Strato,

I want to draw up plans that make sense for the truss builder
Does anyone know the preferred method for specifing roof pitch?

Last year I had to order some trusses for our house. They were a fairly
unique raised heel vaulted ceiling truss. I drew up a simple plan of what I
was basically looking for, with rough dimensions spelled out (i.e. 2' high
raised heel (2x6), 9/12 exterior pitch, 6/12 interior pitch, 1 foot
overhang, extra load capacity).

They sent me back their engineered version of my idea, accounting for
thicknesses of the framing members, something I failed to do. Because this
affected the height of the ceiling peak inside, one company sent me two
plans back, one that used the interior ceiling pitch I had asked for, and
another with the ceiling peak height I asked for (which deviated slightly
from the 6/12 pitch I asked for). Their engineered plan included
specifications for where I should place the bracing.

I included a copy of their truss plans with my building permit. The county
then wanted me to put additional solid blocking between the trusses on each
side for extra support. I also added additional bracing on the center
vertical web during construction.

It was actually all quite simple, and the truss companies contacted me with
any questions they had about my requirements. I was able to review the
truss plans before they actually built them in case there were any changes
to be made.

Anthony