Truss question for Garden Shed Build

[hunterridgefarm]

I am currently building a garden shed that will be 16' x 16' base. The actual enclosed part will be 16 x 12 with a 4' porch with the roof extended over it, similar to the attached picture.



The truss show is what I thought about building except for having the braces more verticle to allow for overhead storage. I was going to use 2x6 for the top chord and bottom chord set on 16" centers but this may be over kill. So I thought about 2x4's for the top chord and 2x6 for the bottom chord. The roof pitch will be 9/12 max but not less than 6/12. I am leaning towards the 9/12 pitch since this will give me around 65-72" of clearence for storage. With the 9/12 I should be able to get by with 12' top chords allowing about 1 foot overhang, will lay out the dimensions once floor is down.

This is the main reason for the 2x6x16 bottom chord on the truss; overhead storage. Another is weight since I will most likely have to put these up by myself. Unless my son comes home from college this weekend or next. I do not want to use a ridge board but rather build the truss and lift it up ewith the tractor.

The final truss that is shown on the porch may be made out of 4x4 to give the post/beam look.

Do you see any issue with this size truss on 16" centers?

A couple of the truss near the center of the shed will be made without the bottom chord to allow access to the storage.

Any advise is welcomed. I plan to nail the floor boards on tonight or tomorrow so I can start building the truss Saturday.

I used 2x10 and 2x8 for the floor joist and will build like a small house with a rustic look. I will try to take some pictures this weekend and post next week. I have dial-up at home so no posting on the weekends

 

[B7510HSD]

I am currently building a garden shed that will be 16' x 16' base. The actual enclosed part will be 16 x 12 with a 4' porch with the roof extended over it, similar to the attached picture.
View attachment 279597View attachment 279598


The truss show is what I thought about building except for having the braces more verticle to allow for overhead storage. I was going to use 2x6 for the top chord and bottom chord set on 16" centers but this may be over kill. So I thought about 2x4's for the top chord and 2x6 for the bottom chord. The roof pitch will be 9/12 max but not less than 6/12. I am leaning towards the 9/12 pitch since this will give me around 65-72" of clearence for storage. With the 9/12 I should be able to get by with 12' top chords allowing about 1 foot overhang, will lay out the dimensions once floor is down.

This is the main reason for the 2x6x16 bottom chord on the truss; overhead storage. Another is weight since I will most likely have to put these up by myself. Unless my son comes home from college this weekend or next. I do not want to use a ridge board but rather build the truss and lift it up ewith the tractor.

The final truss that is shown on the porch may be made out of 4x4 to give the post/beam look.

Do you see any issue with this size truss on 16" centers?

A couple of the truss near the center of the shed will be made without the bottom chord to allow access to the storage.

Any advise is welcomed. I plan to nail the floor boards on tonight or tomorrow so I can start building the truss Saturday.

I used 2x10 and 2x8 for the floor joist and will build like a small house with a rustic look. I will try to take some pictures this weekend and post next week. I have dial-up at home so no posting on the weekends

Not so sure what you mean here but this may not be a good idea..? I would think 24" centers would be just fine for trusses.

 

[GPintheMitten]

The best way to get overhead storage would be ridge board with rafters. What's your reason for using trusses instead?

 

[GPintheMitten]

Another thing to consider is building your floor over some it all of the covered entry to provide more storage. But it wouldnt look as cute.

 

[GreenAtLast]

In general you should be okay but I have some questions and concerns. Do you know what your local building codes require for trusses in way of snow loads? Assuming you make the braces vertical, what will the spacing be from the edges and each other? I suspect that you will want to keep them as far to the edge as possible as this will allow more overhead storage. Also assumed that you will add plywood for flooring to the bottom chord. A big concern is your statement that “A couple of the truss near the center of the shed will be made without the bottom chord to allow access to the storage.” Don’t even think about it. You need the support across the bottom of the truss. Going with your 16 inch on center, eliminating two of these will put you at 48 inches between bottom chords. Without knowing the specifics of snow loads, storage floor loading, roof pitch, etc. it is difficult to begin to design a truss that would work. I highly recommend you consult a local engineer or a truss company and at least have them do a quick check for you.

Having said that, I did something similar on a workshop I built 25 years ago in WA state. Same width (16 feet) but the pitch was 4/12 with a 1 foot overhang. I went 24 inch on center and used vertical braces spaced 4 feet from the side walls, giving me an 8 foot wide space down the middle. I installed a disappearing stairway between my bottom chords in the middle for access. The workshop meet local codes and survived 4 foot snow loads and several seismic events of 5.4 or greater, one of which was close by. I never had a problem, never had a sag or shift in the structure at all. It still stands and is in full use by the new owner.

I really would leave the bottom chords and go with a disappearing stairway for access. Another thought is to space a couple of trusses slightly farther apart to give you more room to access the overhead. Failing that, there might be some other options on partially eliminating the 2 bottom chords for access provided you properly framed in the area and provided additional support to the overhead chords. Without a drawing or specific details, it’s hard to give you specific answers. Hope this helps.

 

[woodlandfarms]

Just an FYI, as many people have said, it is probably cheaper for you to approach a truss company than it is for you to build this on your own. Due to the bulk items, and preset jigs, truss companies are generally cheaper than DIY approach.

 

[BeezFun]

I'd go to menards, use their little design computer to draw up a building that size, say "yes" when it asks if you want the truss specifications, then take that printout to make them if you still want to. My experience is I can't buy the material to build a truss myself for what I can buy it from Menards.

 

[GreenAtLast]

They might not have a Menards close to him (Western NC). Check with an 84 lumber or other real lumber store (not the big box stores). It may be that he is not close to a truss company either so building the trusses himself might be the better (easier option). Lots of data out there on the web for truss design. I recommend you do some searching and think hard before cutting lumber and nailing. Might save you some grief later on.

 

[hunterridgefarm]

For buildings this size code is 24" on center. Many of the prefab and build on site sheds in this area use 24" centers.

Intead of eliminating the bottom chord I will space at 24" in the middle as suggested. The reason for building the truss instead of ridgge board is, I think it would be easier for me this way since most likely I will not have any help.

I did check on buying the truss from several building suppliers and it is cheaper to make them than buy, cost was $46.00-450.00 each.

Do you think a ridge board would be easier?

 

[GreenAtLast]

Make sure that your FEL can safely lift the trusses into position after building them. Once built, they will be heavy and moving them around will be problematic by yourself. Doing it alone, I do not think a ridgeboard will work in your case. You would have to frame up some temporary supports just to hold the ridgeboard while you build the trusses in place and getting it level over that distance will be a problem. If you pre-frame the trusses, get the first one stood up and level and put up some temporary supports to keep it that way. Then space out the next one and add a temporary bridge to the first truss with a 2x4 while nailing it down. Keep adding trusses and 2x4's to keep the trusses upright and spaced properly at the top. One method I use is to take an 8 foot 2x4, and add to one end a 21 inch 2x4 piece, leaving 3 inches of the 8 footer exposed. With this tacked in place to the proceeding truss, it allows you to get the 24 inch spacing without a lot of effort, important since you are working alone. I then add a standard 2x4 to hold it there and move my spacing 2x4 to the next truss. A cordless screw gun works great for this. Remove the temporary bridges as you add roof sheets.