[J1ceasar]

And that's why I never go look in my attic

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by thevillages2013

I see nails or screws penetrating that broken 2x4 coming from the other side that isn’t pictured
If there is something attached to the other side then just attach a 2x4 to the pictured side. Try to cut it to fit the top and go all the way to the bottom. Also take a hammer and tighten up the truss plates on the top before adding 2x4. If you want to bolt it you can but you would only be drawing attention to it. I would use 3” wood screws. That is yellow pine by the way if you want it to match. Wouldn’t hurt to grind off the points of those penetrating nails first to make it easier. Pick a cool morning for the job. Yes I have tons of experience building with trusses and I don’t mean watching someone else do the work. That is one reason my back is trash now

Instead of lag bolts or wood screws, I recommend Fasten Master HeadLOK Structural Screws. They are slim, but as strong as a 3/8” lag screw, and the recommended product for the past five years. They are expensive, but worth it. They are MUCH stronger than drywall screws. They come in a variety of lengths, including screws that will go through a “sister” on each side of the break. Available at Lowe’s or Home Depot. I recommend clamping the sisters to the king stud before screwing. https://www.lowes.com/pd/FastenMaste...-Count/3446730

However, as you noticed, the truss plate has come loose on one side (see photo). Look carefully and you’ll see that someone has tried to hammer it back into place already. But they don’t hammer! You can’t hammer them back in that way. In truss factories trusses are made in big forms, and there are pneumatic clamps that press those plates into place. Once they have popped loose, they won’t work. (Well, not with a hammer. You might be able to use a block of plywood and several big clamps and tighten them into place.) If I were doing the work myself, in my own home, I would use a foot square piece of 3/4” plywood. Trim the top to fit the roof slope, and nail it into place with at least a dozen 2 1/2” joist hanger nails—after removing the useless trust plate. This is called a gusset, I think, and they have been used for centuries.

[Susan1951]

Hi

Call McHale Roofing and ask for Matt , he will come by and check it out for you .

He is not a rip of merchant , he will advise what he thinks is best and leave for you to decide what you want to do .

[NoMoSno]

If it makes you feel better scab another 2x4 to the other side.
County building inspector approved as is.
Kind of chintzy of the builder not to swap out during construction.
Florida snow load requirements=0

[photo1902]

Originally Posted by Eg_cruz

Because this is a community board with retired construction and engineers…….so before he gets taken advantage of he reaches out to his neighbors…….like the good days before the internet. Remember the days your neighbors would have been there to help fix this.

You’re talking about a potential major structural component of a home, not a jammed garbage disposal. By all means the OP can do whatever they want. My only point was that if they take advice which is not prudent, and later has an issue, it’s all on them. Read some of the other posts which agree with my point. Hire a pro, get it done right, and if there’s an issue down the road, they will have recourse.

[Billy1]

Think about your safety, roofers safety, and what will it look like to a potential buyer. Holes drilled in wood weaken wood. It's like several door locks weaken the wood and makes it easier to bust a door down.

[DangeloInspections]

I would agree with everything MondoMan and what some others have said. The repair already there appears substandard. It is easy to say, "consult a structural engineer", but the reality is that they are busy and most likely not even bother with a little job like this. Perhaps some retired Structural engineer may help, but in this case a well built repair, using a plywood gusset and sistering a 2x4 along the cracked webbing should be more than adequate, IMHO.

Technically, most, (but not all) truss repairs have to be approved by the truss company truss engineer. They design and print out their remedy, and that is filed with your county building department. There ARE a few minor truss repairs that ARE allowed on site during the build...this is not one of them.

The good news is that your home is 16 years old and you have suffered no ill effects from this issue. What could be a problem however is if down the road you sell your home and the buyer hires an Inspector and that Inspector calls this out as an issue, now it becomes your problem.

This is why the documentation from a structural engineer can be important. If this comes up down the road, you can say, "No problem....here is a document from an engineer stating the proper repair was done according to his or her specifications".

We do mainly one year warranty inspections on new houses. We find and document broken trusses at least 1 or more times a week on new homes. We first look at the Sumter county website to see if there WAS a permit for a truss repair. Then we include pictures, etc., in the report to have the builder do two things, fix the truss according to the truss engineer's instructions, AND provide the homeowner with the needed paperwork so it does not become an issue down the road.

If you have ever seen how these trusses get delivered, you can easily understand how they become broken. They are rolled off a flatbed truck onto the ground. The good news is that if one or more DO get damaged, the repair, done correctly, is usually much stronger than the unbroken trusses.

Hope this helps!

[IndianaJones]

Thanks - no roof sagging, no other apparent damage, just the truss. I'm having someone look at it next week.
By the way - you can get decent advice from this site, and you do get plenty of retired professionals who are willing to give you some good thoughts. Stop sniping at each other, and relax here in "Florida's Friendliest Hometown".
Thanks again for all the info.
IndianaJones

[Ritagoyer]

Put on new 2x4 and through bolt them together

[NoMoSno]

Originally Posted by DangeloInspections

I would agree with everything MondoMan and what some others have said. The repair already there appears substandard. It is easy to say, "consult a structural engineer", but the reality is that they are busy and most likely not even bother with a little job like this. Perhaps some retired Structural engineer may help, but in this case a well built repair, using a plywood gusset and sistering a 2x4 along the cracked webbing should be more than adequate, IMHO.

Technically, most, (but not all) truss repairs have to be approved by the truss company truss engineer. They design and print out their remedy, and that is filed with your county building department. There ARE a few minor truss repairs that ARE allowed on site during the build...this is not one of them.

The good news is that your home is 16 years old and you have suffered no ill effects from this issue. What could be a problem however is if down the road you sell your home and the buyer hires an Inspector and that Inspector calls this out as an issue, now it becomes your problem.

This is why the documentation from a structural engineer can be important. If this comes up down the road, you can say, "No problem....here is a document from an engineer stating the proper repair was done according to his or her specifications".

We do mainly one year warranty inspections on new houses. We find and document broken trusses at least 1 or more times a week on new homes. We first look at the Sumter county website to see if there WAS a permit for a truss repair. Then we include pictures, etc., in the report to have the builder do two things, fix the truss according to the truss engineer's instructions, AND provide the homeowner with the needed paperwork so it does not become an issue down the road.

If you have ever seen how these trusses get delivered, you can easily understand how they become broken. They are rolled off a flatbed truck onto the ground. The good news is that if one or more DO get damaged, the repair, done correctly, is usually much stronger than the unbroken trusses.

Hope this helps!

Why did the county building inspector sign off on the rough in?

[merrymini]

How do you know which of these people is competent and knows the proper thing to do?

[DAVES]

Sort of spooky. They sure don't do things as they used to be. Our previous home was built in 1948. You probably couldn't even buy the lumber used. Even 2x4s were bigger as well as being non farm raised wood. Underlayment to the roof were tung and grooved boards not glued together wood chips. Damaged wood? It was cut into smaller pieces used in the home and the damaged parts were trashed.

[obx2003]

Originally Posted by thevillages2013

I see nails or screws penetrating that broken 2x4 coming from the other side that isn’t pictured
If there is something attached to the other side then just attach a 2x4 to the pictured side. Try to cut it to fit the top and go all the way to the bottom. Also take a hammer and tighten up the truss plates on the top before adding 2x4. If you want to bolt it you can but you would only be drawing attention to it. I would use 3” wood screws. That is yellow pine by the way if you want it to match. Wouldn’t hurt to grind off the points of those penetrating nails first to make it easier. Pick a cool morning for the job. Yes I have tons of experience building with trusses and I don’t mean watching someone else do the work. That is one reason my back is trash now

Excellent suggestion, but I would start by calling the Home Warranty Department, as mentioned earlier.

[kkingston57]

Originally Posted by NoMoSno

Why did the county building inspector sign off on the rough in?

Another good example of poor workmanship and/or ?able inspections in TV. I cringe every-time someone comes out to do work on my house. Had a ceiling fan moved. Per my electrician, installer mounted ceiling fan box on the drywall and roof truss was inches away.

[Topspinmo]

IMO That looks like failure at knot in low grade 2x4 to me. ( look at grain) Big knots weaken the load carry board. I know how I would fix it and never know it was there.