Trusses, on the other hand, are like the strong silent type. All those triangles do a good job of locking things down, so you don’t get as much flex or noise.
You nailed it with that description. It’s honestly wild how much difference those triangles make—sometimes I’ll be up in a trussed attic and forget I’m even in a roof space, it’s so solid. But yeah, I’ve seen folks get a little bummed when they realize their “future bonus room” is just a maze of webs. Still, for pure peace of mind during a blizzard, trusses are tough to beat. You’re definitely not imagining the creaks with rafters, either... that’s just part of the charm (or headache, depending on your mood).
But yeah, I’ve seen folks get a little bummed when they realize their “future bonus room” is just a maze of webs.
That’s the tradeoff I see all the time—people love the idea of finishing out the attic, but once those truss webs are in, it’s a whole different ballgame. I’ve crawled through plenty of those “bonus rooms” that never happened. On the flip side, I’ve inspected older homes with rafters where you can hear every gust of wind and the occasional squirrel party up there… makes you wonder if the extra space is worth the creaks and drafts. Anyone ever regret going one way or the other after living with it for a while?
makes you wonder if the extra space is worth the creaks and drafts.
I’ve lived with both setups—trusses in my current place, rafters in the last. The truss webs definitely killed any dreams of a bonus room, but I’ll say this: the house feels solid, even in high winds. My old rafter attic was bigger and easier to move around in, but insulation was a pain and it always felt drafty up there. If you’re not planning to finish the space soon, trusses just make more sense structurally. But yeah, it’s a tradeoff.
I get what you’re saying about trusses being more solid, but I’m not totally convinced they’re always the better call if you’re thinking long-term. We went with rafters in our build last year, mostly because we wanted the option to finish out the attic later. Yeah, it was a bit drafty at first, but after we upgraded the insulation and sealed up some gaps, it’s honestly pretty comfortable up there now. The extra headroom is a huge plus for storage too. I guess it depends on how much you value that future flexibility versus just having a super rigid structure right away.
I totally get wanting that attic space—having the option to finish it out later is a big deal for a lot of folks. But after seeing what a couple of big storms did in my area last spring, I’ve started to lean more toward trusses, especially if you’re in a spot that gets high winds or heavy snow. One neighbor had rafters and ended up with some nasty sagging after a bad hailstorm, while the truss roofs nearby held up better. Not saying rafters can’t work, but sometimes that extra rigidity pays off when the weather gets wild. Just something to keep in mind if you’re in a storm-prone zone.
