Building Roof Trusses Yourself?

[falkn]

I say like the craftsman, it is very cheap to custom order roof trusses. I have personally received several quotes in the profession for this, and the costs of the lumber and the time it takes to make them yourself make it not worthwhile. You might save 25-30% of the cost compared to buying lumber and building yourself, assuming your own time is "free".

 

[falkn]

Do you really get construction drawings from the truss manufacturer already at the quote stage?
I didn't get that when I built my house, he (the owner of the truss company) stopped by and I got to look at the drawings when we discussed different things, but I didn't get to keep them.
In my case, it ended up that I ordered not only the advanced scissor trusses but also the much simpler "w-trusses" because the company not only had a good price but also was very pleasant to do business with.

If you request a quote for a specific truss with specific spans and heights from a truss manufacturer, you naturally get all the dimensions included. Usually, this is emailed so you can "keep" it.

 

[Gabbe1]

That you receive all documentation in connection with the order/delivery of the chairs is a given.
That you receive it already at the quotation stage is far from a given; I wouldn't have offered that info if I were the seller.

 

[haavard]

And if I am the buyer, I will not order the roof trusses unless I first see what I am paying for.

 

[falkn]

And if I'm the buyer, I won't order the trusses unless I first see what I'm supposed to pay for.

Exactly. You want to know what you have got a price on. I've never experienced not receiving specifications on what I've requested a price for. There might be missing detailed dimensions and similar things, but the main dimensions match. Many manufacturers also have tables or programs on their sites where you can get the required dimensions yourself. The same applies to steel trusses, etc.

 

[Montören]

The idea of building the trusses myself is that I can build them on site, I work alone and it's a bit too far to the road to be reachable with a truck crane. The cost of my hours doesn't matter.

 

[Claesk]

Why are you not allowed to build tskstolar yourself?

 

[Montören]

Why aren't you allowed to build roof trusses yourself?

According to relatively new regulations, roof trusses must be CE marked these days, which is a bit difficult to do yourself.
The question is whether it applies to contractors, etc., or if it applies to private individuals building for themselves as well.
The basic idea is probably to prevent roof collapses and shoddy constructions, I assume.

 

[larsbj]

Why are you not allowed to build roof trusses yourself?

The requirement for CE marking only applies to prefab roof trusses.

You are allowed to build roof trusses yourself, but if the municipality requires it, there must be calculations.

It is also permitted to have the carpenter who, for instance, is building the house also build the roof trusses on site, and in this case, obviously, calculations are required.

The drawings you receive with a quote are not sufficient to build a roof truss as they lack calculations and instructions on how they should be assembled.

In most cases, it is cheapest to order prefabricated roof trusses—they don't cost much more than the timber itself.

 

[Micke64]

It's rarely worth it to make your own rafters.
It's cheaper than many think to order them ready-made.

Just a tip

That sounds fantastic. How does the manufacturer earn anything?

 

[larsbj]

That sounds fantastic. How does the manufacturer make any money?

A large part of what the manufacturer earns lies in the fact that they buy the material much cheaper than one can as a private person/construction company.

 

[falkn]

That sounds amazing. How does the manufacturer earn anything?

Partly, as larsbj writes, they have significantly better prices on timber. Then their trusses are assembled on an assembly line principle, which means that there is very little labor time per truss.

 

[Montören]

Received a quote for the roof trusses this week, 8000kr + VAT for 5 pieces.
Checked with the municipality and I'm allowed to build my own, as long as I vouch for their stability.
Bought materials today, 2600kr and I've increased a size in dimension.

 

[xdigger]

It would be fun to have some pictures.. My dad has built the roof trusses for my "friggebod", they're probably "a bit" over the top.

 

[Micke64]

Got a quote for the roof trusses this week, 8000kr + VAT for 5 pieces.
Checked with the municipality and I am allowed to build my own, as long as I ensure they are sturdy.
Bought materials today, 2600kr and I've increased the size in dimension.

Fun! Please show how you do it. Interesting that the price is only 1/3 of the quote. It contradicts the rumor that roof trusses are so incredibly cheap.