Strengthen Roof Trusses Loft Conversion

Measure in from the lower edge of the roof to a point 1 4 the width of the truss on either side of the attic.

Strengthen roof trusses loft conversion.

The conversion from a trussed roof to a trussless roof simply involves the redistribution of the roofs weight from the trusses to beams running from gable to gable. The role of the horizontal beam is to tie the truss together and carry the load that would otherwise be sustained by the support and vertical timber also known as the king post. This process involves the installation and use of steel beams. In addition to the way your loft is constructed occasionally the height of the roof may be too low when constructed with truss rafters which means that it may need to be raised in order to accommodate a loft conversion.

Measure the width of your roof trusses from inside to inside. In addition the design means the trusses occupy majority of the space within the loft therefore the whole structure will need strengthening if you decide to convert your loft. Before work can begin a structural engineer will calculate the size of the steels required. New beams would be required.

For small loft conversions this can be done by installing additional wooden rafters but for large projects steel beams are usually required and these can be quite costly. Use a chalk line to draw a line along the floor parallel to the lower edge of the roof from one end of the attic to the other on both sides. This will often work out cheaper than using conventional steels once you factor in savings on labour access and plant hire etc.