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The engineered trusses can be designed for all types of flooring applications. These trusses are probably designed at code min which is a LL Deflection criteria of L/360 (or 1" over a 30' span.) Most of our floor truss designs are utilizing L/480, and if you have any type of stone tile such as marble or slate, it is required to have a L/600 plus requirement under Total Loads (some applications require less than 1/8" over the span of the floor.) Gypcrete which is used in most commercial buildings requires a total load deflection of L/360 which is also high standard than normal code. The Total Load deflection Criteria under Code is L/240. You also have to consider that you are clear spanning over 30 feet. The material in the trusses could have been increased to a high MSR material or even double chords which would also take away some of that bounce. There should also be three rows of strongback bracing which will aid in vibration and "bounce." This is the "best" system for any application that you want to have less beams and posts, but it does cost more in the beginning (or is was until fire codes required that the basement ceiling be finished if installing them in this area.) The look good, and everything is able to be hidden. Some of the other trades need to be involved during installation to allow them to install the long runs while installing the trusses. This will eliminate the need to drill or cut out holes later. I enjoyed your video.

Great video - I like these "one year later" videos by the owner as once you lived in the house its a great time to review what you would have done differently. As an owner builder - twice - you are always thinking about what you would do differently if you would do it again knowing that there are a lot of decisions you need to make up front - so you would never build a "perfect" house and I think that is one of the more enjoyable aspects of a custom build and sharing it with others and learning from others. In regards to a basement - I would agree that you don't need open truss design. More than any other floor in the house you know there are going to be internal walls and you know where they are going to be up front. The furnace/hot water heater area and any storage area, any rough in bathroom areas, and any areas with windows that would meet code for a bedroom.

Nice video. Your explanations and thought process are so clear and well articulated I wish every building the video was like this.

I’m glad you considered ‘all things’. Literally every thing in the world that there was to consider and you thought about it. That was very considerate.

Excellent information, well done.

I love the open concept!

Thank you. This was very helpful!

Flex in your floor is it good thing. Good for the joints. There's quite a few others touting this especially when compared to a concrete floor

Thank you for this video, i'm studying to become a home inspector and needed this explanation!!! You're the man!

Bouncing was an issue in our kitchen. Movement was accentuated at the top Of the fridge and tall China cabinet. Ended up adding support in that area

Love the Blackhawks hat! "Here come the 'Hawks, the mighty Blackhawks!"

I was a mechanical contractor for 32 years with a large, one stop shop, mechanical contractor. Open web truss systems, of any type, including TJL's are preferred to TJI's. The key with mechanical contractors is preplanning and coordination meetings to square up routes. Working on the commercial side, we BIM everything and I do know, BIM is becoming a thing in residential markets. In general, the truss company should provide truss drawings to the subs long before the slab is poured or the trusses are even in production. Designs are coordinated, pipe, ducts, are prefabbed and when the trusses are rolled and set, pipe is placed in the appropriate void and life moves on. All of that is done prior to "dry in." Once dried in, installers come back and slap the systems together. It's actually a fast process if guys are smart enough to prefab and the HVAC contractor uses a shop to seal the ends and seam of the duct work. Fire sprinkler guys have no issue if they are installing steel, as that's the norm or CPVC. Long runs of cast for DWV or copper, if the building is secure, for the plumber's supply lines is also no issue. These systems shouldn't be any problem for a experienced tradesman, even in residential construction. Also, there should be savings in the mechanical systems due to less drilling but, then again, residential is a different animal.

Very useful information, thank you. And the hat is great also, go Blackhawks go.

I am considering doing this to my main floor in the basement, as I want to do a home theater in the basement in the future, and I think this would allow an optimal HVAC design for house while allowing me a flexible future layout of a rather large (28'x20') high ceiling home theater room with soundproof wall and ceiling design. Also, why didn't you have these trusses designed with a built in return slot? I've seen some like that, they frame a very large hole through the entire run in one section that the HVAC guys can then box in as the cold air return.

I have no idea if you made the right decision or not but I have to really say the ductwork and wiring seems to be something to consider. I'm new to construction but wouldn't you have to make your basement about a foot deeper with other products to support the ductwork and also make your stairwell longer or make the steps shorter. Also you'd need a lot more support columns.

now that you have the basement ready to be finished out. you can still go in with an lvl beam and a couple of posts. I am figuring it is the main floor that is getting the bounce

Thank you. Just subscribed.

I used them in a walk out ranch I built 21 years ago. About 80% of the basement is finished space. What I don't like is the fact that they flex and creak at times when you walk across the floor.

3:45 I totally agree. In a "modern ranch" or "modern prairie" type of home that I'm envisioning, even though the viewout or walkout basement is very important, I don't think it's SO important that the main level should have flooring issues. And you're not going to have an extremely open basement layout - it's going to be relatively boxy because you want several bedrooms down there as well as a bathroom and kitchenette. I think I'll just do much shorter trusses to ensure the floor of the main level is ultra stiff.

Can you attach a pull-up bar directly to the bottom chords of those trusses? Or an anchor for a suspension workout system like TRX?

Great info and tips. Had no idea they had to be 24" tall. Wow😮

Wouldn't the "bounce" you talk about be eliminated by using a strongback right down the middle?

Great points. Only experience and an eye to detail can point this out. I would like to point out that this has a fire risk. All that open space allows a fire to spread very quickly if it gets into the joist space. Insurance companies are looking at this.

One thing I don’t think you mentioned was the thickness and type of subfloor and how you secured it. Maybe a thicker subfloor would reduce that bounce.

If you are using floor trusses instead of regular lumber or TJI, what would you use for the rim joist?

What method would you suggest to reinforce an open web truss to support weight pulling down? For example, hanging a swing or workout equipment from the truss in the basement.

Can you show us where the plenum connects to your ductwork?

The bouncing you talked about appears to be eliminated now by the addition of placing one, two or ? 2x6 board in the center of the open web. The span table indicates this and how many of these 2x6's are needed pending the span. Hope that helps 🙏🇨🇦

I would appreciate it if you could tell me what the minimum thickness of the nail plate used for floor joists is.

What could you use trying to span 60’?

I have a sagging kitchen floor. (Like 2” over 15 feet) Do you know if I can add more? I want both upstairs and downstairs to remain open great rooms.

Thanks for the video! Did you use advantech - if so what thickness for the floor where you are feeling the bounce? Also are you using 24" or 16" OC framing? I was sure I was going to go with this for my next house but now I'm wondering.

Where did you get your floor trusses? I’m looking for 30’ long floor trusses and I can’t find anything, and how much were they a piece? Thanks

Great video. Just moved into a 3 year old home. The open web joists are 14" tall on 24" centers. They are bouncy in the middle which is not too troubling. The biggest concern is when approaching and standing near the toilets The toilets rattle and I'm afraid that the toilet seal could be affected. Thank you.

U didn’t talk about the strong backs. In mine I don’t feel the engineering was quite enough. My span is longer n the floors ain’t level. Wavy n dish shaped 1 1/2”. They put them under walls but not enough throughout the traffic areas. How about urs ?

How far is the span, did not hear that dimension mentioned(?)

Thanks for the good video. I’m planning on finishing my basement at some point. Do you know how one would go about insulating a ceiling with web trusses? The previous owner already sprayed the floor joists which is nice. Thanks.

I recently bought a newly constructed home. The second floor of the house has squeaking sound, builder told me it is normal and it may reduce once furniture is on the floor. I don’t agree and I told him that it is not normal, I have seen many house like that. After discussion they agreed to review, they were thinking it has I-joist but they found open web truss joist. Now the y are telling web truss is expensive and strong but sound is expected. I find the sound very annoying, is there a way to reduce it. Builder tried multiple time and saying all is good and this cannot be perfect. Floor is little bouncy too. Please suggest

Hi I have these type trusses in a garage addition we had built.. we are re-doing an upper deck that was poorly installed. My question is to properly attach the ledger do I drill and bolt through the end of the truss? Or do I have to avoid the truss completely and not touch it as it is "engineered" . The idiots i had hired only attached the ledger to the bloody OSB and used scrap wood as blocks behind to keep the bolt from pulling through the OSB I am getting mixed answers online

sounds like a Canadian accent. Hi from Niagara!

can you use these as trusses on a roof so you won't have to use bearing walls?

Would I save money if I build them my self. I have a 36’span I have my own saw mill and I’m cutting my own lumber I don’t want any thing hanging into my basement that will be completely finished with a walk out. And where can I find plans to build it correctly. Thanks Adam

I am a person who is trying to build a floor truss myself. I would appreciate it if you could tell me the minimum thickness of the floor truss nail plate.

Is the on center of the floor truss 24 inches?

Did you factor in the extra price of installing a LVL beam along with the posts and pads compared to the open web system?

My house has the same floor truss system. Basement plus two levels above. 24” deep floor trusses, 24” on center, spanning 26 feet. Can I knock down room partition walls without calling in a structural engineer? I want to combine two small bedrooms & bath, to make a new master bedroom.

Interesting video, I am looking at making some home made ones for a 26' span. I can't understand why the top and bottom 2x4's are on the flat though, is that for duct work access? It seems like turning those on their sides would take away the bounce a whole lot! All floor trusses are on the flat for some reason though, I don't get it. Roof trusses never use wood on the flat, just on edge. I wonder if there is a space in your trusses where you could slide a beam in though, so it doesn't stick down? Also if you went with 7'5" cielings, you would still have plenty of headroom in the basement without so many stairs...

Are those 14" floor truss system??

i have open web truss for my entire second floor. half the house is over the garage, issue there is you can see from one side to the other side of the house and insulation for common area to non is brutal to seperate

What thickness was your subfloor?

Why didn't they design the truss with a duct chase for your HVAC?

Fire spreads fast thru that system, some insurance company's will not insure because of the rapid spread of flames and total collapse of the floor system during a fire.

Open web trusses are the way to go 100% if you can fit the cost into your budget!

You could stiffen these up with some 1/2 inch plywood, or even 2x6's nailed to the top or bottom of the truss. You lose some openness.

Not much of a comment more a question not usually a 2 story builder I'm doing a metal i beam construction with 20 inch metals trusses spanning 32 ft trusses are 24 inches apart. I don't know how to put a floor over the top. And on tight budget I've been looking and see where they have products for pouring concrete but wanted a wood style floor without concrete. Not hitting the right key words on Google for what I'm looking to do i guess. Thanks for any direction on matter if even on internet. This is for myself

Reduce sound and "bounce" with spray foam.

Insurance on these beams is higher due to total write offs in case of fire. Solid wood beans take longer to burn through, engineered lumber has a better rating than most and of course metal has the highest. Firemen hate them due to their inability to carry a load once damaged. Always a tough decision and I’m not sure one is a better choice over another, guess it comes down to what’s the best choice for you.

Yes, but if you want to make a modification, you need to get an engineer before you cut into the floor or ceiling.

Do you have any other questions about using floor trusses that I didn't answer?

Truss design has 3 criteria for stiffness. Depth of truss, spacing of trusses and grade of lumber used. If you do not want a bounce in your floor, design it better! L360 is a very low design for stiffness. You should have used L480 or L600 for your design if you did not want a bounce. Its not the trusses, its the design. No matter what floor system you use, if not designed correctly will have bounce.

He is avoiding the cost savings in labour using pex water lines and the overall labour to install Webb joists is far cheaper than extra concrete in the floor and the extra labour of a standard main floor

They're not floor joices. They're trusses??

Me, my brother and my father have these in our houses and they are absolutely worth the cost. Finish that ceiling and seal in off and the entire volume between the top and bottom of your trusses becomes a return plenum and a conditioned space. No need for return trunk-lines or ducting, just cut a hole for a register anywhere you need a return vent, same for return air drops.

Twice the cost, 20" and you still have deflection?! I would be soooo pissed!

My house was built with floor trusses in the mid 80s. There is significant flex and squeek in the floor. It can be a bit obnoxious. The previous owners did install a grouted tile, and yes, the grout has completely crumbled. Never ever use tile on a truss floor.

He needs to learn a little more about it. Run more strongbacks it’s best system for mechanicals and as for concentrated loads like islands and granite. Beef the system up L/600

Floor trusses are a scam IMO

Your bad planning, thought you were a professional contractor? Two more steps is not dangerous!

Get out of the house quickly if it ever catches fire. Open truss might be strong but the worst fire. Garbage construction in my opinion.