I am currently doing my mock home inspections to get my certification and I inspected a friend’s house. I was looking in the attic and observed some framing supports that I have not seen before. There’s this crooked line of 2x4 betweens the rafters and one of them is broken off and hanging. What is the purpose of the extra supports and do they look like they are installed properly?
Thanks,
It looks like a temporary bracing used by the framer while setting trusses. Truss installation specifications and other info can be found at:
Here is a copy of their Guide:
i’ve often wondered at that “temporary” bracing that never seems to leave. i’ve built a lot of houses and set alot of trusses in a few different states and have never used anything like that for a couple of reasons. first off, it’s time consuming as hell compared to just taking a 12 or 16ft long 2x4 or 1x4 and nailing it along the top. maybe that’s the only reason.
Those diagonal struts (king/queen struts) look pretty long. Typically those have bracing mid way on the strut. Lacking a copy of the truss engineering/installation papers, as an inspector, one doesn’t know the requirements. In suspicious cases like this one, I include a disclaimer in my roof structure section relative to strut bracing, gable end wind bracing, gable strongbacks, and bottom cord rat runs.
How time consuming is it really to cut the blocking? It should only take a few minutes to knock out 50 of them on a miter saw with a length stop installed.
It’s was better to support each truss when installed then it is to think all trusses will just stand there waiting on you to install your long 2x4. And then you need to measure each one.
Cut your blocking to the perfect length and there is absolutely no pulling out your tape measure for each truss.
not only time consuming but wasteful unless you sort out scraps. then you have the time you pay the guy cutting them. when you pull a tape on a long piece of wood and make a few marks in the air as you’re putting the trusses up. then when you get done, you reuse the wood for something else instead of throwing out all the scraps you cut up. i’ve done it both ways and it’;s faster, easier, and less wasteful doing it withoiut blocks. anyone who pulls out a tape to set trusses needs a few lessons or some youtube videos of real framers working.
Hi, Michael. Hope to find you well.
I do not see what you are referring to. I see roof trusses, upper and lower chords, webs, and blocking. Some poorly installed.
I can not identify the the long diagonal king/queen struts you are referring to. Would it be posable to point them out please.
Kind regards.
Robert Young
These are the long struts that I noticed. In my past construction experience, the truss manufacturer often would require some form of added strengthening, be it mid span bracing running the whole length of the house, or sometimes adding a 2 x 4 to make it into a T or L.
Michael, thank you for the reply.
Thank you for taking the time to cut paste and use software to install the red arrows and illustrate which dimensional lumber you were/are referring to. Your The Best!
I did not think they were struts but rather referred to as diagonal webs between the top and bottom chords.
I hope I explained myself properly. Please excuse me if I did not.
Thank you so much for the clarification.
Regards.
Robert
Construction has so many terms, often they refer to the same component, and they vary from region to region: king post, queen post, struts, truss web, diagonal web…
So true, Michael.
At first after reading your first post, “Those diagonal struts (king/queen struts) look pretty long. Typically those have bracing mid way on the strut.” I thought to myself, there is a man that likely worked in the construction industry field framing.
At first I gave your first post a like, but then I withdrew it. I expected the stud as you described to be diagonal / perpendicular the width of the attic. I was confused.
Henceforth my post.
Again, I thank you for the lesson.
Kindest regards.
Robert.
PS: Night Michael. I am off to bed. Have a good night.
i’ve never had to add anything to a manufactured truss after installation nor have i seen it done. of course that is not the definitive answer, just an observation from my limited five state framing experience covering '97-'15.. perhaps it has to do with not working far enough north where the snow load gets heavier. most of mine was in oh, wv, nc, sc, and fl. i can see it being useful farther north, but wonder why they don’t properly engineer them at the factory. seems to be the way they would want it done so it is done right. time for some research. what companies have you seen doing this?
well, that didn’t take long. turns out lots of them do that now. thanx for the comment. now i can avoid looking like an idiot, for this reason anyway.
Interesting…In 50 + years, I’ve NEVER INSTALLED ANY trusses where I didn’t HAVE TO install some permanent bracing.
There are all sorts of reasons for adding permanent bracing.
Such as:
And:
Or Diagonal Lateral Bracing etc.
Yes, the PDF above has all those. 
The Code also says that trusses shall be braced and lacking specific engineering per the BCSI guide ( links in posts 2 and 13).
Trusses shall be braced to prevent rotation and provide lateral stability in accordance with the requirements specified in the construction documents for the building and on the individual truss design drawings. In the absence of specific bracing requirements, trusses shall be braced in accordance with accepted industry practice such as the SBCA Building Component Safety Information (BCSI) Guide to Good Practice for Handling, Installing & Bracing of Metal Plate Connected Wood Trusses.
So true. That’s why the installation papers are included with the truss package. Of course, roof sheathing and even wood ceiling materials can provide that bracing. I start to get suspicious when I don’t see a diagonal gable end wind brace. Bottom cord rat runs are hidden, out of sight, within the insulation. On medium pitch roof systems, I tend to not call it but simply add my disclaimer. The roof structure has functioned for the 20 +/- years between it’s construction and my inspection. Around here, there have been a couple straight line wind events along with excessive snow loading, so it passes the function test, so far. Many builders don’t read the truss installation papers either. They are thick, and often the important items are hard to identify within the pile of papers.
Do you guys call this issue of missing site installed truss support, or not? It’s a slippery slope, not having the installation papers in hand.
Edit: For me, my issue of concern on the liability side is snow load collapse. It happens. Is it because the roof was overloaded, was it because structural components were missing, and what is my liability in this case? Noone will be happy when the roof collapses from excessive snow a year or so after the home inspection.
Probably zero liability, but they’ll sue you anyway.
