Cutting Trusses For Attic Stairs

Lay a 4x8 3 4 sheet of plywood on each end of the truss on the bottom chord spanning to the two trusses on each side of the one to be cut.

Cutting trusses for attic stairs.

1 can the joist be cut to make room for the attic ladder. 2 how much weight could the ceiling joist hold. The building code irc r802 10 4. If you live in a house with engineered manufactured trusses then don t mess with them.

Furnaces are often located in attic areas. Replacement of these furnaces can be difficult and sometimes cannot be done without cutting or modifying a truss. This would require cutting some of the ceiling joist. Don t modify cut wood trusses.

I have never built a staircase to attic trusses only drop down stairs but i am planning on leaving one truss out and doubling the ones to ether side to create a 4 opening. If you really want to modify the framing of your attic and roof then consult with a licensed professional structural engineer. This is done to hold the bottom chord from pushing the wall out. Home owners sometimes will cut trusses to make more storage space in the attic or to do other modifications or remodeling.

Looking to take advantage of some open space in our attic and want to install an attic ladder. Any field modification that involves the cutting drilling or relocation of any structural truss member or connector plate shall not be done without the approval of the truss manufacturer or a licensed design professional. Trusses span out to out not out to an inside wall unless engineered that way. My recommendation is really simple.

Never cut any structural member of a truss. Cutting roof trusses is possible but a structural engineer must design the plan for the truss modification to prevent roof collapse. Without the continuous bottom chord you will have two 1 2 trusses though they wouldn t be trusses just triangles. Head off the truss to the others with double 2x10 as normally done for the floor load and sheeth the floor.