When our Salesman, Ross Black, gave me the plans for the Clark Residence, I knew from the start that this was going to be a special project. I always enjoy working on these large single family custom homes, and this was no exception. For the most part, this home was not too difficult of a design, however, there is a 30º turn in the structure where the house meets the garage and that can make for a small challenge.
After I completed the preliminary design, the builder, James Jordan of Addison Homes from Lubbock, TX, came to the Noltex Truss Office in Littlefield, TX to review a few details and ensure that the needs of the homeowners were met. Namely, they wanted an open space in the attic to allow for HVAC (both the air handler and the duct work) and also room for some light storage. I said that I could certainly accommodate him on both accounts. I was able to provide the customer with an open space built into the trusses that goes entirely from one end of the house to the other, and it’s tall enough to stand up in it. Of course, maintaining that same open space through the trusses in the 30º turn was a bit of a challenge, but, through some creative design work, I made it happen.
On the cover of The Advertiser:
As a truss technician by profession and a photographer by hobby, it has been of dream of mine to get a picture of the Milky Way with a house that I designed the trusses on. This is easier said than done, as most of the houses where I’ve designed trusses are “in the city,” so the light pollution at night makes it impossible to even see the Milky Way. As this house was more “out in the country,” I thought that it might be possible. I took the chance, got up at about 3:30 AM, and drove out to the job site. I was not disappointed.