Trusses

About Trusses

Trusses are used in a variety of applications where a lightweight, yet strong, structure is required. Many home builders order prefabricated roof trusses from a manufacturer and have them delivered to a building site because building roof trusses is labor intensive and prefabricated roof trusses save time, materials, and money.

5 Advantages To Using Roof Trusses

1. Carpenters with less experience can set trusses, lowering labor costs.
2. Fewer interior load bearing walls are needed due to the trusses’ longer free span.
3. Shorter lengths of stock 2×4 are used to build trusses, reducing material prices.
4. Structural engineers design and certify roof trusses.
5. Trusses can usually be set in 1 day, meaning the interior of the home is exposed to the weather for a minimal amount of time.

Roof Truss Considerations

When considering roof trusses for your home, they should not be chosen based on looks alone – an experienced architect, engineer, or truss designer usually helps to determine the roof truss design best suited to the building under construction. Someone with training specific to roof trusses will be able to make the most use of the room in your home, giving it the desired amount of space you are looking for. For example, a different type of roof truss design can be used in various areas of your home, making it possible to customize the look you want in different rooms, while still maintaining the same exterior appearance.

Basic Types of Roof Trusses

No matter how fancy the design, roof trusses are usually one of two types:

Pitched Truss: The pitched truss has a triangular shape with additional structural members within the triangle, and is used primarily in roof construction.

Parallel Chord Truss: The parallel chord truss consists of two parallel chords that make up the top and bottom of the truss, with diagonal and/or perpendicular webbing connecting the two parallel chords. The top parallel chord is usually in compression and the bottom parallel chord is usually in tension.

Trusses for your project can be designed and produced by your local lumber and building material supplier.