How To Attach Roof Trusses To Wall

The ledger is needed to properly attach the perpendicular roof trusses to the top of the structure.

How to attach roof trusses to wall. As with rafter style roofs toenailing is one of the most common ways of attaching a truss style roof to a wall plate. Use screws to secure the rafter to the sill plate. A ledger is a horizontal board that is attached to the top of the wall. Use bracing to keep the trusses in place as you work your way across.

Although a roof truss may be heavier and more difficult to maneuver onto the top of the building than conventional framing lumber once there it can easily be slid into position and secured. Walls that are constructed of concrete block that need to be covered with a roof will require the use of a ledger. Joist hangers can help you mount each rafter to the house. If you decide on a shallow pitch porch roof use 2 by 6 foot rafters.

Some building codes around the country require the use of a hurricane tie also shown above to add extra reinforcement for holding down roof trusses in the event of very strong winds. The porch roof may match the pitch of your home or have a more shallow roof pitch. The beam extends to the far end of the roof hanging over the trusses still sitting there. After attaching your truss make sure it is plumb before proceeding to the second one.

Roof trusses are prefabricated wooden roof members that combine the rafter and ceiling joists of conventional framing into one structural piece. Nail a long 2 by 4 to the underside of the rafter on the opposite side of the truss from your diagonal brace so that it extends along the length of the roof passing through the second truss. After setting the second truss in the same manner workers attach a ridge beam to the peak of both trusses.