What do rafters look like

How Do They Compare? Rafter Pros More Attic Space If you think you might want to convert the attic into an extra room someday, or simply need a lot of unobstructed room up there for storage, rafter construction leaves the attic void wide open for such uses. Ceiling Options If you want to include a specialized ceiling design such as a vaulted or a cathedral-style ceiling, rafters leave room in the attic for the necessary structure. Attic Insulation Installing attic insulation and other efficiency-related measures like a radiant barrier is generally quicker and more straightforward in the open space created by rafter construction.

Less Lead Time Because trusses are prefabricated in a factory, accurate plans with exact dimensions must be submitted well ahead of the actual time when they will be required. Skilled, Experienced Workers Required As the truss construction method becomes the standard in the residential construction industry, workers with the specific skills to build rafters fast and accurately are harder to find. Truss Pros Factory Quality Control Because they are manufactured in an indoor factory environment, often on computer-aided saws and fabrication equipment, quality control is very consistent.

Just-In-Time Delivery The building project can be choreographed with the truss manufacturer so that finished trusses arrive on the exact day when they will be required. Faster Construction When trusses are small enough to be manually lifted by two or three workers — which is the case for many residential projects — an entire roof can be trussed in just one or two days.

Greater Strength The beams and ties that compose the interior triangular webbing of trusses are designed to effectively distribute the weight of the roof over a wider area. Truss Cons Reduced Attic Space The triangular webbing of evenly spaced trusses, however, segments the open attic space and makes conversion to an extra room impossible and even substantially diminishes available space for storage of boxes and other items. Higher Up-Front Cost The initial cost of factory fabricating trusses is higher than the cost of raw lumber to make rafters.

Delivery and Installation Considerations Finished trusses are bulky and the amount required for a large home will require an wheel truck to deliver. Little Flexibility for Design Changes Once the blueprint and dimensions are submitted to the factory and the trusses are fabricated, any afterthoughts about the design are problematic.

Future Alterations A truss system is an interdependent structure. And since the process of building trusses is mostly automated, they can be built and installed for less. There is less chance of making mistakes in the fabrication of roof trusses than building rafters.

This is because trusses are built in a controlled environment with careful specifications that are loaded into a program. The components of trusses are digitally measured and cut to precision, so the chances of making mistakes are nil.

Small trusses can easily be lifted by two or three people, so the roof of most residential projects can be trussed within one or two days. Thanks to the inner webbing of these roof materials, they can effectively hold the weight of the entire roof. Furthermore, the triangular structure consists of shorter and cheaper planks of wood. Any DIY enthusiast can install a truss. The installation of trusses is a much less complicated task than building rafters one at a time. So if you want to build your own roof structure, you can obtain a truss package that comes with step-by-step installation instructions.

All the trusses in a DIY package will be numbered or marked for easy identification. Due to the structural webbing of roof trusses, there are limitations on what you can do with the space in between and beneath them.

Most homes with roof trusses have flat ceilings, not vaulted ones like rafters. So you may not get the adequate head height you need in a trussed attic for conversion. This can potentially pose a problem in the long term due to the wear and tear of the structure.

Even if you want to drill a small hole through the truss for cable installation can compromise its structural integrity. The triangular webbing of trusses not only makes attic conversion impossible, but it also diminishes the chance of using the open attic space for storage of large boxes or other items. Trusses are large and heavy. They require two or three people to deliver them to the work site with the help of a forklift.

The types of wood used for building trusses depends upon their availability in the area. But generally, there are three common types of wood used to make roof trusses: fir, yellow pine, and red cedar. These woods can either be reinforced by applying glue or laminating thinner pieces glued together to form a thicker beam for the truss. Trusses feature prefabricated lightweight wood that's made in a factory, typically from larger pieces of wood like 2x8s or 2x10s, and delivered to the home construction site.

While rafters are constructed in a stick framing pattern, trusses feature chords on the top and bottom and an arrangement of webbing which allows it to distribute the load more broadly to the outside walls. There are many different types of roof trusses where the webbing posts are arranged in different patterns, providing different uses. The most basic roof truss is the King Post truss, which requires fewer materials, and costs less than the others. Find a reputable contractor to begin building your home.

Image source: Homenish. More attic space - Rafters are perfect if you plan on installing any conversions to your attic to make it an active living space. Rafters give you more open space and provide enough room for a loft or a master bedroom. Insulation - With every roof, you'll want to make sure that your attic is properly insulated.

Installing insulation with rafters is easier because of the space between the beams where the installation is installed between the rafters and the drywall. Less lead time - Because rafters are made on the building site, they require less planning and work than roof trusses.

Expensive - While rafters take less time to build and install, the wood and labor costs are more expensive than a roof truss system. Longer construction - Since rafters are built on-site and don't require any prior planning, they are more time-consuming, sometimes taking up to a week to complete. Requires a professional - Since trusses are becoming more popular, more contractors are more experienced with installing them than rafters.

Finding craftsmen experienced with rafters can be difficult. Image source: Timber Home Living. High quality - Because roof trusses are made in a controlled environment with precise measurements and cuts, you can expect a higher-quality product and a tighter roof design. Delivered - Construction projects with roof trusses are easier to plan out because the finished products are delivered to the site.

Eventually, they form triangle-based webbing whose function is to support the roof. Trusses play a significant role during the process of tying with the outside walls. They stand along with chords sloping beams that expand to the peak of the truss. The ties and beams in the webbing come with an objective to distribute the load of the roof along the broad area.

First, rafter is in line with your initial scheme turning an attic into an additional room. It provides a larger space that you can use it as storage. Rafter construction also offers attic insulation functioning as a radiant barrier. The interesting fact is that it provides a wide range of ceiling options cathedral to vaulted style. Moreover, it complies with your construction plan as it has been carefully designed on site before.

How about the drawback of a rafter? Regarding timing, rafter seems to take much time so that the construction processing becomes slower. It also involves more professionals to finish the roofing project.

It will be more time-consuming if the house has a substantial rafter roof. As it encompasses many laborers, the price, unfortunately, is costing the earth. To create an incredible creation, you need to hire skilled people to do this. Speaking of the truss, it has some advantages that you need to take into consideration while deciding the best one.

Compared to rafter, truss product is excellent when it comes to quality control. You might expect that the quality control is steady and yes, it does. The finishing time of truss project is precise, and the delivery is in time. Preferring this is, of course, not harm.