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  3. Installing the Purlins and Girts on your VersaTube Garage

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Installing the Purlins and Girts on your VersaTube Garage

Purlins and girts provide lateral structural support for your VersaTube garage and also act as additional anchoring points for the building’s siding and roofing. Depending on your structure’s size, intended usage, and configuration, the purlins and girts included in your kit may be tubular steel or hat channel. This tutorial will discuss both applications.

Are you ready to install some roofing and siding? Well, not quite yet – first we need to install some lateral bracing so your building doesn’t begin to lean the first time a strong breeze blows through. If you walk up to the vertical framing members and give them a strong push, they may feel sturdy but there’s probably some side to side movement. This next step will eliminate that movement and even the Incredible Hulk shouldn’t be able cause any of the framing to budge.

Lateral bracing is installed horizontally across the vertical framing members and roof trusses to tie all of the framing components together. At this moment your garage consists of a lot of individual pieces, but when the bracing goes in, all of the parts work as one to create a structurally sound VersaTube building.

Where the bracing is installed determines what it’s called – if it’s installed on the side walls, it will be called a “girt” and roof bracing is called a “purlin.” They are usually the same material regardless of where they’re located – just different names. VersaTube supplies two different types of purlins and girts with their kits: tubular steel and hat channel. The tubular steel variety will be very similar to the material you’ve already been working with, but if your kit came with hat channel, those will be metal strips that are shaped to resemble a “U” or “V.” Both varieties perform the same function, but installation is a little different. If you recall, hat channel was discussed briefly in the section on bottom rail placement.

Installing Tubular Purlins and Girts

If your building has tubular purlins and girts, you’re probably looking at the pile and thinking installation is going to take forever – not so, it actually goes very quickly – especially if you have a helper. Purlin and girt locations vary depending on the size of your building so refer to page 16 in your VersaTube instructions for placement guidelines on your particular structure. Make marks on all 4 corner posts of the building and the 2 end roof trusses where each row of bracing will be installed and then follow these steps:

  • Hold your chalk line at each mark on all four sides of the building and snap a line. Make sure your helper is holding her end of the line on the right mark – she swears it was my fault, but you know how that goes. Do the same across the trusses on both side of the roof. When complete, there should be chalk marks everywhere bracing needs to be installed according to your drawing.

  • Tubular steel purlins are installed using brackets. In the center of the building where there is a vertical framing member or truss on each side of the bracing, you’ll use a double bracket. At the corners and ends of the building or where there is a door or window opening, a single bracket will be used.

  • Secure the double brackets by aligning them with your chalk line and installing screws in the angle bracket at the bottom. The purlins or girts will slide into the bracket and be secured with a screw into both the top and bottom of the bracket at each end of the bracing.

  • Single brackets are attached by lining them up with the chalk mark and securing the flat portion of the bracket onto the outside face of the framing member or truss. Since this flat part of the bracket is on the outside of the building where siding will be installed, it’s important that the supplied pan-head screws be used. If your helper installs the wrong screws, they’ll need to be changed later – she claims I did that section, but I know better.

  • You may have a situation where you have a larger framing member in the center of the building and a double bracket won’t fit – if this happens, overlap two single brackets and attach with 3 pan-head screws in the framing member’s outside face.

  • Install all wall girts and roof purlins in this fashion until the building is complete – all bracing should have a screw in the top and bottom of each end where they are held in place by the brackets.

You’ll need to work off a stepladder to do most of the roof purlins so make sure it’s secure and you might even want to have your helper steady the bottom when you’re at the highest part of the roof. Hopefully they’re not still angry about the screw and chalk line incidents.

Installing Hat Channel Girts and Purlins

Hat channel purlins and girts are a little easier to install than tubular bracing as there are no brackets involved. However, just like the tubular purlins and girts, the placement locations are based on the size of your building – check on page 18 of your VersaTube instructions for the recommended locations on your particular structure. Hat channel can be easily trimmed with tin snips as needed.

Mark the four corner posts and two outer roof trusses of your building where each run of bracing will be located and then proceed to these steps:

  • Run your chalk line across each side of your building at all marks and snap lines to indicate each bracing run – do the same on both sides of the roof.

  • Install rows of girts by placing a piece of hat channel at each of your marks all the way across all four sides of the building. Everywhere the hat channel crosses a framing member it should be secured with a screw in the top flange and one in the bottom.

  • Hat channel joints should be in the center of vertical framing members and roof trusses – the end of each piece should be secured with two screws. When finished with each row, double check that you haven’t missed any screws as it’s easy to do.

  • When you encounter a doorway or window opening or a corner or edge of the building, cut the hat channel one inch short of the outer most edge of the last framing member or truss.

  • Make sure you leave one inch of wall area showing between the bottom row of girts and your concrete slab.

  • If you have a walk through door, cut 2 small pieces of hat channel about 2 inches long and install them on the sides of the door jamb even with the top of the door. These will support the door trim at the next stage of construction.

  • There should also be a piece of 1½ inch tubular steel with your kit that fits across the top of the door jamb. It is used to support the trim across the top of the door and can be secured with 2 inch screws.

  • If you added windows during the previous stage of construction, 1½ inch tubular steel should be installed on all four sides of the windows on the outer wall to support trim that will be put in place during the next phase of the project.

  • Proceed until the hat channel purlins and girts have been installed in all locations shown on your VersaTube drawing.

Alright – we’ve now reached the point you’ve been waiting for – get ready to install some siding and roofing.

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