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Thread: Trusses?

  1. #1
    Terry Ewald's Avatar
    Terry Ewald Guest

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
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    Fletcher, NC
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    28,032

    Default Re: Trusses?

    Those are stiffeners across joints in the truss top chords.

    Jerry Peck
    Construction/Litigation/Code Consultant - Retired
    www.AskCodeMan.com

  3. #3
    Sharon Lear's Avatar
    Sharon Lear Guest

    Default Re: Trusses?

    Hello,
    I bought my townhouse 4 months ago and 2 months after I bought it I would hear popping noises in the ceiling downstairs. Particularly in the afternoon. I figured it was just the place settling ( It was built in 1992) and although it was disturbing I did not find out what it was until 2 months later I noticed cracks along the ceiling and walls upstairs primarily.
    I called my inspector, he came back out and said the thought it was "trussel lift". And if it was, it should correct itself when the weather warms and dries up. Said it wasn't a structural problem per sey, a nuisance really. BTW...I live in WNC (western NC).
    Anyway, regardless...I'm not happy with this new discovery so I called my real estate agent and asked him if the previous owner was obligated to report this condition on the sellers disclosure form.
    He said she did not because it wasn't a problem when she listed the house or when I bought the place.
    So, I called a structural engineer and he came out to take a look. He said it was most likely trussel lift as well.
    I won't really know for sure until the weather warms. If it doesn't correct itself, then it would most likely be a foundation problem although the structural engineer did not see any signs of that issue.
    Is anyone familiar with this problem and does anyone know if the seller was required to report it?


  4. #4

    Default Re: Trusses?

    It should have been in the report...
    How it was written is up for discussion but I would expect all NC inspectors to disclose the uplift and likley refer it for monitoring since this issue is not usually a significant problem but can cause issues depending on how the trusses are strapped to the walls.

    Jeff Zehnder - Home Inspector, Raleigh, NC
    http://www.jjeffzehnder.com/
    http://carolinahomeinspections.com/

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Southern Vancouver Island
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    4,607

    Default Re: Trusses?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jeff Zehnder View Post
    It should have been in the report...
    How it was written is up for discussion but I would expect all NC inspectors to disclose the uplift and likley refer it for monitoring since this issue is not usually a significant problem but can cause issues depending on how the trusses are strapped to the walls.
    Are you saying truss uplift is really common in NC?
    I don't see how the inspector could have known at the time of purchase, when the movement happened after the client moved in.

    AFAIK. the simple solution to the unsightly crack is to install wood trim at the junction of the ceiling and walls. But I don't come across that kind of movement here, so this is just FYI.

    Google search 'truss uplift'.

    Last edited by John Kogel; 04-01-2013 at 12:49 PM.
    John Kogel, RHI, BC HI Lic #47455
    www.allsafehome.ca

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Location
    Wisconsin
    Posts
    274

    Default Re: Trusses?

    When the trusses settle back down you can (or whoever) go up in the attic and screw lumber to the top of the walls between the trusses overlapping onto the drywall. Then, next year when the trusses lift again the rock will pull away from the truss and not the wall and avoid the cracks. You might find some screw/nail head pops along the walls when the trusses settle again, but you can remove them and patch the holes. You want to wait for the trusses to settle before you do this, as they will gently lift and separate from the drywall next time vs. forcing the drywall back down now and damaging it.

    The drywall is not supposed to be secured to trusses within 12"-16" of wall and ceiling corners, as trusses are designed to move. Basically, the corners are supposed to float. There probably are no structural issues, but is not a pleasant sight to see.

    I can't say if the seller should have disclosed it, as it might have been considered cosmetics and not a structual issue???

    Last edited by Mike Kleisch; 03-29-2013 at 10:11 PM.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Lancaster, CA
    Posts
    153

    Default Re: Trusses?

    Quote Originally Posted by Sharon Lear View Post
    Hello,
    I bought my townhouse 4 months ago and 2 months after I bought it I would hear popping noises in the ceiling downstairs. Particularly in the afternoon. I figured it was just the place settling ( It was built in 1992) and although it was disturbing I did not find out what it was until 2 months later I noticed cracks along the ceiling and walls upstairs primarily.
    I called my inspector, he came back out and said the thought it was "trussel lift". And if it was, it should correct itself when the weather warms and dries up. Said it wasn't a structural problem per sey, a nuisance really. BTW...I live in WNC (western NC).
    Anyway, regardless...I'm not happy with this new discovery so I called my real estate agent and asked him if the previous owner was obligated to report this condition on the sellers disclosure form.
    He said she did not because it wasn't a problem when she listed the house or when I bought the place.
    So, I called a structural engineer and he came out to take a look. He said it was most likely trussel lift as well.
    I won't really know for sure until the weather warms. If it doesn't correct itself, then it would most likely be a foundation problem although the structural engineer did not see any signs of that issue.
    Is anyone familiar with this problem and does anyone know if the seller was required to report it?
    A Home Inspector may have a narrative to talk about trusses and such items as uplift or expansion and contraction, but to say that the *possibility* of truss uplift should be an item in a report, I'd disagree. As far as the seller, that's a different ball-game. Length of time there and any history of repairs and continued problems etc


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