Configurations Under the Roof Making Your Eyes Cross? The Lingo of Exposed Roof Trusses in Design

Pitched roofs are very common in single-family houses. They serve to shed water and snow and have been around for centuries. Under the sloping roofs, tucked above the ceiling and hidden away in the attic, sits substantial structural components of the house known as roof trusses.

When they are not resisting lateral wind forces or transferring vertical loads of snow down the roof, trusses give scale and rhythm to a space when exposed. 

However, you can easily get lost in the lingo of exposed roof trusses, since there are so many options to choose from for your home's design. Here are a few roof trusses to help you figure out which intersecting beam configurations to use for your exposed roof construction project.

King post roof trusses

Other than solving many structural problems, king post roof trusses offer your house a rhythm that helps disrupt the scale of the space. They are named so because they include one post—the king—in the centre that holds a bottom horizontal tie beam to keep it from sagging.

King post roof trusses are a perfect fit for small homes looking to achieve a feel of intimacy and spaciousness.

Queen post roof trusses

They bear the same anatomy of the king post roof trusses except they include two posts off to the side instead of a centre post. The two queen posts serve the same purpose as the king post, which is keeping the tie beam from sagging.

Queen post roof trusses are ideal for large homes due to their wide span coverage. Other than providing excellent structural support, they allow for a clean, open space that requires no internal posts that might affect the architectural design.

Scissor roof trusses

Scissor roof trusses easily stand out from other roof framing options. Other than providing the speed of framing you get from common trusses, you also receive the benefits of a sloped interior ceiling. They also eliminate the vertical and horizontal elements, such as those in king post and queen post roof trusses, hence creating a more spacious feeling.

Scissor roof trusses are the perfect go-to option if you prefer a taller ceiling in a room where the slope isn't very steep.

Hybrid roof trusses

When designing with exposed roof trusses, everything goes as long as each truss performs its intended purpose correctly. For example, you can use metal rods instead of wood in your king post roof trusses or even mix up your king post and queen post to achieve hybrid roof trusses.

Other than holding up your roof by withstanding gravity, exposed roof trusses have an important visual job to do. Also, you can free your trusses of their structural duty and use them solely for their visual impact.

However, to achieve rhythm and scale to your space, its best to leave your constructors to use roof trusses with all their posts, braces, ties, struts and rafters as has been done for centuries.

Contact a company like Prefab Technology Pty Ltd for additional information.

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