Design

The first two Standard of Care articles discussed deferred submittals and truss-to-truss connections. This article explores truss minimum required bearing width issues from the perspective of the design community.

Woodhaven designed and built the roof and floor trusses for the Spruce Street Shul. Woodhaven also supplied the lumber and hardware for the project.
  • A lot has changed in the components industry over the past two decades, and a new Framing the American Dream (FAD) project would allow us to quantify just how much, as well as detail our product’s benefits over other framing methods.
  • Beyond FAD, SBCA is also focusing on helping component manufacturers across the country fight an unfair provision in the model building code, R501.3.
  • As you think about investing in the future of your business, think about how much you’re willing to invest this year in these two projects to ensure a bright future for our industry.

The purpose of this article series is to identify truss-related structural issues sometimes missed due to the day-in and day-out demands of truss design/production and the fragmented building design review and approval process. This series will explore issues in the building market that are not normally focused upon, and provide recommended best-practice guidance.

  • Before a new truss designer designs their first truss, it’s a good idea to have technicians work as a helper on a truss production team.
  • Understand the personal characteristics, education and knowledge of your plant personnel because often talent is there that is unexplored and unrealized.
  • Training a new designer is an ongoing process that takes time. When you have good designers trained, you will want to do everything you can to keep them employed with you.
  • Inadequate communication can fragment the various trades working on a project and lead to costly mistakes and frustrating delays.
  • GCs are looking to turnkey framing as a way to minimize that fragmentation and reduce waste and the potential for mistakes.
  • The efficiencies of the turnkey approach with componentized framing make it the best solution going forward.
  • Component manufacturers have to be proactive locally in pursuing those outside the industry, including building officials, members of the fire service, specifiers, framers and lawmakers.
  • It’s not hard to put a value on having eyes and ears like theirs in the market, when they are willing to look out for your business while they’re doing their jobs.
  • The more smoothly the installation of CM products goes, the less issues we have to confront in the field and the less we have to overcome challenging building code provisions, the more builders will want to buy and install our products.

The component industry is full of complex documentation, from blueprints and truss design drawings to bids and contracts. Reading these documents effectively and knowing what to look for can make the difference between a profitable job and a huge headache. This article will discuss some of the easy mistakes that can be made and advise on processes that can help reduce the chance they occur.

Gypsum wallboard provides an excellent example as to
why accurate design values are so vital to structural design.

Introduction: Why the Interior Finish Installation Is Important

Explore the fragmented
building design review and approval process, and the
issues it can create for component manufacturers.