Roof Trusses Vs Roof Rafters

Roof framing has undergone a quiet revolution over the past half century.

Roof trusses vs roof rafters.

You will find rafters in most older homes as they were the popular construction method for many years. A rafter style roof for a home. Trusses are composed of multiple beams for added support. Roof trusses have smaller wood members that are engineered to provide a similar strength without all the expensive wood.

Both will do a fine job in keeping the roof over your head but each functions in a slightly different manner. In this guide we will define roof trusses and rafters and explain the pros and cons of each for comparison. Rafters could take an entire week to be installed whereas trusses could be installed in a day which means trusses could save a lot of time. Why roof trusses are more popular than rafters.

It is certainly true that trusses are more commonly used than rafters. Rafters and trusses have long been employed in making roofs of houses. Both trusses and rafters are triangular shaped planks with the trusses containing more webs inside the main frame. Though both rafters and trusses are commonly employed in conjunction it is possible to go with either of them while designing a roof.

The type of construction you have will dictate the approach on how to repair your home. They re more economical to build and offer the same or greater roof strength. This design allows for a single rafter to span from the ridge to the exterior wall which creates the maximum amount of attic space. The two main types of roof supports are rafters and trusses.

Trusses are prefabricated roof structures whereas rafters are assembled on site. It s primarily because roof trusses have replaced rafters in most home designs because they are less expensive. Rafters cost more than trusses as their installation process is labor intensive. As trusses are prefabricated they may be costlier than rafters however the installation and labor cost involved in roof rafters is comparatively higher than trusses.

A truss roof system does not use a ridge beam as the backbone of the roofing system. There are both advantages and disadvantages while making a roof with rafters or trusses. There are significant cost differences when considering a truss style roof vs. Because of the professional expertise and time required for rafter construction roofs built using rafters can cost as much as 50 more than roofs built using trusses.

We will also outline the best uses of each so you can decide whether rafters or trusses are the right choice for your building project.