Moving in the Wind…

Ever been sitting in your living room watching TV during a fierce wind storm and it feels like the whole house is shaking?  It’s during this time when the framers’ attention to detail is truly tested, especially in the roof framing.

With the advancement in technology, manufactured trusses have made home building, specifically building a roof, much more efficient.  This of course saves time and money.  The unintended consequence; however, is the heightened necessity of the attention to detail required to properly secure and brace them.  Sure, trusses are great in that the math is already done.  Gone are the days where carpenters are framing roofs with framing squares and carpentry books.  Now as long as you can measure 2′ centers, you can pretty well layout and execute a truss plan.

However, if not properly tied down, these trusses form together to make a giant kite.  Bad for any practical roof application, but great for an entertaining YouTube video.  The problem is that trusses tend to be just heavy enough to stay in place when you set them on a calm day, but just light enough to take flight at 3 am when that 40 mph wind gust blows through.

Don’t be too worried, by the time you are sitting comfortable in your warm living room listening to your windows whistle like a train station, the roof framing in your attic has gone through a couple of building department inspections and, hopefully, an observant general contractor’s double check.