Building some stairs..

[BellyUpFish]

Well, I had intended to just build a ladder to access the upstairs of my shop, but after using the stairs in my pops shop, a ladder seems silly.

So.. Stairs..

I'm planning on cutting the trusses and doubling them where the red rectangle is.

I've built lots of things, but I've never cut into a truss, just figured someone here could tell me if I was about to pull a whoops.

Anyone?

 

[BellyUpFish]

 

[pattenp]

I would be very hesitant cutting a truss because it is engineered to spread loads. You really need to know what you are doing. Normally stair opening are made by using two truss sandwiched on each side of the opening with purlins perpendicular in between. Plus on top of it all it doesn't look like your truss are designed for a floor load.

 

[BellyUpFish]

Plus on top of it all it doesn't look like your truss are designed for a floor load.

What makes you say that?

Supposed to be designed to "200lbs/sq ft."

 

[walrus]

Bottom chord doesn't look very large but maybe it is. Doesn't look like it would hold up a floor? Especially being spliced

 

[BellyUpFish]

Bottom chord doesn't look very large but maybe it is. Doesn't look like it would hold up a floor? Especially being spliced

Supposed to be. I guess it's time to find out. Bottom cord is a 2x6, it is spliced though.

 

[readhead]

What's up with the hole framed to the left?

 

[BellyUpFish]

What's up with the hole framed to the left?

Plans were to mount a hoist and pull whatever I wanted to store upstairs without having to carry them up the stairs.

 

[ddawg16]

The last place you want to cut is where the truss stud connects to the bottom cord. That will drastically reduce the strength of that truss.

Why can't you move it over?

 

[readhead]

Was that hole designed into the truss package?

 

[ddawg16]

Or consider going with a spiral staircase like I did.

 

[BellyUpFish]

Was that hole designed into the truss package?

Supposedly and doubled the trusses on either side of the hole. But with the "that doesn't look like it'll support a floor comments" who knows..

The last place you want to cut is where the truss stud connects to the bottom cord. That will drastically reduce the strength of that truss.

Why can't you move it over?

Or consider going with a spiral staircase like I did.

I'm not stuck on that location, but I'm close. May just go back to the "ladder on the wall" idea, if the trusses were even calculated for floor loads.

I've sent the builder a message for the specs, I guess I could have made a horrible decision in trusting him.

 

[teal95]

Going between trusses on 24" centers gets pretty tight. I'm planning on something fairly similar as I'm tired of the ladder and the 22" width of the opening. At the very least I would think your doublers would need to extend to the joints on either side of where you're going to cut.

 

[Toolfool]

Looks like somebody already pulled a whoops.

 

[BellyUpFish]

Looks like somebody already pulled a whoops.

The hole?

 

[Kevin54]

I'm not an expert, but I don't think I would want to have a floor and store stuff on a system made out of 2x6's. I would want floor joist to be at least 2x10's then have the proper tongue and groove OSB put down for your floor. I believe that is either 3/4" or 1". I can't remember now what I had to put down when I built my family room.

How much headroom do you have upstairs, and what are you going to be storing up there? Were the trusses designed for a room or are those your standard web trusses, and you are wanting to store items between the webs? And if there is room to walk around above, how large of an area is it? Could you possibly sister 2x10's to you bottom chord?

I know....I have a lot of questions, but I need to really see the overall picture in my mind.

 

[BellyUpFish]

I know....I have a lot of questions, but I need to really see the overall picture in my mind.

I have about 8'x12'x48', the floor is already installed.

The trusses were supposed to be designed for a load. We will see what happens when I talk to the builder.

I don't want to store engines and transmissions, just small stuff that I don't need laying around the main shop floor.


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[readhead]

The first hole is how you frame a hole into a truss system. It can be done but you need to have an engineer design the hole to maintain all the load paths. Those appear to be common trusses and I would be surprised if they have anything more than collateral load capacity for drywall, lights, duct etc. The bottom cord height is not an indication of capacity.

 

[teal95]

The in law suite above my shop was designed as living space and has a 10'6" span in the middle over a 30' span overall and the bottom chords are 2x6. I doubled up most of them anyways as the floor was a little too bouncy for my taste.

 

[BellyUpFish]

I'm waiting to hear back from the builder, it's supposed to be usable as storage up there. LOL

Gonna be a little hot if it's not...


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[RocketScott]

Find out who made the trusses and go talk to them. It's possible they can redesign the trusses for what you want to do. Typically the first truss behind the gable gets left out and all that gets framed in with floor joists and regular rafters.

 

[BellyUpFish]

Find out who made the trusses and go talk to them. It's possible they can redesign the trusses for what you want to do. Typically the first truss behind the gable gets left out and all that gets framed in with floor joists and regular rafters.

That's the plan. Waiting to hear from my builder. Most likely Monday.