- I get the concern about weight, but I actually had luck beefing up my rafters with LVLs instead of a full truss swap. Not cheap, but way less mess than demoing the whole ceiling.
- Tried one of those “lightweight” solar kits last year—honestly, the panels were lighter, but the mounting hardware still needed solid support. Wouldn’t trust those ads 100%.
- My roof’s a 5/12 pitch, and water runs off fine, but a neighbor with a low-slope roof had to add extra drains after his first winter with panels. Flat roofs seem like a whole different animal... more maintenance, too.
I get the appeal of LVLs for strengthening rafters, but I’m still a bit wary about relying on them for really heavy loads, especially long-term. Trusses distribute weight better in some setups—might be overkill, but peace of mind counts. Anyone run into sagging years later with LVL retrofits?
- Seen a few LVL retrofits hold up fine over 10+ years, but it really depends on span, load, and install quality.
- Trusses do spread the load better, especially if you’ve got big open spaces or heavy snow.
- LVLs are strong, but I’ve caught minor sagging where folks pushed the span limits or skipped proper bearing.
- If you’re sticking with code and not trying to stretch specs, LVLs can last. Still, nothing wrong with wanting that extra peace of mind.
I get the appeal of LVLs, but if you’re thinking about a green or living roof down the line, trusses make way more sense. The extra weight from soil and plants is no joke—seen a couple LVL jobs struggle with that over time, even when they were “within spec.” Trusses just seem to handle the distributed load better, especially if you want to future-proof for any eco upgrades.
I hear you on the trusses for green roofs, but I’m not totally convinced LVLs are out if you beef things up. My neighbor did a pretty hefty living roof with doubled-up LVLs and so far, so good—three years in, no sagging. Maybe it’s more about how you design the system and less about one being “better”? Curious if anyone’s had luck retrofitting trusses into an existing rafter setup without tearing the whole thing apart... seems like a headache.
