Rafter Splice/Engineers comments - InspectionNews

Greg Jenkins · #1 (**permalink**) 07-30-2010, 01:49 PM

Inspected this attic of a modular home several months ago. I had limited access to the attic but called out the rafter splices as questionable.
Engineer comes back and says they are a "hinged roof truss framing system...and are common construction techniques in the modular home industy" and that all is ok.
The first pic is in an attic knee wall area. The other pics are of the attic.
I think the engineer looked in behind the knee walls and didn't actually enter the attic. (area above a third floor ceiling)
I am just looking for other opinions.

John Kogel · #2 (**permalink**) 07-30-2010, 07:10 PM

Pics 2,3,and 4 show saw cuts in the rafters which have been sistered. If the scabbed-on peices are well nailed, I would be inclined to just describe them as spliced rafters. It would seem the engineer has taken on the responsibility for them.

Could they have been trying to straighten out a hump in the roofline in that area? That is what that looks like to me, some corrective surgery to improve the look of the roof after they raised it.

Jerry Peck · #3 (**permalink**) 07-31-2010, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Greg Jenkins

Engineer comes back and says they are a "hinged roof truss framing system...and are common construction techniques in the modular home industy" and that all is ok.

...

The first pic is in an attic knee wall area. The other pics are of the attic.
I think the engineer looked in behind the knee walls and didn't actually enter the attic. (area above a third floor ceiling)

Regarding the first part ... "and that all is ok" ... if that is what the engineer said, then you are 'off the hook' so to speak, however, like John said, but more than John said also, the rafters were saw cut ... TWO were saw cut ... and one was added, AND there looks to have been a diagonal web which was removed (based on what remains of the truss plate).

I agree with your take in that the engineer probably only looked at the knee wall area, nonetheless, though, if the engineer said that all is ok - he bought that baby.

To me, if TWO trusses were cut, the TWO repairs would need to be made, one for each cut truss, and than those removed diagonal webs should have been specifically addressed by the engineer too ... but that is "to me and in my opinion".

Greg Jenkins · #4 (**permalink**) 07-31-2010, 04:34 PM

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I probably should have posted this in the "inspection blues" category.
I was comfortable with calling out the framing as questionable. I got the blues when the engineers report came back, said the framing was sufficient and that my comments were the result of an "untrained eye." However, the engineers report has no mention of the altered framing. He only indicates that the house is modular construction with a hinged trusses. So I think HE thinks that I looked at the metal gussets (visible in the first Pic) and called that out as questionable.
Here's the Kicker. The engineer is a home inspector and he did the original inspection for the current home owner. Can you say CYA.

Jerry McCarthy · #5 (**permalink**) 07-31-2010, 04:45 PM

Greg
For what its worth, you're right and EC Jerry P is right (no surprise there), and it appears the PE goofed, but as we all know he has bought the problem and it now belongs to him. Don't you love it when folks with letters after their name come along and lift the monkey off your back and put it on their own?

Eric Barker · #6 (**permalink**) 08-01-2010, 08:21 AM

It's frustrating when you bust butt to find concerns then have someone who is supposedly more qualified than you give a condition the thumbs up. What really bothers me is that the person has not done his job and in some cases has tarnished my image since people will think I was wrong and he was right.