How to Attach Trusses to House Frames

Roof trusses are made in a factory and delivered by truck to the job site. They are then either stacked atop the house by crane and moved into place by workers or placed individually by crane and attached to the home's outside walls by framers. Installing trusses gets a roof system in place much faster than framing with rafters and joists and requires less labor. Attaching trusses to the frame requires only basic carpentry skill .

Tape measure
Carpenter's pencil
Nail gun or hammer
16d framing nails
Circular saw
2-by-4 bracing lumber

Instructions

- 1
  Mark the top plate of the outer walls at 24-inch intervals.
- 2
  Raise a gable end truss so that it is flush with the front outside wall. Nail it to the wall with 16d framing nails. Center several 2-by-4s over the seam where the gable meets the top of the front wall and nail them there to brace the gable end truss.
- 3
  Lift the remaining gables onto the walls and stack them against the front gable.
- 4
  Walk the second gable end truss to the back wall of the house and nail it atop the rear wall. Center several 2-by-4s over the seam where the gable meets the top of the front wall and nail them there to brace the gable end truss.
- 5
  Walk a truss to the mark closest to the end gable and nail it to the two outside walls. After several trusses have been set, nail 2-by-4 boards to the trusses along the underside of the top chords and end gable to stabilize the trusses. Repeat until all trusses have been placed.

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