About our Roof Truss Bracing Services

From the 2009 IBC Code Section 2303.4.1.3 - Trusses Spanning Over 60 Feet or Greater

“The owner shall contract with any qualified registered design professional for the design of the temporary installation restraint/bracing and the permanent individual truss member restraint/bracing for all trusses with clear spans of 60 feet or greater.” 

Why Us?

We consider ourselves to be the ideal bracing design consultants, based on our building design engineering, roof truss design, truss erection experience and forensic investigations of collapsed truss systems.  Combined we have erected over 2,000,000 square feet of mostly complex roof structural components.  Please see our Case Histories section.  We have designed and tested bracing methods for all types of commercial buildings, including complex clubhouse roof systems with three layers of 12’ tall roof trusses. 

Client Provided Documentation

For us to design the bracing system we  require a copy of the building structural engineering plans, the architectural elevations, an AutoCAD dwg file of the truss layout, and  a complete set copy of the truss engineering designs with web forces shown.   In addition, each truss company has different typical details that are used for gable end bracing, piggy back connections and for connecting mono trusses together (saddle trusses, plywood scabs, etc).

What We Provide

Plan drawings of trusses with permanent bracing, bottom chord bracing and bottom chord diagonal bracing, Compression web lateral bracing and distribution of the compression web forces into the BC chord lateral bracing system and or the roof deck.  Plans will also include section cuts of the bracing and optional bracing details.   Bracing material and nails are specified.

For scissor trusses, long span trusses and flat roof trusses we will provide the temporary bracing required to erect the trusses. 

Engineering calculations take the cumulative lateral web forces and forces applied to the exterior walls of the structure so as to not overload the walls or the headers.  We analyze the shear diaphragm loads of from seismic and wind loads.

What We Do Not Provide

We do not provide temporary bracing schemes for the building structure, masonry walls, non-truss bracing. 

We do not provide OSHA or Zero Tolerance safety systems for the truss erector during the erection process.  The truss erector must follow the OSHA and project specific safety guidelines issued by the General Contractor or Architect for the building owner.

Cost Of Bracing Design Services

Cost is related to the size of the structure, both square footage and elevation.  Also, the complexity of the roof truss system, the seismic loads and the wind loads are factored into the cost of the design bracing service.  Contact us now.

Our Experience

Daniel C Smith PE  Experience

Spent two years as VP of Engineering for a regional wood truss manufacturer, Truswood Inc.

Have owned and operated a structural engineering firm designing commercial buildings and am licensed in 47 states.

Have evaluated and repaired roof trusses personally on large jobs of 7,000 trusses and 1100 shop drawings

Have physically tested the permanent bracing system of a pack of actual roof trusses by cutting the bottom chord of two trusses out of a pack of seven roof trusses while bearing on the exterior building walls to evaluate the pre-assembly truss bracing.

Have worked for 11 years with truss installation and bracing systems for large retirement jobs and commercial jobs.

Have performed forensic investigations for insurance companies on roof truss collapses.

We have designed bracing systems for roof trusses that were installed with 3 inch leans in the peak.  

Paul F. Bartholomew Experience

Paul sold floor and roof trusses for 5 years, performed written take offs of the truss orders.

Was a commercial building truss erector for 21 years (PFB Company) , setting around 2,000,000 sq ft of trusses.

Designed preassembly system that incorporates all of the BCSI bracing principles and meet the OSHA fall protection guidelines. The pre-assembly method was utilized for 15 years and was successfully wind tested by Hurricane Fran and other smaller wind storms. 

Have set  12:12 over 6:12 scissors that were 60 feet long.  These were set after another crew had two identical set of scissor trusses collapse.

Have done the similar roof truss systems using both Alpine and Mitek light gauge metal trusses.

Paul developed a pre-assembly method around 1995, in which he took manufacturer roof trusses and ganged them in a jig on the ground.  There is an entire section on Pre-Assembly on the website, but of the many advantages the 3 most important reasons are

Andrew Smith Experience

Led teams of engineers and technicians on total floor and roof truss inspections on over 45 apartment buildings.

Involved in truss modifications for renovations.  Involved in truss repair designs for tornado damaged roof systems in Raleigh NC   Designed over 1,500 wood truss engineering repairs.

 Gary Sundin Experience

30 years of truss designs, truss layouts for the residential and commercial buildings.