Cutting Trusses For Attic Stairs

The components cannot be cut or altered or you risk ruining the structural strength.

Cutting trusses for attic stairs.

I have never built a staircase to attic trusses only drop down stairs but i am planning on leaving one truss out and doubling the ones to ether side to create a 4 opening. This is done to hold the bottom chord from pushing the wall out. Replacement of these furnaces can be difficult and sometimes cannot be done without cutting or modifying a truss. A truss functions as an interlocking system of framing members joined by gussets or metal connectors.

To cut roof rafters start by fixing the stair gauges on your framing square to the dimensions of your pitch. Furnaces are often located in attic areas. Your parents roof rafters were probably made from 2x8 s and could have been 2x10 s or. Hello i am working on a project which i am using attic trusses to be used for a living space approximately 32 wide 10 12 pitch spaced 2 o c.

We would like to install a fold down attic stair with a rough opening size of 25 5 in. Most common attic trusses for homes and garages are made with 2x4 s. Your attic floor and roof are probably framed with either trusses or with individual rafters and floor joists. Currently there is limited attic storage on a plywood subfloor on the bottom chords accessed via a small hatch in a closet.

Next set the framing square on top of the rafter beam and use a pencil to trace the outside edge of the framing square s tongue. While they look the same you probably didn t notice the subtle differences. Once you ve marked the lines use your pencil to draw the diagonal length on the rafter. Lay a 4x8 3 4 sheet of plywood on each end of the truss on the bottom chord spanning to the two trusses on each side of the one to be cut.

Our home has 2x4 roof trusses spanning 25 ft.