Modifying Garage Roof Trusses

I looked at couple of alternates and determined that we could work from within the garage attic modify the existing trusses so that the top part in the middle of the roof will be piggy backed on the flat part of the bonus room.

Modifying garage roof trusses.

Home owners should avoid cutting or modifying their roof trusses. The role of the horizontal beam is to tie the truss together and carry the load that would otherwise be sustained by the support and vertical timber also known as the king post. Click here to get free fast bids from local structural engineers who can help you modify your trusses. These trusses are usually engineered by a structural engineering company to carry a specific roof load.

When a truss becomes damaged cut or modified there is a chance of a structural overload or that they will not perform properly. You can modify the trusses but it s an enormous amount of work. Don t modify cut wood trusses. Measure in from the lower edge of the roof to a point 1 4 the width of the truss on either side of the attic.

We looked at the structural arrangement of the garage and the surrounding area. Position the 2 by 4 so that the mark you made is on its inside edge with the width of the board against the upper and lower cords on the outside of the mark toward the eaves. Mark a line on each 2 by 4 at the top of the lower cord and the angled bottom of the upper cord. My recommendation is really simple.

Use a chalk line to draw a line along the floor parallel to the lower edge of the roof from one end of the attic to the other on both sides. If you live in a house with engineered manufactured trusses then don t mess with them. Also if you decide to do this you must work hand in hand with a licensed structural engineer that s familiar with wood trusses. One use of trusses is for the support of a roof they are similar to roof rafters.