Attic Storage Between Tresses

Trusses can be designed to produce an open attic as shown in the picture.

Attic storage between tresses. Some roofs are framed with special storage trusses that leave an open central space suitable for storage. Use 3 8 or 1 2 plywood if you have to lay something down and lay it perpendicular to the truss chords. Spread web storage trusses are engineered to have a small area to allow storage within. A regular common truss with a 24 foot span and a 10 12 roof pitch with no storage space costs 69 in my market at this time.

Check the box beside force truss rebuild. That means you could lay a 2 x 4 ft. Select the roof truss and click the open object edit button. We specified attic trusses and ended up with a storage area in the attic that is approximately 48 long by 18 wide.

Is a safe estimate. In this case 11 7 8 will be used. Change the bottom chord depth to match your floor structure depth for floor 2. This storage area is not meant for occupancy but allows for storage up to 25 pounds per square foot.

Check the box beside attic truss. As you can see we put a layer of plywood down to create a very nice storage room. This same truss framed as a light storage truss costs just 87. On the general panel of the roof truss specification dialog.

So if your ceiling is unfinished you have some excess carrying capacity up there. The center webs are usually spread wider to allow for storage in the center of the truss. Of stuff on it. The horizontal bottom chords of most garage trusses are designed to carry the weight of drywall and insulation.

If you want a full blown attic truss with a room the cost of a single truss is just 158. Had you incorporated a full sized attic truss in your roof i ll bet you could have created a 15 wide by 30 foot long room for less than 1 350. Reducing the amount you can safely store. Then the remaining floor space can hold big ticket items like that christmas tree you refuse to take apart.

Access to attic storage if you want to use your attic on a regular basis or to store large items you may need to enlarge the access opening and install an access ladder or drop down stairs. Scrap of plywood over the chords and set about 40 lbs. Instead of piling all of your boxes in the middle use the space between your trusses.