{"id":15785,"date":"2017-10-20T01:30:00","date_gmt":"2017-10-20T06:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ozcobp.com\/?p=15785"},"modified":"2021-10-21T17:58:53","modified_gmt":"2021-10-21T17:58:53","slug":"tips-selecting-right-gazebo-truss-brackets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ozcobp.com\/dev\/tips-selecting-right-gazebo-truss-brackets\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for Selecting the Right Gazebo Truss Brackets"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Recently, one of my friends invited me to a barbecue. My response was to be instantly wary. As someone who’s worked in construction for over a decade, my friends and family are always inviting me over and then sneakily asking me if I\u2019d mind giving them a quick hand with something. But my buddy assured me he just wanted to put the new gazebo he\u2019d just built to use. Predictably, once he\u2019d thrown the burgers on the grill he pointed up with his spatula at one of the metal plates in the gazebo ceiling, and asked me, \u201cIs there anything you can do about that?\u201d It turns out that he thought those silver-colored fittings were ugly. As I talked to him about his gazebo truss brackets it became apparent that neither my friend nor his guests knew what a truss or a truss bracket was, or did. One said he\u2019d always thought a truss had something to do with \u201cmale\u201d support.<\/span>
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I found this unnerving for reasons that have nothing to do with masculinity. Trusses are the structural pieces that support roofs not just in gazebos, but in most homes. Truss brackets\u2014known professionally <\/span>as ties<\/span><\/a>\u2014are the things that hold them together. They\u2019re structurally important, which means I couldn\u2019t swap out my friend\u2019s gazebo truss brackets without providing another way to hold the roof up. This is why it\u2019s so important to know what trusses, and truss brackets do, and to select the right brackets before starting your gazebo build.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trusses, Gazebos, and What Gazebo Truss Brackets Do<\/h4>\n

Trusses are simple objects<\/span> without a simple definition<\/span><\/a>. A truss is several elements tied together into a single structural whole. The top pieces of angled wood in a truss are called the top chord, and the lower, horizontal one is called the bottom chord. Vertical elements in between the two are called posts, with the central one\u2014the one that carries the most weight\u2014called the king post. In a house, trusses are essentially two-dimensional wooden triangles that support the roof. Most homeowners are only familiar with them as the things they grab onto to avoid putting their hands in the insulation if they have to go into the attic. In contrast, the entire roof in most gazebos is really a single three-dimensional truss. A key difference in gazebos, when compared with houses, is that the top chords of the truss are usually arrayed around a central point, with the whole perimeter of the gazebo forming the bottom chord. Whatever the trusses\u2019 configuration, the truss ties are what hold the whole truss together.<\/span><\/p>\n

Trusses are usually designed with at least a few redundancies in them. My friend\u2019s gazebo isn\u2019t likely to collapse if I start replacing his existing ties with ones he finds more aesthetically pleasing, especially if I do things correctly and brace the chords with a roof-jack or with lumber. The real danger is how these connectors wear over time. A gazebo is an outdoor structure, and whatever my friend thinks looks good might not hold together over time.<\/span><\/p>\n

Threats to Your Gazebo in the Wild<\/h4>\n

There is much your gazebo\u2014and its supporting trusses and truss brackets\u2014will have to endure while it stands outside, like serving as a background for romance and drama, your skill (or the lack thereof) with the grill, and your and your friends\u2019 unfunny jokes. However, the true predator of your gazebo and its trusses is the environment. Here\u2019s what your gazebo has to contend with:<\/span><\/p>\n