Figuring out roof support: choosing between rafters and trusses

I’ve seen some wild stuff after storms - trusses definitely seem to take a beating better, but I’ve also inspected a few older homes with rafters that survived decades of Midwest weather just fine. Guess a lot depends on the builder and maintenance, too. Sometimes those “bonus attics” end up just being squirrel condos anyway...

Funny you mention squirrel condos...my attic’s hosted more wildlife than I care to admit. I went with trusses when we re-roofed a few years back, mostly because they were cheaper and the contractor said they’re faster to install. But I do kind of miss the bigger open space you get with rafters - trusses eat up a lot of that room. Maintenance is huge either way, though. My neighbor’s old rafter roof has held up for 40+ years, but he’s out there patching and caulking every spring. For me, less fuss is worth losing a bit of storage space.

Trusses definitely make things easier on the install side, but I hear you about losing that open attic space. When we bought our place, it had old-school rafters and I loved being able to walk around up there - felt like a secret clubhouse. But after the third time patching a leak in one winter, I started eyeing trusses too. Sometimes I wonder if the extra storage is worth the hassle... especially when the raccoons decide it’s their turn to move in.

I get what you mean about the attic space - ours was the same way when we moved in. The old rafters left a ton of room up there, and I thought I’d use it for storage or maybe even finish it out someday. But after a couple years, reality set in. We had to deal with insulation issues, and every time there was a heavy rain or snow melt, I’d be up there with a flashlight looking for drips. Not to mention the time I found a family of squirrels making themselves at home... that was fun.

When we finally had to redo the roof, I looked into both options pretty hard. Trusses definitely made more sense from a budget standpoint - less labor, faster install, and honestly, fewer headaches with leaks and shifting over time. The downside is you lose that big open area, but for us, the trade-off was worth it. We ended up adding some pull-down stairs and using the little bit of space between trusses for seasonal stuff - nothing too heavy or bulky.

If you’re on the fence, one thing to consider is whether you really need all that attic space. We thought we did, but most of our “storage” just turned into clutter we never touched. And if critters are getting in, that’s another layer of hassle (and expense) to deal with. With trusses, everything’s sealed up tighter and there are fewer nooks for animals to sneak into.

I do miss being able to walk around up there sometimes - there’s something cool about those old rafters - but not enough to go back to patching leaks every winter. If you’re thinking long-term maintenance and cost, trusses seem like the safer bet... unless you’ve got your heart set on an attic office or something like that.

With trusses, everything’s sealed up tighter and there are fewer nooks for animals to sneak into.

That’s been my experience too. Trusses made our last install way quicker, and honestly, I haven’t had to chase a single critter since. Only thing I’d add - if you ever want to run ductwork or wiring up there, plan ahead. The webbing can make it tricky if you don’t think about it before everything’s closed up. Otherwise, yeah, less hassle overall.