VersaLift Attic Lifts & Pre-Engineered Roof Trusses
What Homeowners Need to Know Before Installing an Attic Lift in a Home With Pre-Engineered Roof Trusses
Before anyone draws conclusions on which is better, we asked Google, "Which is better, Truss Built Homes or Traditional Stick Built Homes?" (Don't be intimidated by the name "stick" these are 2 x 12s, 2 x 10s, 2 x 8s could even be 2 x 16" I joists, or 24" glue lam beams.
- Speed: Installed in days instead of weeks.
- Cost-Effective: Lower labor costs and less material waste.
- Strength: Factory-built to exact structural specifications.
- Open Spans: Perfect for large, open-concept floor plans without needing interior load-bearing walls.
- No Customization: Rigid designs mean zero on-site modifications are allowed without an engineer's approval.
- Attic Space: Internal web bracing limits usable attic storage and living space.
- Logistics: Requires heavy transport trucks and a crane for setup.
- Design Flexibility: Highly adaptable for custom homes, steep pitches, and complex intersecting rooflines.
- Usable Attic: Leaves the attic wide open for storage, rooms, or mechanical ductwork.
- Easy Modifications: Simple to alter later if you want to add skylights or dormers.
- Higher Cost: Takes more time and generates more lumber waste.
- Labor-Intensive: Heavily relies on the skill of on-site carpenters.
- Weather Delays: Built entirely on-site, exposing the frame to weather elements during construction.
What Homeowners Need to Know Before Cutting or Modifying an Attic Truss
If you look inside many newer attics, you'll see a network of 2×4 lumber forming triangles between the ceiling and roof.
It's easy to look at one of those pieces and think:
“That's just a 2×4. Can I move it out of the way?”
Usually, no.
Those pieces may be part of a pre-engineered roof truss. Unlike conventional stick framing, the individual pieces of a truss are engineered to work together as a complete structural system.
Cutting one seemingly insignificant 2×4 can change how loads are transferred through the entire truss.
That's particularly important when you're considering an attic storage lift, attic ladder, HVAC system or any other project that requires additional space or an opening in the attic floor.
Before cutting anything, first determine what type of framing you have.
VERSALIFT SAFETY RULE
Never cut, drill, notch, relocate or remove any member or metal connector plate of a pre-engineered truss simply to make room for a VersaLift.
If a truss must be modified, the modification should be specifically designed and approved for that truss system by an appropriate qualified professional.
What Is a Pre-Engineered Wood Truss?
A modern residential roof truss is usually manufactured from relatively small pieces of dimensional lumber—commonly 2×4 or 2×6 material—joined together with engineered metal connector plates.
The outside members are called chords.
The angled and vertical members between them are called webs.
Together, they form a series of triangles.
Those triangles are important. Rather than relying upon one large piece of lumber to span the house, the truss distributes forces through its interconnected members.
Every piece has a job. A pre-engineered truss functions as a complete structural assembly.
When Did Builders Start Using Pre-Engineered Roof Trusses?
Wood trusses themselves have been used for a very long time.
The major change in residential construction came with the development of the metal-plate-connected wood truss.
Metal-plate-connected wood trusses were introduced in the mid-1950s. They subsequently became an increasingly important part of residential and light-commercial construction.
Today they're extremely common.
That does not mean every house built after a particular year has trusses. Building practices vary by region, builder, house design and period.
The easiest way to know what you have is to look at the framing.
Why Did Builders Start Using Trusses?
Pre-engineered trusses solved several problems for builders.
Instead of framing an entire roof on-site from individual rafters and other structural members, a truss manufacturer can design each truss for the particular building, manufacture the assemblies in a controlled environment, deliver them to the jobsite and allow the framing crew to install them relatively quickly.
The system also uses smaller pieces of lumber very efficiently.
Among the advantages are:
- Factory engineering and manufacturing
- Consistent construction
- Efficient use of lumber
- Relatively low fabrication cost
- Rapid installation
- Ability to span significant distances
- Ability to create complex roof configurations
- Reduced need for some interior bearing walls
Both systems can produce an excellent roof—but they are not modified the same way.
“But They're Only 2×4s. Why Can't I Cut One?”
This is probably the most important thing for a homeowner to understand.
The size of the individual piece of lumber doesn't tell you its structural importance.
A 2×4 web in a roof truss isn't simply a board somebody added to hold something in place.
It's part of an engineered assembly.
The chords, webs and metal connector plates work together to transfer loads through the truss to its bearing points.
Remove or alter one component and you can change that load path.
Think of it somewhat like removing one member from a bridge truss: the individual member may not look particularly substantial, but that doesn't mean it isn't performing an important structural function.
Cutting One Member Changes the System
Can I Cut the Bottom 2×4 of a Truss to Make an Attic-Lift Opening?
Do not assume that you can.
The horizontal member running across the bottom of a typical roof truss is the bottom chord. In many residential applications it also supports the ceiling below according to the American Wood Council.
It is still part of the engineered truss.
A conventional solid-lumber ceiling/floor framing system may sometimes be properly headed off and reinforced to create an opening.
A pre-engineered truss is different.
Don't apply conventional joist-framing techniques to a truss without an engineered modification specifically appropriate to that truss.
Can I Cut One of the Diagonal Pieces Instead?
Again, not without an approved modification.
Those diagonal pieces are the truss web members.
They aren't leftover bracing.
They help transfer forces between the top and bottom chords.
The fact that a web happens to be exactly where you'd like to put your VersaLift doesn't make it expendable.
What About the Metal Plates?
Don't cut, remove or alter those either.
The toothed metal connector plates joining the lumber are structural components of the truss. Modern trusses are manufactured using equipment that presses the plate teeth into the wood at the designed connections.
These aren't ordinary nail plates. They are part of the engineered truss connection.
How Can I Tell Whether My Attic Has Pre-Engineered Trusses?
They're usually easy to recognize once you know what you're looking for.
Look for:
Repeating triangular framing.
You'll normally see essentially the same structural pattern repeated across the attic.
Numerous 2×4 or 2×6 members.
Rather than a relatively open attic framed primarily with larger rafters.
Diagonal web members.
These create the characteristic triangles.
Metal connector plates.
Flat metal plates with many embedded teeth where truss members meet.
Can a VersaLift Be Installed in a Home With Pre-Engineered Trusses?
Yes it can.
Having roof trusses does not automatically mean you can't install a VersaLift.
The key is finding a location and VersaLift configuration that works with the existing structural system without improperly cutting pre-engineered roof trusses.
This is one reason the VersaLift Model 24 can be particularly useful in truss-framed homes.
The Model 24 requires a framed opening approximately 22.5" × 46.5" and is designed to work with many common 24-inch-on-center framing configurations. versaliftsystems.com
Never order based solely upon the assumption that “my trusses are 24 inches apart, so it will fit.”
Check the entire installation area first.
VersaLift Model 24 and 24-Inch-On-Center Trusses
VersaLift offers a TL-24 Truss Leg Kit specifically for certain Model 24 installations involving roof trusses on 24-inch centers. The Versalift Model 24 fits perfectly in-between two trusses that are on 24" centers, however if Versalift is going in-between two roof trusses that are sitting on top of the truss, you may need our "Truss Leg Kit". (cost around $115) This changes the leg supports from mounting to the inside of the motor housing so it fits on the outside allowing the legs of the lift to sit inside the roof supports. If the lift is not sitting inside the roof support, the Truss Leg Kit will not be needed. Just call us if in question.
The kit changes the Model 24 housing-leg mounting arrangement where angled roof-truss members interfere with the lift's standard floor-mounting brackets.
Importantly:
The Truss Leg Kit is designed to adapt the VersaLift to the truss configuration—not to make cutting the truss acceptable.
The current VersaLift TL-24 instructions specifically state that roof trusses should not be cut or modified and explain that the kit allows the Model 24 to fit certain 24-inch-on-center truss applications. versaliftsystems.com
See the VersaLift Model 24 Truss Leg Kit
ADAPT THE LIFT — DON'T CUT THE TRUSS
What About a VersaLift Model 32?
This requires more attention because the Model 32 needs a substantially larger opening.
The Model 32 framed opening is approximately:
30.5" × 58.5"
compared with:
22.5" × 46.5"
for the Model 24. versaliftsystems.com
In some conventionally framed attics, creating the larger Model 32 opening is relatively straightforward for an experienced framer.
With pre-engineered trusses, however, the required opening may conflict with the existing truss layout.
Do not cut a truss simply to make the Model 32 fit.
In some homes, the better answer may be:
Choose another location.
Use the Model 24.
Or:
Have an appropriate professional determine whether an engineered truss modification is feasible.
The bigger lift isn't necessarily the right lift if obtaining the larger opening requires inappropriate structural modifications.
Model 24 vs Model 32 in a Truss-Framed Attic
[GRAPHIC 6 — VERY IMPORTANT]
MODEL 24
Opening: 22.5" × 46.5"
May fit many truss-framed applications without cutting a truss.
MODEL 32
Opening: 30.5" × 58.5"
Diagram showing opening overlapping adjacent truss member.
RED STOP SYMBOL:
Larger opening may interfere with pre-engineered trusses. Do not cut a truss simply to create the opening.
Bottom caption:
CHECK YOUR FRAMING BEFORE YOU CHOOSE YOUR LIFT.
Floor Truss Systems
Floor Trusses: Open-web floor trusses are engineered structural components designed to carry floor loads while allowing plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems to pass through the open webs. A VersaLift opening may be possible in a floor-truss system; however, floor trusses should not simply be cut, moved or reframed using conventional framing methods. If a truss must be relocated or modified to create the lift opening, the proposed framing should be reviewed and approved by the truss manufacturer or a qualified structural professional.
What If a Truss Is Already in the Way?
Stop before cutting anything.
You generally have three possibilities:
1. Move the VersaLift
Sometimes moving the proposed opening several feet produces a much easier installation.
2. Choose a Different VersaLift Configuration
A Model 24 or Truss Leg Kit may solve a problem that would otherwise require modifying the framing.
3. Obtain an Engineered Truss Modification
If modifying a truss is necessary, the modification needs to be properly designed for that particular structural condition.
Sometimes adding additional 2×4s, plywood, screws or metal plates based on someone's experience with conventional framing Could be done, but should not be assumed to restore the original engineered capacity of the truss.
What If My Contractor Says, “I've Cut These Before”?
Ask one more question:
“Do we have an engineered repair/modification for this particular truss?”
Experience matters enormously in construction.
But a carpenter's ability to frame an opening in conventional lumber doesn't by itself determine how a pre-engineered truss should be modified.
Truss geometry, span, loading, lumber grades, connector plates and bearing conditions can vary.
That's why industry guidance says truss members should not be altered without appropriate approval. SBCA Components
How Do I Know Where to Put My VersaLift?
Before ordering, look at more than the ceiling below.
Go into the attic and inspect the entire proposed lift area.
Check:
- Truss spacing
- Direction of the trusses
- Diagonal and vertical web locations
- Attic headroom
- Roof slope
- HVAC equipment and ductwork
- Plumbing
- Electrical wiring
- Garage-door tracks and opener
- Attic decking
- Floor-to-floor distance
- Clear loading/unloading area
The location that looks perfect from the garage may be completely wrong once you inspect the framing above it.
Not Sure What Kind of Trusses You Have? Send Us Photos.
This is where I'd make the page interactive from a sales standpoint.
Take These 3 Photos
PHOTO 1 — Wide attic view (example of "stick built" framing
Stand back far enough that we can see several complete trusses and their overall configuration.
PHOTO 2 — Proposed VersaLift location
Photograph the framing directly above the area where you'd like the lift.
PHOTO 3 — Ceiling area from Garage View
Consider anything from the garage floor up to ceiling to determine location of garage door railings, lighting, ladder opening etc; .
Then:
Include These Measurements
Floor to attic floor: _____ ft. _____ in.
Available attic headroom: _____ in.
Truss spacing, center-to-center: _____ in.
Approximate clear opening available: _____ × _____
Preferred lift: Model 24 / Model 32 / Not Sure
Frequently Asked Questions About Roof Trusses and Attic Lifts
Can I install an attic lift if my house has roof trusses?
Often, yes. The key is finding a lift size and location compatible with the existing truss layout without improperly modifying structural truss members.
Can I cut a roof truss to install a VersaLift?
Do not cut or modify a pre-engineered truss simply to create a lift opening. Any required truss modification should be properly designed and approved for the specific truss and structural condition.
Can I cut just one diagonal 2×4?
Not simply because it appears nonessential. That diagonal member may be a structural web that transfers forces within the engineered truss.
Can I cut the bottom chord?
Do not assume a bottom chord can be cut and headed off like an ordinary conventional joist. It's part of the engineered truss assembly.
Does having trusses mean I can't have a Model 32?
No. It means the proposed location and truss configuration need to be evaluated carefully because the Model 32 requires a larger opening.
Is the Model 24 better for truss-framed homes?
It can be. Its approximately 22.5" × 46.5" framed opening allows it to fit many common framing configurations more easily than the larger Model 32. VersaLift also offers a Model 24 Truss Leg Kit for certain 24-inch-on-center truss applications. versaliftsystems.com
Does the Truss Leg Kit reinforce a cut truss?
No.
The Truss Leg Kit adapts the VersaLift Model 24 mounting arrangement for certain truss configurations. It is not a structural repair kit and does not provide permission to cut or alter a truss.
Who should I contact if a truss needs modification?
Start with the truss manufacturer or an appropriately qualified structural professional who can evaluate the existing truss and proposed modification.
Before You Cut, Call Us
One of the easiest mistakes to avoid is ordering an attic lift before looking at the attic framing.
VersaLift Systems has worked with homeowners, builders and installers on many different attic configurations.
If your home has pre-engineered roof trusses—or you're simply not sure what type of framing you have—send us photographs before ordering.
We can help determine whether the VersaLift Model 24 or Model 32 appears appropriate for the available space and whether a different location or Model 24 Truss Leg Kit should be considered.
The goal isn't to modify your house to fit the biggest lift.