Review truss drawings by checking the layout against the current architectural roof and floor plans, then checking the loads the supplier designed to against what the set actually builds: the roof covering, floor finishes and attic equipment. Then follow each truss reaction to a wall, header, girder or beam the drawings show, confirm one uplift tie per bearing, and check that bracing and the approval route are on the sheets.
Check the loads the trusses were designed for
A truss is only as right as its design loads. The supplier designs roof trusses to the dead load the drawings give, and floor trusses to the floor loads they give. Two failures are common: the roof covering changes (from shingles to tile or slate) after the framing is designed, and the design notes never state the floor loads at all.
In the two-story house roof load and shear wall review, the roof framing note covered a composition or metal roof while every architectural sheet specified slate tile, and the structural notes gave roof and wind loads but no second-floor live or dead load for the floor truss supplier to design to.
Twelve questions for truss drawings
Work through the layout, the truss design drawings and the permit set in this order. The CSV has columns for the location, the source references, the reviewer, the status, the decision and the closure evidence. It contains no design values; those come from the truss designer and the engineer of record.
| Review area | Open these sources together | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Truss layout matches the architectural roof and floor plans | Truss layout, architectural roof plan, floor plans, sections | Do truss spans, overhangs, pitches, ridges, hips and valleys on the layout match the architectural roof and floor plans of the current issue? |
| Roof covering and design dead load | Truss design drawings, structural design notes, roof assemblies, elevations | Does the dead load on the truss and rafter design cover the roof covering the architectural sheets specify, such as tile or slate rather than shingles? |
| Floor design loads given to the supplier | Structural design notes, floor truss drawings, finish schedule, partitions | Are the floor live and dead loads, including heavy finishes, partitions and equipment, stated on the drawings the truss supplier designs to? |
| Bearing walls and girder trusses | Truss layout, structural framing plan, foundation plan, architectural plans | Is every truss bearing on a wall, beam or girder the drawings actually show, and does each girder truss land on a post with a load path to the foundation? |
| Headers and lintels under truss bearings | Lintel and header schedules, wall framing, truss layout reactions | Where trusses bear over a door, window or garage opening, is the header in the schedule sized for that roof load and that span? |
| Uplift connections | Truss drawings (reactions), structural notes, connector schedule, wind data | Does each truss or rafter have one named tie to the wall, sized for the uplift the truss drawings or calculations give? |
| Attic equipment and openings | Mechanical plans, truss layout, attic access, electrical plans | Are attic units, platforms, access openings, ducts and chases shown on the truss layout and accounted for in the truss loads? |
| Scissor, vaulted and special trusses | Sections, reflected ceiling plans, truss layout, roof assembly schedule | Do the sections and ceiling plans show the same scissor, vaulted or stepped ceilings the layout designs, with matching assembly marks? |
| Floor truss depth and penetrations | Floor truss drawings, sections, plumbing and duct layouts | Does the floor truss depth fit the section heights, and do ducts and drains run through open webs or chases rather than through chords? |
| Permanent bracing | Truss drawings, structural notes, bracing details | Are the permanent lateral and diagonal bracing the truss drawings call for shown or referenced on the structural sheets? |
| Revision and issue match | Truss layout title block, structural and architectural sheet index and revisions | Were the truss drawings designed from the current architectural and structural issue, and are later changes reflected? |
| Who approves the truss package | Specifications or general notes, submittal requirements, truss seal | Do the notes say who reviews the truss package and whether a sealed design is required, and is that reflected in the submittal? |
Mark a row not applicable only after recording why. A simple gable roof still needs its bearings, ties and loads checked.
Follow every reaction down
Truss drawings list a reaction at each bearing. Each one has to land on something the drawings design: a wall, a header over an opening, a girder truss, a beam or a post. Openings under truss bearings are where this breaks. In the house permit set review, the lower roof trusses bore on a wall over a wide garage door, and the scheduled lintel there was rated for a shorter span than the opening.
Check uplift the same way: one named tie per bearing, sized for the uplift the truss drawings give. The same two-story house review found the rafter-to-plate tie named as three different models across three sheets. The structural drawing checklist and the calculations versus drawings checklist cover the rest of the structure.
Match the truss package to the current issue
The truss layout title block names the drawings it was designed from. Compare that with the current sheet index and revisions. Roof pitches, ceiling heights, attic units and plumbing walls move during design, and each move can change a truss. Check the specifications or general notes for who reviews the truss package and whether a sealed design is required; the submittal review checklist covers the approval workflow.
Where Groundbook fits
Groundbook compares the architectural and structural drawings with the truss layout and truss design drawings you upload as references, and returns potential conflicts with links to each source, such as a roof covering on the elevations that differs from the one the framing was designed for. It does not design trusses, check their capacity or approve a truss submittal. Each finding is a question for the truss designer and the engineer of record. See cross-discipline coordination review for the workflow.