Design

A Designer’s Guide to FRTW

Quality marks are not substitutes for grade marks—FRTW will include both!

Insulating Concrete Form Sill Plate Requirements

This Research Report will look specifically at the sill plate requirements according to the 2009, 2012, and 2015 International Residential Code (IRC) and International Building Code (IBC) and clarify if a sill plate is required in the following conditions:

  • Flat truss bottom chord bearing on ICF wall.
  • Flat truss top chord bearing on ICF wall.
  • Roof truss bearing on ICF wall.

Deflection Limits for Floor Trusses - Educational Program

This research report will focus on manufacturer or trade association deflection requirements for a number of floor topping/covering related products where deflection requirements may impact serviceability.

Impact of C&C loads due to ASCE/SEI 7-16 - Educational Program

This presentation provides information on changes to ASCE 7-16 relating to wind loading.

Lumber Design Values

No matter the species, component manufacturers (CMs) purchase and rely on the accuracy and reliability of many different lumber design properties, including: bending (Fb); shear parallel to grain (Fv), compression perpendicular to grain (Fc^), compression parallel to grain (Fc), tension parallel to grain (Ft), and modulus of elasticity (E and Emin).

Seeing the Big Picture in Small Spaces

Just as there’s no one-size-fits-all housing solution, there’s no one-size-fits-all business model for CMs. For the sky-high prices and seasonal swings in the Greater Yellowstone area, tiny houses are uniquely suited to the needs of both buyers and builders.
Teton Truss Tiny Houses

A Designer’s Guide to PTW

Quality marks are not substitutes for grade marks—PTW will include both!

Metal plate connected wood trusses are sometimes used in applications or environments that require the trusses to be designed and constructed with chemically treated lumber. The two most common types of chemically treated wood used in trusses are preservative treated wood (PTW) and fire retardant treated wood (FRTW).

Fire Assemblies: Performance and Application Using Wood Trusses - Educational Program

This presentation provides an overview of fire-rated assemblies that include wood trusses. Topics covered include assembly testing, Harmathy’s rules, and an examination of fire performance in the field. 

Anti Trust Agreements

Question: 

I am looking for a set of guidelines or “rules” for members of the SBCA. Are truss plants really not allowed to speak of business matters? I think that is unfair. I'm not going to call up our competitor and tell them that they aren't charging enough and taking all the business. I just want all the truss plants in my area to get together and decide how we are going to do business. We need to standardize the industry.

Truss Design

Question: 

Recently, I was invited to view a newly-constructed 60 ft. by 36 ft. barn, with homemade big timber trusses as follows: 36 ft. span, 12/9 pitch, construction was 26 ft. 2x12 rafters, bracing 2x6, ceiling joists were 36 ft. boxed, 6x12 out of overlapping (6 ft.), 2x12 glued and nailed center, 16 feet of joist doubled as an 8 ft. high loft, floor trusses were on 12 ft. centers atop posts deeply anchored with good footings, roof and wall cross ties were 2x6 on edge every 24 in., floor cross ties in the loft were 2x8 on edge every 16 in., 4 ft. snow load.