In short: Trusses are designed as a system that braces itself. Cutting one and leaving it unrestrained takes it out of that system while leaving it looking like part of it.
Trusses work together
A roof truss is engineered as part of a braced array, not as an independent member. Cut off trusses - shortened to meet a wall or an opening - need to be braced back to the top plate so they are still tied into that system. We have recorded them not braced on a Melton South build.
Why it is easy to miss
From below, after the ceiling is up, a roof either exists or it does not. The bracing that makes it stable is entirely in the roof space, and almost nobody goes back up there until something is wrong.
The window
Frame stage, before insulation and ceilings. On City of Melton programs across Belle Gardens, Maplewood, Orchard Green and the surrounding releases, that window is often a week. Referenced against the Guide to Standards and Tolerances 2015 and the truss manufacturer's detail, it is a factual finding rather than a judgement.
Written by the Owner Inspections team from inspections carried out in Melton South. Licensed building practitioners, Building & Plumbing Commission registration CDB-U 53425.
