Construction Space: Let’s Talk About Building And Contractors

Posted on: 10 December 2019

Traditionally, stick framing has been used to provide support for roofing materials, as well as give the roof its shape and slope. With the advent of roof trusses, builders and building owners alike are increasingly ditching stick framing for roof trusses. 

There are numerous reasons someone may favour trusses over traditional stick framing. Trusses span greater distances without requiring support, are made in a controlled environment without interference from the vagaries of weather and can be installed much faster and with less labour requirement. 

If you've decided to create the roof trusses for your building construction project, it's critical that you get the design right. There are lots of considerations that you should make to come up with the right roof truss design for your build.

Here's a look at some of the top things to think through:

The Type of Building to Be Constructed

Local councils typically provide building codes and standards that are to be followed for every type of building. This may mean that you are required to build with a specific type of roof truss, and failure to do so may run into trouble with the law.

For example, timber trusses are widely used for constructing residential buildings, but they may not meet the performance specifications for commercial or industrial buildings. You may be limited to using steel trusses if you are putting up a commercial or industrial roof.

The Geographical Location of Your Building Site

Where is your building site located? The geographical location of your building site will influence the types of environmental loads that your roof will be subjected to. Some examples of such loads include wind, rain, snow, ice and earthquake loads. 

When you are creating your roof trusses, you should make sure that they will be able to hold up against the specific environmental loads that may act on the roof structure itself. That way, you can avoid cases of roof collapse or failure due to severe weather conditions. 

The Desired Roof Shape

While roof trusses are suitable for a variety of roof shapes, their suitability varies depending on the shape of the roof to be installed. Common roof shapes include flat, gable, hipped and pyramid.

When designing your roof trusses, you will need to let your roof truss manufacturer know your desired roof shape. That way, they will be able to make trusses that will achieve the look you want.

Need to learn more about roof trusses and related services? You can reach out to companies like Prefab Technology Pty Ltd for more information.