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I’ve got a job coming up to frame a 2300 q. ft. house with a 7/12 hip roof that’s not an easy layout. I’ve counted at least 8 different ridge lines not to mention the valleys that go with them. This will be my first hip roof. I’ve done lots of gable jobs but never a hip. We always use trusses so I am very familiar with them. Is it going to more efficient for me to truss this hip roof or stick-build it? Any advice to go along with your answer?
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Allen, in no way would I encourage you to try to hand stack a hip roof first try. Try to locate someone who has the time to cut it himself and show you how he did it at the same time. Consider the extra expense as an educational experience. If you can't or won't find someone of vast experience and knowledge, just truss it. A first year framer can put up a truss hip. I do have questions, though. What do the plans show? Are you supposed to furnish materials if you hand stack or buy the trusses if it's trussed? Do you bid the job the same price for a truss roof and a hand cut roof? That seems odd to me because a hand stack roof takes a lot more labor that standing trusses.
*Seems to me that stick framing a hip roof on a 2300 square foot house would be a major nightmare. Where in the heck would you bear everything ? Unless you've got a lot of bearing walls and a lot of talented help I'd never try it. Even with a truss system, on a complicated roof there will still likely be a lot of overframing and valley framing to finish things out.
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I've got a job coming up to frame a 2300 q. ft. house with a 7/12 hip roof that's not an easy layout. I've counted at least 8 different ridge lines not to mention the valleys that go with them. This will be my first hip roof. I've done lots of gable jobs but never a hip. We always use trusses so I am very familiar with them. Is it going to more efficient for me to truss this hip roof or stick-build it? Any advice to go along with your answer?