HOMETIME, How To Framing Roof Basics. Virtually all roofs on new homes today are built with pre fabricated trusses. These go up much faster than hand framed roofs, and even on a small addition its often easier to order a few trusses and set those than to frame the roof by hand. So well assume that most people will lean toward trusses in their own projects and explain the following basic steps on how to build a simple gable roof with trusses. For definitions throughout this project, see Framing Glossary. But theres always a bit of hand framing to be done on a new roof, even if the main structure is built with trusses especially on additions where the new roof usually has to be tied in to the old roof or to an existing house wall. And you might be interested in a couple other roof projects. How To Install Roof Lookouts' title='How To Install Roof Lookouts' />Prevent Ice Dams With Air Sealing and Insulation Roof ventilation and rubber membranes are admissions of defeat. How To Install Roof Lookouts' title='How To Install Roof Lookouts' />So in our next roof framing page, Special Roof Techniques, well give you a quick idea on how to tie a new roof into an existing one, how to hand frame a small hip roof and how to build a gable dormer. CAUTION Roof work is always dangerous, so please read over some Important Safety Information weve filed on site here before starting your next project. Ordering Trusses Roof trusses are generally made to order for a given construction or remodeling job, and they usually require about 2 to 3 weeks of lead time. On most projects, your lumberyard or home center can place the order for you, but you must supply the dimensions, pitches and styles gable, hip, flat. Those are usually available on the plan which you need to get your permits anyway. Hometime explains how to frame a roof including trusses, overhangs, sheathing and soffits. When the floor is laid out, I start drawing a picture of the gable end, using the plate or kneewall height and the roof pitch to arrive at lines that represent the. Marking Cap Plates Once the walls are plumbed, squared and straightened theyre ready for trusses. But before raising them into position its best to measure and mark on each cap plate where the heel of each truss will land. Theyre usually secured 2. Depending on the design, it may also be necessary to space the first two trusses 2. Mark the truss positions on the opposing cap plate starting from the same end where you started measuring off the first cap plate to line the trusses up properly. Securing Gable End Truss To frame a gable roof, the truss manufacturer will include 2 gable end trusses which are assembled with more vertical members than the other trusses to support the gable end sheathing. Raise one of these into position first at one end of your truss run, usually at the point where you started your measurements, make sure its flush with the outside edge of the cap plate its resting on and toenail it in place. Nail 2 or 3 2x. 4 braces from the truss down to the ground outside the structure. Use those to hold the truss plumb and screw the braces into stakes driven into the ground. IMPORTANT Be sure to add any lateral or vertical bracing required by codes in your area to resist high winds. Your local building officials will help familiarize you with the necessary steps during the permit process. Lifting Trusses Once the gable end truss is fully secured, plumbed and braced, you can raise the other trusses up onto the walls. This can be awkward since trusses are usually long and unwieldy. On large projects, contractors will often hire a crane to lift the trusses up. Doing it by hand is possible and cheaper but it requires adapting steps similar to those below to fit your situation. Set one end of a truss on one wall plate with the truss upside down. Set the other end on the other plate. Swing the truss into its upright position. Rest it against the gable end truss already secured. Raise the other trusses the same way, one by one, and stack them against the gable end truss, making sure the other gable end truss is the last one to go up. Two people can handle this routine if they have ladders and scaffolding standing by to safely climb up into position to swing the trusses up and stack them up one by one. But ideally, there would be a couple people up on the wall plates pulling the trusses up and a couple people below pushing especially on 2 story buildings. And possibly a fifth person with a pole or a 2x. Positioning and Bracing Trusses After the trusses are all stacked up on the wall plates, you then walk them back into position one at a time starting with the second gable end truss which goes on the far end from where the trusses are stacked working your way back to the first gable end. Its a good idea to brace the second gable end, plumb it and secure the same as described on the first gable end. But dont try to brace each of the following trusses like that. Instead, have a few 8 1. Mark those off with the same 2. Then once you have a few of the trusses in place, nail the end of the brace over the second gable end truss up along the peak and then nail it to the other trusses, lining each one up with the marks you made. Thatll not only set the proper spacing but it will also plumb up the other trusses assuming the gable end truss is still plumb. TIP Sometimes that second gable end truss is NOT exactly 2. In that case, just measure the exact distance between those two trusses along the cap plate and move the mark on the end of your brace as needed to match that distance. Building Gable End Overhangs Sometimes gable end trusses are made 1 12 or 3 12 shorter than the other trusses you order. Thats to help you extend the roof out a few inches over the gable end. Task Manager Has Been Disabled In Vista. Once the other trusses are in place but before you start sheathing, mark the tops of the gable end trusses and the trusses next to them 2. Cut a series of 2x. Nail the lookouts in place with their ends nailed to the side of the first full trusses and the other ends running out over the gable end trusses with the tops of the lookouts flush with the tops of the full trusses. Sheathing Roofs Before putting on the sheathing, you should plumb cut the rafter tails to their proper lengths and install a sub fascia board if thats to be part of your soffit framing so you know where to start the sheathing. Set a level against the wall and use that to measure along a level line to the bottom of the first rafter tail, moving the level up or down till the tail hits the length of your overhang minus 1 12 for a sub fascia. Put a mark there, make the same measurement on the last rafter tail and snap a chalkline between the two marks, marking the bottom of all the rafter tails. Use the level to mark a plumb line up the side of each rafter tail at the chalk mark and cut along those lines with a circular saw. Then cut and nail the sub fascias in to the ends of the rafter tails, extending as needed at each end to account for the gable end overhangs. The first course of sheathing then goes in along the bottom of the trusses. You can set the first piece on either end, lining it up with the outside framing, but if youve built an overhang thats not exactly 2. Nail in as many pieces as needed to reach the other side, letting the end of the last piece run wild. Start the next course of sheathing on a different truss to stagger the seams and strengthen the roof and continue sheathing the roof till finished. Snap chalklines over the wild ends to reflect the overhang and cut the ends off with a circular saw. You can also let the last course of your sheathing run up past the top of the trusses and then cut that row to the proper height when all the pieces are in. Once the sheathing is finished, you can roll out and staple down 1.