Tag Archives: Structural Building Components

Wood Floor Trusses

When I was first in the metal connector plated wood truss industry back in 1977, my employers – Dutch Andres and Tom Vincent at Spokane Truss, had just invested in a machine which would fabricate what would be called a 4×2 floor truss.

These trusses revolutionized the way floors could be constructed – freeing up areas below them from the need for load bearing walls and columns in all of the most inconvenient places!

Rick Ochs is new to the inside team at Hansen Pole Buildings, and earlier this week, he posed a question:

“Hey Mike,

No rush… I have been viewing tutorials from WTCA (Wood Truss Council of America) on trusses and structural building components.  I was wondering why we don’t spec floor trusses instead of the traditional 2×10 with hangers.  Cost I presume.

Thanks!”

Here is my response to Rick:

Floor trusses will be significantly more expensive.

Let’s say you have a 2×10 at .6285m (current price at The Home Depot®) so a 12′ would be $12.57.

(“m” happens to be lumber people’s secret code for 1000 board feet)

If they were even 16″ o.c., you are talking 0.79 per square foot for the cost of joists.

Floor trusses are going to run around $4.40 per lineal foot, spaced 2′ on center, this makes the cost per square foot for the joists at $2.20.

For a floor span of over 24′ trusses are certainly the way to go.

To which Rick responded:

“I’m thinking it would take a little more math on the builder/customer part to compare against labor cost savings of setting floor truss vs time required to set hangers, cut and nail joists.”

Personally, I have metal connector plated wood floor trusses in two of my personal buildings – in one case spanning 30 feet and the other 48 (yes a 48 foot clearspan floor).

Here are some of the benefits of using wood floor trusses:

  • Larger sheathing attachment, with 2×3 or (usually) 2×4 nailing surface,
  • Spacing up to 24” o.c. maximizes efficiency, decreasing installation time.
  • Each unique truss is engineered to proper codes and loading.
  • Speeds up mechanical installation (think heat ducts) with the open webbing thus saving dollars.
  • Span longer distances than conventional lumber or I-joists.
  • Special bearing, cantilever, and balcony details are easily built in.
  • Less pilferage, it is unlikely a 20’ truss is going to walk off the jobsite.
  • Faster jobsite build times, saving jobsite labor, construction loan interest, vandalism, and environmental damage.

Wood floor trusses can also be designed to limit the deflection and vibration, read more here:

https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/2015/12/wood-floors-deflection-and-vibration/

In the global scope of life, having a wood truss supported floor is a fairly economical upgrade, which is certainly something worth investigating.

Mike the Pole Barn Guru Published

Here’s How I Did It

The full title of the book is, “Here’s How I Did It! World’s Top Experts Share Their Stories, Insights and Perspectives” by Raam Anand.

It is available at Amazon.com: https://www.amazon.com/Heres-How-Did-Insights-Perspectives-ebook/dp/B00OUVDFL6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1415731572&sr=8-2&keywords=Here%27s+How+I+Did+It

Heres how I did itAs Mike the Pole Barn Guru, I’m highly flattered to have been selected to author a chapter in Volume II of this book series. Obviously I’ve written a couple or three (nearly 800) blog articles. I’ve also been a contributing writer for publications such as Structural Building Components and Rural Builder, however this will be my first foray into being published in a book. Pretty exciting stuff for me.

In the book’s description:

Discover how they did what they did to get to the top!

Learn the exact strategies used by top achievers to grow their businesses.

Get inspired by their true stories, journey and accomplishments.

From 21 top experts in various fields comes the definitive statement of motivation and insights for our troubled times.

“Here’s How I Did It!” is the saga of personal challenges, achievements and accomplishments from 21 experts from around the world.

Of the first volume, one of the Co-Authors, Doug Champigny (www.DougChampigny.com), writes, “I can honestly say how impressed I was by the stories of the other 20 co-authors in this volume. Raam Anand has done an amazing job of bringing together some very heavy hitters, and beyond being educational, this book is truly motivational as you discover just some of the many routes to the top.

With 21 different experts each contributing a chapter detailing their journey, you’re bound to find one or more that resonate with YOU and what you’re trying to accomplish in your business life.

Find the experts who most closely fit your goals, read their stories then use their information to follow them on social media or through their websites. Each chapter is valuable – combined they could make it much easier for you to become an internationally-famous expert too!”

Mike the Pole Barn Guru will endeavor to do justice to those who co-authored the first volume. Keep your eyes on this space for publication date!

Rural Builder Magazine

Rural Builder MagazineFor those of us in the post frame (pole building) industry, Rural Builder magazine is a must read. Published seven times a year – I always await receiving my Rural Builder in the mail with a degree of anticipation and excitement. I have probably not missed reading (and rereading) an issue in three decades.

Until 2002, Rural Builder, was published by Krause Publications of Iola, Wisconsin.

My late father was an avid coin collector and would have greatly appreciated what Krause is best known for its – Standard Catalog of World Coins, a series of numismatic catalogs commonly referred to as Krause-Mishler catalogs. They provide information, pricing, and Krause-Mishler (KM) numbers referring to coin rarity and value. Krause-Mishler releases a yearly catalogue of world coins with values and KM numbers. Krause-Mishler numbers are the most common way of assigning values to coins.

In 2002 Krause Publications was acquired by F+W Media, Inc., a New York City media and publishing company founded in 1913.

Recently I was asked to be a contributing writer for Rural Builder and my first article can be found here:

https://www.constructionmagnet.com/rural-builder/behind-the-hammer-with-mike-momb-common-post-frame-failures-and-how-to-prevent-tem

Interestingly enough, the article has since been picked up and reprinted in Structural Building Components magazine:

https://www.sbcmag.info/news/2014/may/insurance-company-eyes-disproportionately-new-post-frame-construction-collapses

I’ve written for Structural Building Components magazine previously (in May 2011):

https://www.hansenpolebuildings.com/it-isnt-your-grandpas-barn.htm

Free subscriptions to Rural Builder magazine are available to qualified individuals:

https://secure.palmcoastd.com/pcd/eSv?iMagId=07621&i4Ky=IA01

Look for future articles written by me in Rural Builder. I hope my loyal blog article readers will enjoy reading them, as much as I enjoy writing them.