Cutting Trusses For Attic Access

Attic ladder kits are made to fit between existing framing in the ceiling that is the floor of the attic.

Cutting trusses for attic access.

Just last night i was talking with an associate who picked up a small job cutting in an attic access pull down door and placing a bunch of sheets of plywood on the ceiling joists. Cutting the bottom chord of an attic truss i worked for an old school new england carpenter for a couple years when i was 15 16 years old. Currently there is limited attic storage on a plywood subfloor on the bottom chords accessed via a small hatch in a closet. Unfortunately it is common to see trusses which have had webs and chords cut to accommodate attic access skylights or hvac ductwork.

The sad fact is your builder could have installed attic trusses over this garage for just slightly more than what the existing trusses cost. Your parents roof rafters were probably made from 2x8 s and could have been 2x10 s or. Homeowners should avoid cutting or modifying their roof trusses. X 54 in with the long dimension perpendicular to the trusses.

A few cut trusses spaced two foot on center don t necessarily lead to catastrophic roof failure because the roof acts like a large diaphragm and because partition walls if any below usually pick up some. These trusses are usually engineered by a structural engineering company in order to carry a specific roof load. Do the same at the other end and then cut your ceiling to match the opening. We would like to install a fold down attic stair with a rough opening size of 25 5 in.

Let s compare common roof trusses with the roof framing materials that were used in your parent s house. Where possible choose a size and location for your attic ladder that allows it to fit between existing ceiling joists or trusses. In some cases the ladder may fit into an existing attic access hatch. One use of trusses is for the support of a roof.

I asked him if any of the joists were actually part of a truss and the answer was oh yeah. Attic trusses have a rectangular shape inside each truss. While they look the same you probably didn t notice the subtle differences. Trusses are similar to roof rafters.

When a truss becomes damaged cut or modified there is a. Our home has 2x4 roof trusses spanning 25 ft. I remember on one house he told me that you never ever ever ever cut a truss. Most common attic trusses for homes and garages are made with 2x4 s.