tbrooks26
Silver Member
1. Before i did anything expensive, I would go back to the truss company and talk to the engineer who designed the trusses. He knows about spreading force, and the trusses are probably designed to accommodate that.
2. Every time I have bought trusses, I have received a stamped copy of the design calculations for the trusses. If not, you should ask for one and they should supply it free. Take this to another engineer and pay him a few hundred dollars to review the calculations. He can easily tell you if the trusses are adequate to resist the spreading force. And, he can suggest a design for more reinforcement if you want that.
3. I understand your view concerns, but having a view house in a view location, I can tell you that collar ties about 2/3 of the way up the trusses is not going to cost you a significant view. They are only going to block your view of the sky, not of anything interesting. The collar tie does not have to be a traditional wood board. A cable with an engineered attachment to the truss would work just as well and would be far less obtrusive than anything at the post top level.
I agree. Although aesthetics are important, integrity must come first. I would definitely speak to an engineer about it, worst case scenario, it puts the liability on them. I honestly don't believe in your steel posts and massive footer holding that spread. Now if you drive a steel post down twice as far as it sticks up out of the ground, I can almost guarantee it will hold
.