Student Housing Roofing Truss Installation

The nearly finished student housing roof trusses behind the crane.

Installation of the roofing trusses for the student housing is an interesting process to watch. Individual trusses are quite floppy on their own, but when they are tied together they form a very strong roof structure designed to hold up under weighty New England snowloads.

Assembly of trusses made on the ground for hoisting with the crane.

As is typical in construction, sometimes the first steps of the process can be the most challenging. In this case, the challenge is getting those first floppy trusses in place and tied together so as to create a sturdy framework on which additional trusses can be added. Brandon and his framing crew solve this problem by assembling the first six trusses on the ground. This also allows them to add the overhang roof detail, including the fascia board which is much easier to install from a step ladder!

Tying in the trusses as they arrive.

This whole assembly is then lifted by crane and set into place on the far end of the student housing building. Once that end assembly is fastened in place, its just a matter of lifting each additional truss into place and adding it to the assembly. A good crew can fasten the trusses in place as fast as the crane can lift them from the ground stack (and yes, our crew was good!)

The whole process is finished with the last pre-constructed end assembly being lifted into place. The result is a very strong and well constructed roof being put into place in a very short time. A rewarding sight to see.