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General => General Forum => Topic started by: ajbremer on March 21, 2011, 01:55:54 AM

Title: Gambrel Roof on the Little House Plans...
Post by: ajbremer on March 21, 2011, 01:55:54 AM
Would a gambrel roof be feasible on a modified 'Little House Plans'? I have the Little House Plans and I'll be using 10' wall studs for more head room in the loft and now I'm wondering if I can also use a gambrel style roof with it. I'll also be modifying the Little House Plans to 16x28.

Also, would it be a good idea, if using a gambrel roof on the little house, to purchase the gambrel trusses instead of building them - seeing that I'm a beginner?

I really like the gambrel roof style and further more, I already have a 12x32 gambrel roof building on the lot and I thought they would look good together.
Title: Re: Gambrel Roof on the Little House Plans...
Post by: John Raabe on March 21, 2011, 11:52:52 AM
Yes, I would suggest getting trusses built to local loads. It might even be less expensive than site built trusses and easier and safer to put up.
Title: Re: Gambrel Roof on the Little House Plans...
Post by: ajbremer on March 22, 2011, 01:46:04 AM
Very good John, thanks for answering my post. I will be looking for truss people in my area - pricing and asking questions very soon.
Title: Re: Gambrel Roof on the Little House Plans...
Post by: Don_P on March 22, 2011, 05:35:18 AM
10' wall studs with trusses will not give more loft room  ???. It will make stairs take up more room. I'd also look into making them cantilevered to give more room upstairs.
Title: Re: Gambrel Roof on the Little House Plans...
Post by: MountainDon on March 22, 2011, 12:55:53 PM
Note that the little house plans use rafter ties across the wall top plates. Their walls could be any height, but the rafter ties remain across the wall top plates.

The gambrel roofed sheds that are popular everywhere use metal plates to reinforce joints at the angle cuts that form the gambrel roof shape. I really don't know how strong those are. They are popular but they are not trusses. At best they should be called reinforced rafters. I have seen old plans for site building gambrel rafters with reinforcing 2x material or plywood gussets. Things like that may or may not be properly designed to resist wind, snow, etc loads on the roof.

A true gambrel roof truss will have some system of "webs" to transfer forces and retain all the forces within the truss itself. (Except for the weight which goes straight down the wall studs.) They invariably have a lower chord as a necessary part of the truss. They can provide extra headroom in the upper area but the open space will not be full width, and the lower chord will be the upper floor.

This would be an engineered manufactured gambrel roof truss...

(https://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/construction%20oddnends/gambrelattictruss.jpg)

This would be a backyard built reinforced rafter...

(https://i139.photobucket.com/albums/q305/djmbucket/construction%20oddnends/-Gambrel-Roof-rafter.jpg)

Use Google, search for images of gambrel truss. Lots of pictures there.

Title: Re: Gambrel Roof on the Little House Plans...
Post by: MushCreek on March 22, 2011, 03:53:23 PM
Barnplans.com has some good pictures and descriptions of their gambrel truss design. I am building a barn to their plans.