extend it's reach to place the truss almost exactly where we wanted it.  Technically, it's described as a telescopic forklift.  It's more maneuverable than it looks because it has all wheel steering and crab steering, so the front set of wheels and back set of wheels can steer separately.  I have never seen that before and thought it was pretty impressive.

The photo below shows us using the lull to place the first truss over the dining room.  You can see how far the arm is able to extend to reach the location of the truss.

Aligning large trusses in the foyer of the house.

We also continued to use the backhoe and crane to place trusses when this was the better choice.  Below, the trusses in the main section of the house are being placed.

In the photo below, you can see our progress with the trusses over the main part of the house and the dining room on the right side.

The design of the house incorporates a covered patio, and the framing for this was started as the trusses were being installed.  We had already poured the footings for the patio and backfilled.

In the photo below, the trusses have been placed over the covered front entry and are getting ready to be installed.

 The photo below is taken from standing in the living room, looking towards the kitchen, foyer and stairwell.  At this point, the trusses have been partially installed, and there is no plywood on the roof.

This photo was also taken from the living room, looking at what will be the kitchen!

The front entry roof has been completed with a small overhang, and you can see the plywood on the backside of the roof.

The dog is just too cute not to include photos of him.  But don't let his looks fool you.

He is out at the building site almost every day in the good weather, and he loves overlooking everything from this rock, and letting us know as soon as someone pulls up the driveway!

We were really happy when the last truss was placed… after 163 trusses, this was a fantastic accomplishment!  Below, the large wall of windows is being framed.  

Inside view, looking at the foyer and stairwell (below).

Inside view taken from the front door, looking at the living room (below).  Some of the plywood has been installed on the roof.

You can see the framing of the overhang over the living room windows (below).  The trusses had to be specially designed to be able to accommodate this 2 foot overhang, with a top section of 3 foot overhang.  The end two trusses had to be built lower so that the framing for the overhang could be attached to the top of the trusses, and therefore provide enough support for the weight of the overhang.  

Next we will be finishing up the plywood and then shingles!