Intermediate Framing: Securing the Base Rails and Installing Trusses
Your VersaTube building begins to take shape during the intermediate framing stage as the wall and roof framing members are secured into place. This is also the phase of construction where the advantages of swaging and slip-fit technology become readily apparent as your building almost constructs itself.
Proper layout and thorough preparation are necessary to ensure any structure goes up right. However, if you’re like me, seeing framing members standing is when a building stops being just a dream and starts to become a reality. Securing the base rails and installing the roof trusses is when you finally get a chance to see what all your hard work is about to accomplish.
Securing the Base Rails
When you’re satisfied that the starter base rails and the extensions for each side are the correct overall dimensions and in the proper locations, install two 1 inch metal screws in the top of each joint using your drill. Screwing into metal takes some practice as you want the fastener to be tight, but if it’s too tight, you can strip the threads. You should get the knack of it after the first couple and if you only mess up a few screws, you’re doing a lot better than me.
You can now attach the side base rails to the concrete slab by using your drill and a ½ inch concrete bit to drill through the holes locations in the base rails and down into the concrete. This is where the hammer drill mentioned previously can come in handy. Place a washer and nut on the end of the expansion bolts and tap them into the holes – use your wrench on the nut when the bolt is seated to tighten the base rail securely. Continue the process until all concrete bolts are in place. Follow local building code, your VersaTube instructions, and bolt manufacturer recommendations for bolt locations.
Assembling the Roof Trusses
Up until this point the assembly steps could be handled by one person without too much trouble. However, you’re now starting a phase of construction where an extra set of hands will come in very handy and depending on the size of your building, two extra sets might be even better. I used my wife and neighbor and it only cost me a dinner at a nice restaurant – strike your own deal.
The roof trusses for your VersaTube building consist of several parts:
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Peak – this is the center portion that is the highest point of your roof.
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Rafters – these use slip-fit technology to attach to the peak and extend the framing over to the sides of your building
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Side posts – these are vertical framing members that attach to the pins in the base rails and the ends of the rafters to form the side wall framing for your building. The tops of the side posts are swaged to create the pitch of the roof when attached to the rafters and peak.
If your building is over a certain height, you may also have height extensions which will be attached to the side posts during assembly. Lay the components to build one truss out on the slab and slide the joints together loosely. Now proceed with the following steps:
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Measure from the outside of one side base rail to the outside of the other – this is the same dimension you should have at the outsides of your side posts after assembly.
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Adjust the joints at the peak and rafters so that you have that measurement at both the top and bottom of your side posts – check both areas to ensure the dimension is the same.
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Install 2 metal screws at each joint. When screwing the side post joints, place the fasteners on the sides or inside of the post rather than the outside so the heads don’t interfere when installing the building’s exterior sheathing. Unfortunately, I learned this the hard way.
When the first truss is complete, use your highly-trained assistants to help set the assembly on the rear most pins of the base rails. This step resembled an episode of the Three Stooges during my project – make sure your help knows the difference between the front and the back of the building before picking up the truss.
Building the Remaining Trusses
The truss at the front of your building should be assembled in the same fashion as the unit just completed, but the middle trusses may have some additional framing that must be done:
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Truss bracing – if your building is over a certain width, the middle trusses will probably have some cross bracing called collar ties to add strength to the assemblies. The collar ties consist of three horizontal framing members and a short vertical piece that is attached to the peak.
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Web truss bracing – snow can put a lot of stress on a roof – especially if it sits up there for a good part of the winter. If you live in a part of the country that can get a lot of snowfall, VersaTube will supply web truss bracing for the middle trusses of your building. The bracing consists of collar ties and smaller framing members that are installed diagonally across the length of the trusses.
I’m not going to get into how to install the standard truss bracing or the web variety in this tutorial as your building may have neither and thorough instructions are supplied with the kits that have this additional framing. My garage had web truss bracing and it was very easy to install.
Build the remainder of your roof trusses following the same steps as the first and adding any additional supports supplied if applicable. Sit each truss in place on the base rail pins until reaching the front of the building – remember that the front truss will not have any truss bracing even if it’s installed on the middle trusses. Fasten each truss to the base rail pins with two metal screws on the inside of the side posts.
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