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Roof Trusses: What You Need
to Know
Choosing kitchen appliances, perusing lighting fixtures,
and shopping for ceramic tile are only a few of the fun and creative
activities you might enjoy in all the excitement of building a new
home. Thus, the words “roof trusses” probably won’t
conjure any spectacular images.
However, roof trusses do deserve careful consideration.
In addition to the practical purposes they serve, such as reliably
supporting your structure, roof trusses do allow for your creativity,
and offer some surprising common-sense benefits, too.
You’ve probably already spent a great deal
of time analyzing floor plans that suit your family—most people
do. After choosing a plan, owners often request small changes that
meet their family’s unique needs. For example, people often
move interior walls during construction to make room for a special
piece of furniture. Because trusses generally rest only on outside
walls, they leave the inside free and clear to move walls to accommodate
different room sizes—only trusses offer this kind of flexibility.
As it’s hard to predict the family members who will come and
go over the lifetime of your home, it’s satisfying to know
your home will continue to offer this versatility — even decades
after you’ve moved in.
In addition, you can use roof trusses to fashion
some very unique spaces for your family. Whereas flat ceilings offer
little visual appeal and few design options, vaults and coffered
ceilings create interest and flair with little additional cost. Talk
to your builder or truss supplier about constructing interesting
ceiling conditions. The added volume created with trusses will enhance
your sense of openness in a space. It’s a simple, inexpensive
way to make a nice home look like a fine, upscale home.
For practical appeal, trusses offer more than just
a sound structure. Roof trusses are professionally designed using
computers and engineered for the snow, rain, and wind conditions
where you live. They are built indoors, unaffected by the weather,
using computer-controlled saws. The trusses then are bundled and
shipped to job sites, ready to be set in place. Because trusses are
custom designed for each home, the framers aren’t left to guess
how the trusses go together—they fit perfectly every time.
In addition, the environmental impact of trusses
will appeal to your green side. You can act locally and think globally
because trusses use lumber wisely. Trusses are engineered using small
lumber pieces, the majority being 2 x 4s, which work together to
support the roof. These smaller pieces of lumber can be harvested
from newer trees, leaving our precious old-growth forests alone.
Mother Earth thanks you!
The safety of your construction site also is an
important consideration. Just as toys left on stairs create a dangerous
situation, a clean jobsite is a safer jobsite. Because there is little
or no waste with trusses, your clean-up and dumpster costs are significantly
reduced. Additionally, because roof trusses go up quickly, your framers
spend less time working at extreme heights, which means fewer opportunities
for injuries.
Finally, what could be more practical than your
building dollars? Because roof trusses install quickly, your construction
timetable is reduced. If you have a construction loan (which always
carries a rate higher than your normal mortgage) you will save here
also.
That’s money you can put into your pocket — or
use to upgrade your kitchen countertops!
On a less pleasant financial note, jobsite theft
in America in 2001 was estimated at $1 billion. Availability and
ease of access to job sites has created a market of professional
thieves that are hard to guard against — and stolen materials
can temporarily shut down your job. Roof trusses deter thieves from
making off with your building materials because they are manufactured
in specific shapes and lengths for your home. Trusses can’t
be used in the same way as a bundle of 2 x 6s. And because roof trusses
speed construction, your home will be closed in sooner, allowing
other building materials to be placed inside and out of sight.
So, you see there is more to roof trusses than meets
the eye. Virtually any roof can be built using them. Precision built
for your home, trusses allow for interior changes both before and
after construction, they offer the flexibility to create interesting
ceilings economically, are good for the environment and contribute
to a safe job site. They install quickly and are not prone to theft.
Roof trusses are built to suit — and to last. You can’t
ask for more than that.
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