Truss design - who measures up

[frankie2023]

Things are slowly progressing with our loft conversion. It will involve replacing our bungalow's roof with new attic trusses.

We have an architect and SE on board. The SE has advised the truss design will be supplied by whatever truss manufacturer we use and he will just have to check the design and make sure it works with the building and works being proposed. We ideally will leave the choice of what truss company to use up to the builder and they would measure up and actually order the trusses. Truss companies seem reluctant to measure up themselves or release a truss design I guess because a) they don't know if we're serious and b) they don't want to do the design work if we don't go ahead

I assume once we've engaged the builder, the builder will be able to measure up, send measurements to the truss company and pass on the design they supply to the SE to check the design and do any additional required calculations?

Since it's pretty critical the measurements, ordering and delivery of trusses are all correct and organised properly, it would seem unwise for us to get involved in this at all!

 

[Wayners]

Truss company will come measure when it's bricked up. They made mine in day and delived.

Design and approved by planning with house plans but could not make until measurements could be taken from blockwork. There was some tricky angles and wall supports needed working out.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

I would expect the builder to place an order based on architects/SE drawings, once the truss company is appointed ordinarily the builder will measure up once he's got something to measure to, then the truss company will do a set of drawings for the builder to check, then after they've been approved (the truss drawings) they can be fabricated. The truss company will supply a set of calcs to be included in the Building Regs application, I wouldn't expect the SE to get involved again unless there's some peculiar design. I doubt the truss company will measure up ordinarily if a builder is involved, though they would do for a cost of a site visit. I wouldn't expect the client to get involved at all, the contract will be between the truss manufacturer and the builder. That said in a commercial situation the architect would typically have a look at the truss drawings and make any pertinent comments but you may not be employing the architect to do anything beyond the drawings.

 

[frankie2023]

Great thanks, that's everything I need to know. Makes sense that measuring can't happen until they have something to measure to and truss companies have pretty quick turnarounds by the sounds of it. I just wanted to check that all made sense and the builder and truss company essentially sort it between them. We probably jumped the gun a while ago contacting a truss company for a price and they started talking about measurements, delivery and when we would have equipment on site for putting the trusses on!