Roof trusses San Diego

Open Concept Living Spaces and Roof Trusses

by Uncategorized

Roof trusses are popular among builders for a variety of reasons.  For one thing, roof trusses are often up to a third less expensive than building with conventional rafters.  They are also more convenient, particularly since they are constructed at a plant and brought with “just in time” delivery directly to the job site.  However, another reason for roof truss popularity may not be as obvious:  roof trusses allow the popular “open concept” floor plan to be built much more easily than rafter construction.

Open Floor Plan Construction 

Many homeowners today want the open floor plan designs made popular on countless home improvement shows.  Open floor plans allow a much better flow of traffic and unobstructed sight lines, making the entire home look bigger.  Living rooms flow into kitchens and eating areas, allowing families to enjoy their spaces together rather than being enclosed in small, uncomfortable rooms.

However, building an open concept floor plan is another matter.  With traditional rafter construction, the rafters rest on walls which support the weight of the roof and floors above.  This means that several walls inside the home must be “load bearing.”  A load bearing wall is one that supports weight above it, and it cannot be removed or moved without intensive renovation and high costs.  In some cases, older homes simply cannot be made into open concept plans due to the distribution of weight on load-bearing walls.

However, truss roofing makes it much easier to build an open concept plan.  Because trusses rest on the exterior walls of the home, not on the interior walls as rafters do, they can span long distances without support.  Trusses can be constructed that can span entire large living areas without the need for supporting walls or pillars, allowing the builder to construct a true “open concept” plan.  While there are necessarily limits to how far a truss can span without any support, the number of load bearing walls can be greatly reduced or even eliminated.  This means that homeowners have far more options in how their plans are designed and built than they would with rafters.

Along with open concept floor plans, truss roofing also allows other types of construction, such as vaulted ceilings and flat roofing.  Trusses can be designed with built-in attic space for future expansion, or with steeply pitched gable or hip roof designs to give your home the look you want.  There is almost no type of roof that a truss roofing system cannot accommodate!

If you are interested in learning more about truss roofing possibilities, contact the professionals at Stone Truss today.  Serving the San Diego area for decades, Stone Truss is a leading name in quality, affordable truss roofing and flooring solutions.  We can help you with your project, no matter what type of floor plan you want.  Give us a call today to learn more about how we can help you build the home of your dreams at a price you can afford!

Roof Trusses

Truss Roofing Options for New Homes

by Roof TrussesWood Trusses San Diego

Many buyers today are choosing to build their own homes rather than buy pre-made.  The attraction of this method is obvious:  you can create a home that fits your exact specifications, rather than having one that was built for someone else.  However, with the high cost of building materials these days, constructing a new home can be an expensive proposition.  Most builders want to save money wherever possible.

Roof Trusses give you numerous options for construction of new homes.  Not only can you build a sturdy, secure home with roof trusses, you can also style it in almost any way imaginable.  Trusses are not simply for pre-fab, gable-roof houses; you can use trusses to build almost any shape of roof you want!

Popular Options for Truss Roofing 

Some of the most popular options for trussed roof designs include:

  • A gable roof offers simplicity of design and can be scaled to fit almost any size house.  One of the most popular roofing options in America, gable roofs can be seen on houses everywhere.  Besides being among the easiest to install, gables can also be pitched to any degree to provide a very steep or very shallow roofline, depending on the needs of the builder.
  • Another popular type of roof is the hip roof, in which the planes of the roof all meet at a single line.  Depending on the angle and steepness of the hip roof, a builder can create a very massive slope that gives gravity to a home, or play with smaller, whimsical hip rooflines that break up the flow and provide visual interest.
  • Some roofs combine both gables and hips along with other types of roofs to add interest.  With a good design, a roof can add tremendous curb appeal to a home.  Combining various types of roofs makes it easy to make a home unique–an important consideration in subdivisions where the floor plans are very similar.
  • Future Space. Truss roofing can also be created with void space in the center to allow for future expansion.  A truss roof with attic space already in place can help a growing family evolve into a larger home without having to move in the future.  A rectangular void in the center of a large gable array, for example, can later become a bedroom, bathroom, playroom or any other space the family needs.

A trussed roof allows builders to create almost any type of roof easily and cost-effectively.  Because trusses save builders so much money, it makes sense to explore the options available and choose trusses that combine dynamic design and tried-and-true reliability.

At Stone Truss, we have spent many years working with builders in the San Diego area.  We offer professional design assistance as well as quality truss construction.  We use the best materials to create your trusses and help you save money on your building projects.  Give us a call today to speak to one of our professionals and learn how we can help you build a great home with quality truss roofing!

roof trusses san diego

Headroom in Attics With Trussed Roof Options

by Roof TrussesWood Trusses San Diego

Many people think of the traditional triangle-shaped truss as the only Trussed Roof option, and therefore assume that truss roofing applications are very limited. In fact, many people assume that unless you want a straight gable roof with a particular pitch, you cannot utilize Trusses. Nothing could be further from the truth! Not only do roof trusses allow you to build roofs of all different shapes and sizes, including gables, hips, gambrels and other forms, but they also allow you to incorporate headroom to create useable, space in your attic area.

Creating Headroom In An Attic

The trick to creating headroom in an attic and thereby offering useable space, is creating a “opening” in the truss’s center that can be framed out to form a room. While the traditional truss often takes a triangle shape with chords extending through the center area, it is also possible to build trusses that contain a rectangular or square shape in the center. This hollow can eventually become can room.

What makes this space useable, in most cases, is the headroom. Because of this, many homes that utilize under-roof attic space have steeper pitches than traditional gable roofs, or employ a steeper design. Because these designs are inherently steeper in pitch, they make it easier to incorporate hollowed truss design to utilize the space.

The use of these types of trusses opens a world of possibility of utilizing previously sacrificed attic space while still keeping costs low. In fact, with the right plans, you can easily add hundreds of square feet of useable space to your home without increasing your cost, simply by recapturing some of your unused attic space with trusses. This allows you to take advantage of your home’s natural space rather than adding on additional square footage, making your build more cost-effective.

At Stone Truss, we have been working for many years with San Diego builders to design, build and deliver quality roof trusses of all types to building sites in our area. Our trusses are sturdy, well-made and will last for years to come. Finally, once your design is created, we drop the trusses off to you at your job site, saving you storage costs and allowing you to get your building’s roof up quickly. We can often save our clients significantly over the cost of stick-built rafters with a good roof truss plan. Call us today to get started with your next building project and see how incredibly easy it is to create beautiful, functional living space, even when you use convenient truss roofing!

TRUSS1

Building Creative Rooflines With Truss Construction

by Roof TrussesWood Trusses San Diego

While Trusses are often used to speed up building time, particularly with homes or businesses that need very similar roofline construction, trusses can create unique, beautiful roofs as well.  The idea that truss builds must be boring and “cookie cutter” is simply not true.  With a good design, any truss application can be created that gives your project beauty and appeal as well as function, convenience and cost savings.

Building Creative Rooflines

Many builders think of trusses as a great solution for simple gable-style roofs that run the span of a home in one direction.  Of course, his is one of the easiest roofs to construct and is therefore often used to keep building costs low.  However, trusses do not have to be limited to the same old boring rooflines.  They can also be designed and built to give your project aesthetic appeal.  Some examples of ways you can use trusses to quickly create beautiful, unique rooflines include:

  • Hip roofs. Trusses are not only suitable for gable roofing.  Hip roofs are also a great choice for trusses, which make constructing hips very fast and simple.  Hips are often used, especially in varying sizes, to give multi-level rooflines such as those found on cottage or chateau-inspired plans.
  • Flat roofs. In San Diego, the architecture of many homes and businesses is inspired by Central American, South Western and Spanish styles.  Many of these include flat rooflines that draw attention away from the roof and to the beautiful stucco walls and courtyards that are the hallmark of these styles.  Flat rooflines can be very difficult to build correctly while incorporating the proper slope for drainage, but truss construction solves that problem quickly.  Builders can create a lovely flat roof that is also functional and reliable.
  • Gambrel or Bowstring styles. Some styles rely on generous curves and slopes to create a barn-like effect.  These types of roofs, usually in the gambrel or bowstring style, may also serve another function:  they offer under-roof space in attics for future expansion of living space.  Gambrel or bowstring trusses make it easy to construct these types of rooflines quickly, whether the purpose is to gain immediate square footage or simply prepare for future additions.  Homeowners often find it a great selling point when a house has the possibility of easy future additions at a relatively low cost.

At Stone Truss in San Diego, we have spent decades creating the right truss roofing and flooring solutions for our customers.  Our professionals can help you design the right trusses for your needs, the build them with quality materials and deliver them to your building site on demand.  With our professional, quick and affordable services, you can utilize the many benefits of truss roofs and floors at a price that will keep you within your building budget and ultimately improve your bottom line. Give us a call today at (760) 967-6171 to learn more about how Stone Truss can help you with your next building project.