Roof Trusses vs. Rafters

There is no question that roof trusses are more widely used than rafters. There are valid reasons for that. However, there is a lot more to it and when it comes to making a selection of which roof frame is best for your home, you need to carefully consider your options. In this case, we are going to differentiate these two major options to help you make an informed decision.

What Is a Roof Rafter?

Rafters are the traditional method used to frame roofs. Constructing roofs using them is called stick framing wherein each rafter is built on the site using lumber with certain dimensions. Each piece of lumber is measured, cut, and then fastened to create the rafter. This is what makes the framing process using rafter labor-intensive.

The biggest advantage of using rafters is when you love more space or dramatic design for your roofing. They can transform your attic space into a very useful room beneath the roof and just above the ceiling. You can either use it for an extra bedroom or as your home office. It is advised that you opt for rafters if you want to maximize the living space inside your home through the attic. Also, if you prefer a steeply vaulted ceiling, or perhaps your building site is hard to reach for transporting roof trusses, rafters are a good alternative.

What Is a Roof Truss?

Trusses and rafters have many similar parts such as the sloping rafter boards and bottom joists that make up the ceiling underneath them. The biggest functional difference between them is that roof trusses are usually built using 2x4 rather than wider dimensional lumber boards. Apart from that, since a roof truss is a prefabricated wooden structure built in a controlled environment using digital software, it offers much higher accuracy in terms of dimension and specification measurements.

Moreover, roof trusses can span much longer than rafters, up to 60 feet long while the latter can reach up to about 30 feet only. Lastly, trusses are a lot easier and faster to set up since they are ready to install once delivered to the building site.

So, now that you know the major differences between rafters and trusses, you can now decide which one works best for you.