Deciding your roof structure is an important part of the home-building process. The roof is one of the most important parts of your house as it protects you from the weather and keeps your home insulated. There are many different roof structures to choose from but the two most common are timber trusses and rafters. In this blog, the QuiTruss team is looking at what separates these two seemingly similar roofing options. Keep reading to learn more and contact us to get started.
Cost
The cost of roof trusses is always going to be lower than the cost of rafters. The labor rates and materials associated with rafters are higher than those of roof trusses. This is because roof trusses are prefabricated while rafters are not, whereas rafters are built on-site. The time and money saved by using roof trusses instead of rafters will quickly add up, making roof trusses the more cost-effective roofing option. You can save anywhere between 30-50% by using roof trusses over rafters.
Assembly Process
The assembly process for roof trusses is much quicker and easier than the process for rafters. While rafters must be built on-site, roof trusses can be prefabricated and delivered to the job site ready to be installed or, with Quitrusses unique system, they can also be built on site. This saves time and money as there is no need to hire roofers to build the roof trusses on-site. Perfect for DIY construction efforts, timber trusses are delivered with instructions that will help you with spacing and fastening.
Inner Wall Replanning
Inner walls are the partitions that divide the interior space of a room. If you ever want to remodel your home and move the inner walls around, roof trusses give you the flexibility to do so. This is because roof trusses are not fastened to the inner walls, unlike rafters which are. If you replan the inner walls of your house after the roof has been installed, you will likely need to replace the rafters. This is not the case with roof trusses, making them the more versatile roofing option. So, if you ever want to replan your home’s layout, roof trusses are the way to go.
Project Size
Rafters can only span so far before they need support, typically no more than 30 feet. Roof trusses, on the other hand, can span up to 60 feet. This makes roof trusses the better option for larger projects. Additionally, the webbing of roof trusses provides excellent structural strength, making them better equipped to handle heavy loads.
For smaller construction projects, roof trusses and rafters are both viable roofing options. However, if you have a spontaneous smaller project roof, rafters might be the better roofing solution. This is because roof trusses have a longer delivery time than rafters.
This gets back to the first difference detailed above: roof trusses are prefabricated while rafters are not. The process of prefabrication allows roof trusses to be built to specifications that cannot be matched by rafters built on-site.
Prefabricated timber trusses offer many advantages over traditional rafters, including cost, assembly, flexibility, and project size. Trust QuiTruss to deliver your roof trusses on time and on budget. The QuiTruss team prides itself on providing the highest quality roof trusses to buildings throughout central and southern Florida. For a versatile, cost-effective roofing solution, look no further than QuiTruss. Contact us today to get started on your next roofing project.
