Attic Trusses With Dormers Design | Can You Convert an Attic with Trusses| Benefits of An Attic Truss
Attic Trusses With Dormers Design | Can You Convert an Attic with Trusses?| Benefits of An Attic Truss
Attic Room/Space
Attic or room in the roof trusses are becoming increasingly popular because they provide additional living space without affecting the footprint of the building, offering maximum value to the builder and homeowner.
These intelligently built trusses incorporate a lower component that serves as a floor platform.
The benefit of this is that the attic trusses can span onto external load-bearing walls, providing additional flexibility in roof and lower floor layouts depending on span and room size.
The lowest chord of the truss, which becomes the room’s floor joist, can be designed and built in a variety of ways.
Including the use of metal web joists, which provide a stronger but lighter solution with the added benefit of allowing services to be easily installed.
Attic trusses
Attic trusses are a simple and cost-effective solution to add more space to an existing home, a new build, or an expansion. Attic trusses are also known as trussed rafter ‘room-in-the-roof.’
There are numerous benefits to employing attic trusses. In addition to offering the additional room space you require for your home, attic trusses provide a rapid and uncomplicated installation, saving you money on the job site.
Attic trusses provide a prepared roof that is ready for tiling and a floor that is ready for floor-boarding.
Attic trusses are specifically built to support the loads required for residential life. Attic trusses are factory constructed and provide the consistency of quality that would be required on-site.
Attic trussed roofs can be created with openings for stairwells, roof-lights, and dormer windows, with attic trusses nailed together on-site to give support for any openings required in the roof design.
Because they can reach onto the external walls, attic trusses do not impose any restrictions to the ground floor arrangement. Unless big span/floor loading is required, in which case some intermediate support must be supplied.
Attic Trusses with Dormers Design
Attic trusses are built the same way as conventional trusses, but are built to accommodate home floor loadings as well as form the habitable part for the room.
As a result, attic trusses often have bigger timber sections beginning at 150mm deep to accommodate standards for insulation and ventilation air gap.
In addition to the dimension requirements, they will require information about any other features you may be contemplating for your attic space that would have an impact on the truss design, such as roof lights or a dormer window to add light to your space.
Dormer windows also offer height to low-ceilinged rooms and can be especially effective when placed over a bath or toilet.
The size and placement of the entry staircase must also be considered. It is preferable for the staircase to run parallel with the attic roof trusses rather than across them, but if this is not possible, we will do our utmost to alter the design to meet this requirement.
What Are the Benefits of An Attic Truss?
Attic trusses serve as both a structural roof and a floor – a double edge sword! This means that there is more living space without having to change the house’s footprint.
The use of this space results in a lower cost per square meter of construction.
The full utilization of the loft area provides some wonderful benefits for both the homeowner and the builder performing the work.
The entire roof structure can be built offsite and delivered at the appropriate time. This will be ready for you to put in your floorboards, finish the space, and install plasterboard walls.
As the cost of land continues to rise, an increasing number of people are making use of attic space. A room added to a roof is much more than a simple attic conversion.
Attic Truss can enhance the amount of usable space in a roof by up to 70%. This is even without raising the building’s roof or expanding its footprint.
Choosing an attic truss for your home design makes things a lot easier than later undergoing a loft conversion. In that situation, you’d need to replace old roof trusses with attic trusses, which is doable.
Attic trusses also help to improving the value of a building.
Can You Convert an Attic with Trusses?
It can be done; nevertheless, it will be an expensive and time-consuming endeavor.
Because trusses are structural supports, removing them without compensatory supports will cause the structure to collapse. Furthermore, in other circumstances, there is no viable way to accomplish this.
Trusses are “designed” for specific “loads” and are utilized to reduce the quantity of lumber and other material used in the roof “system.”
If you mean converting a truss attic into a living or storage space, the answer should be addressed by an architect or engineer who has access to your blueprints and a clear understanding of what you’re proposing.
The trusses would have to be rebuilt that is made strong enough to support the added weight from adding an attic floor and heavier ceilings below.
Other things like heating systems, insulation, beam enclosures, etc., would need substantial additions or changes in order to properly insulate and heat new living space — beyond making changes just for additional living space/heating requirements on top of existing system limitations.
Attic Trusses FAQs
1. How much more do attic trusses cost?
Attic Truss is one of the most expensive forms of trusses and thus it will be more expensive than other types of trusses.
This is due to the fact that the greater the span / broader the space, the greater the depth of lumber required.
Furthermore, many trusses joined together will be required to provide sufficient strength to the roof.
2. Can I convert regular roof trusses into attic trusses?
Rather than replacing the existing trusses, you can replace the truss rafters with attic trusses to generate additional room without expanding the house’s space
3. How far can an attic truss span?
A roof truss’s maximum span is controlled by variables such as roof slope and clear room size. Spans of more than 10m should, as a rule of thumb, be constructed with an internal support.
4. What are the main uses of attic spaces?
- Storage. Everything that doesn’t fit or that’s out of style, trunks full of pictures, old furniture and oil paintings, all covered with a healthy coating of dust.
- Huge cedar closet for clothes. Cedar apparently prevents moth infestation. Moths that lay eggs on stored clothes and the larvae eat holes in the fabric. Sigh. Ever heard of moth balls?
- An extra bedroom. This works best in a finished attic.
5. How is a roof-mounted stairway accessed?
There are two main options to access the attic space:
- a) A solid ladder. It is the traditional method and can be dangerous if there are problems with the balance and stability of the ladder.
- b) Mobile stairs, which can be moved when you need to use them. These portable stairs are of good quality and are available for most types of trusses. The base provides a strong foundation and is relatively safe to use.
6. Why are attic trusses so expensive?
Trusses are one of the most expensive forms of roofing. This is due to the fact that the greater the span / broader space, the greater the depth of lumber required. Furthermore, many trusses joined together will be required to provide sufficient strength to the roof.
7. How do I get in and out of my attic space?
One of the most important considerations when planning your attic is how you’ll access it. Ladders are groaningly, sturdily tedious and cumbersome, which is why you should seriously consider installing a purpose-built stairway from the ceiling of your room directly into the attic.
8. What are the pros and cons of using trusses in an attic?
Pro: Trusses provide a strong, durable and easy to install roof solution that is designed specifically for this type of job.
Con: Trusses are very heavy, which can be a problem for some people.
9. What to consider before installing attic trusses?
- Your building is on a hill or in an area subject to high winds? Elevated building structures may need longer spans in rafters or ceiling decking.
- How many trusses you are going to install? A basic attic conversion would require about one truss every 1-2m.
- What is the size of your attic? In a small attic, ceiling joists or roof beams can be added.
- How much you’ll spend and in what way can be covered by insurance? If your house is insured, then you should learn if it is protected against damage caused by appliances, building defects etc.
- Do you plan to install an attic stairway? It is vital that you have some idea of what you intend to use your attic for, as space will have to be comfortable and safe, and light enough to work in.
- Will you need to insulate the attic? You may choose to add insulation to raise the temperature, helping you stay cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
- Will you need to install a skylight? Natural light can be very beneficial, and through windows in the roof allows maximum ventilation for fresh air.
- Will you need lighting or power points? If there is no suitable space for a ceiling light, consider electric point-of-use or switchplate installation. Install lighting where it’s needed.
- Will you need ventilation? Your attic should be well ventilated to keep out moisture and odours. For this reason, many attics have vents on the roof.
- Do you plan to insulate your ceiling below? You may want to look into attic insulation if you are installing trusses in a home without a finished attic, or wish to add extra insulation to existing trusses in an attic.
9. What are the disadvantages of using Attic Trusses?
Intended use must be a viable option. If you wish to add a room or store items, then the space would be enough for this purpose.
By not looking into the cost of attic trusses installation may be quite expensive. Attic trusses cost about 2.5 times what a standard truss costs.
10. What is the cost of attic trusses installation?
Attic Trusses are expensive as compared to the other types of trusses. the cost depends on factors such as size, span, and weight of trusses required.
However, once installed, it will last for a lifetime and provide your house with a sturdy frame that takes advantage of a combination of free-flowing space with solid construction.
11. What is the cost of an attic truss?
The cost depends on different factors such as workmanship, materials and installation difficulty etc. In order to give the right answer, provide details of type of truss, size and overall area of loft.
Materials alone will cost between $1.60 and $5.00 per square foot of building space, or between $30 to $140 each truss, however, exceptionally lengthy and complicated variations can cost $350 apiece.
Labor costs between $20 and $70 per hour. Differences in materials and labor are determined by location, size, and roof design.
The hinged or bolted connections between the trusses can be fabricated at the factory, or they can be purchased from roofing or building supply store.
The cost of a single truss will depend on the size and complexity of the design as well as your location.
12. How long can attic trusses span?
The answer will depend on the size of the truss and your attic space. Trusses can easily span 10-15 meters or more without the need for internal supports.
13. What is the best way to install attic trusses?
It is advisable to have a professional install truss in your attic. There are two ways of installing roof trusses; using a combination of pre-rigged and erecting a custom-built frame as well as a suspended structure laid over the joists or rafters, where possible.
This method is generally most economical but requires a minimum of space and regular attention to ensure that the trim height is satisfactory. It also results in a more permanent installation.
14. Can I install attic trusses on my own?
Installing attic trusses is a job that requires precision work done by professionals with all necessary tools and suitable experience.
It also requires the knowledge and experience of a building inspector. Improper installation could cause damage to your home, do not take that chance.
Even with just a basic understanding of how to use power tools, you still need an experience person to install them improperly. This process involves designs, load estimation and insulation.
In some cases, it may be beneficial to install all trusses first and then add insulation and drywall. This way you can skim coat the attic walls as necessary.
However, these methods require expertise and proper building permits, for safety reasons. All work on your roof should be done only by a trained person who has all of the necessary equipment to handle any emergency that may arise.
