Sheet Walls Before Trusses

After walls are sheeted, then put up the trusses.

Sheet walls before trusses.

I don't know if this is a midwest thing (illinois) but unless the wall will be too heavy or there is a shortage of help, we always square the wall, sheet it, then raise it. Add an inch and a half for subfascia, strike a line. These are always exterior walls.

When a horizontal gap appears along the top of the wall, the likely culprit is truss uplift. I am not sure what books you have been reading, but as a rule, most will frame the walls laying down, tilt them up, brace them and tie in the corners, then sheet the walls. With roofing in place and walls open, a concrete slab may be installed if desired.

Measure from the edge of the plywood (outside of the wall) over to whatever the overhang will be and square a line up to indicate the end of the truss tail. In my travels over the years i have seen more than a few post frame buildings under construction. There are 3 things you need to do to the gable end trusses before they are ready to install:

So companies like norbord started creating “tallwall” & “windstorm” panels to help alleviate this. Secondly, i set up some rudimentary work platform (usually a couple of strategically placed microlams or 2x12's) and stick frame the gable (or use the gable truss). It used to be that the bottom chord of a truss could bow up a little when the upper chords were under load, like from wind or snow.

First, i stand the main wall. Roof truss span tables alpine engineered products 15 top chord 2x4 2x6 2x6 2x4 2x6 2x6 2x4 2x6 2x6 2x4 2x6 2x6 bottom chord 2x4 2x4 2x6 2x4 2x4 2x6 2x4 2x4 2x6 2x4 2x4 2x6 2/12 24 24 33 27 27 37 31 31 43 33 33 46 2.5/12 29 29 39 33 33 45 37 38 52 39 40 55 3/12 34 34 46 37 39 53 40 44 60 43 46 64 This can negate needs to pay for a pump truck.

Having the roof completed before wall girts are in place helps protect concrete pour from weather elements, especially rain or heat in summer. When i find one being constructed by a building contractor, if the wall girts are installed before the roof, it is an immediate giveaway to the builder having been a framer at one time. Roof trusses, unlike roof rafters, attach.