We recently worked with Chris Brown Joinery and our sister company, MGM Timber, to supply trusses and open web joists for a private housing development in Charlottetown, Fife.
The small, residential self-build comprises three private houses, and we supplied products for the second home to be developed. The customer required roof trusses, gable ladders, Kerto ridge beams, infill rafters, ironmongery and bracing to complete the roof system.
The customer originally approached MGM because of the Glenrothes branch’s proximity to the build site. The roof system had already been designed by the structural engineer so MGM commissioned our Buckhaven branch to work with the team to supply a complete roofing system.
The design presented some challenges, including the large span of the roof trusses. The customer wanted to use as much of the first floor space as possible, but the space from the first floor panels to the internal ceiling was high, so a clear span truss from wall head to wall head wasn’t possible.
Using the original technical design, the truss team provided solutions to allow the customer to use the space required, while also ensuring the project remained on time and on budget.
We provided a raised tie design that allowed the customer to use the floor space from wall to wall. And in order to maximise ceiling height, we also split the trusses in half and designed a box girder to align down the middle of the roof, with monoraised tie trusses sitting on either side.
The team also suggested using Posi-Joists for the project, rather than more traditional I-joists as the customer had first requested.
Posi-Joists are a more cost-effective option when spans are longer than five metres and they have the added benefit of allowing for easier installation of additional services and flexibility in future building modifications.
James Robertson, I-joist design technician at Buckhaven, said the Posi-Joists were easy to install, reduced time and eliminated costly cutting and drilling when installing services. “Our Posi-Joists are also supplied along with all of the additional materials, including metal connectors, temporary bracing, chipboard decking and any additional timbers, which again saves the customer time and money by offering a complete package,” said Mr Robertson.
“We suggested that Posi-Joists would be more appropriate and the customer was happy to take our advice on board. We designed the joists in Buckhaven and they were supplied by our Cramlington branch.” Chris Brown, of Chris Brown Joinery, said: “I’m a joiner by trade and my company is relatively new to property development. I approached MGM Timber to supply products for the second of three houses we are building on a small site.
“When they came back with proposals on what they and DTE could do for me, they provided some great solutions for the space issues we were considering. I was also really impressed with the benefits of the Posi-Joists and they were definitely the right choice for this project.”
