That’s honestly such a valid point about the stress and risk. I’ve seen plenty of folks try to save by patching or sistering, and it’s almost always a short-term fix, especially in places that get heavy snow or wild wind gusts. Trusses can be a pain to wrangle, but the peace of mind is real. Did you end up noticing any issues with insulation or ventilation after switching over? Sometimes those truss webs can get in the way, but I guess it’s a trade-off.
- Had the same worry about insulation when I switched to trusses last year (midwest, lots of snow).
- The webs definitely made it trickier to get batts in, especially near the eaves. Ended up using blown-in cellulose—filled the gaps way better.
- Ventilation was a bit of a puzzle. Had to add extra baffles to keep airflow from soffit to ridge vent. Not impossible, just took more time than I thought.
- Honestly, I’d take the hassle over worrying about sagging rafters every winter. The peace of mind is worth a few awkward insulation jobs, at least for me.
- Only thing I miss is the open attic space... those webs eat up a lot of room.
That bit about losing attic space with trusses rings true—
—I’ve run into the same issue on a few properties. Makes it tough if you’re used to using that area for storage or running new wiring. On the plus side, I’ve had fewer calls about ice damming since switching to trusses plus blown-in insulation, so I’ll take the tradeoff. Still, every time I have to crawl through all those webs to check a vent, I do miss the open span rafters.Only thing I miss is the open attic space... those webs eat up a lot of room.
That’s a common gripe I hear—trusses really do eat up usable attic space. I’ve seen folks try to squeeze storage between the webs, but it’s awkward at best. On the other hand, I can’t argue with the improved insulation coverage and fewer ice dams. From an inspection standpoint, though, tracing wiring or checking for leaks is a pain with all those diagonal members in the way. I get why builders prefer trusses, but for anyone who actually uses their attic, it’s a real compromise.
Yeah, trusses can be a pain for attic access. I’ve crawled through enough of them after hail storms to know how tight it gets, especially when you’re trying to spot a slow leak or track down mouse damage. But I’ll say, after a big wind event, trusses usually hold up better than stick-framed rafters. Less shifting, fewer splits. If you really need usable attic space, though, you might want to look at attic trusses—they cost more, but you get an open area down the center. Not perfect, but at least you’re not belly-crawling through webs and insulation.
