Blog

Mental cues to help you select ideal roof trusses

March 20, 2020

Browse most catalogs or take a passing glance around you and it’s easy to notice that designs for roof trusses are plentiful. While a feast for your senses, such bountiful designs can set you on the course for analysis paralysis. First things first, understanding the basics…

Roofing material of all kinds - from asphalt shingles to slate tiles - have different weights, weight distributions, and mass.

Sure, having these basic ingredients in mind can be hard to juggle at first, but you’ll see they pay dividends in selecting the right roof trusses. Outfitting your mental arsenal doesn’t stop there, we’ve stocked these four effective steps to set you on your journey in sourcing a design that speaks to you.

Truss type

The design of a roof truss becomes efficient to hone in on if you understand the purpose behind each one. As a rule of thumb, there are four types of roof trusses available in the market: king, queen, raised tie, and scissor truss. Each truss type has innate mechanical strengths, such as the king truss' long-term durability and stability or the queen's two vertical posts for added stability and equalized weight-distribution.

Consider the roofing material weight

A truss design fit for purpose should support, in literal terms, the roofing material you’ll be working with. Let’s take an example: slate roofing stones are some of the heaviest yet most durable roofing materials on the market. As such, you may have to consider a combination of different types of roofing truss to make the situation practical and safe for use.

Don’t forget the attic

More than just dead air for your unwanted items, attics are a pragmatic person’s dream for getting the most out of a roof truss.

Be forewarned, it can be easy to run into a hurdle with regards to whether the lumber you’ll be using is suitable for use in multiple truss systems. The verdict? Consult with a roofing contractor when in doubt. Doubt is a strong precursor towards skewed weight distribution as a result of uncalculated load stabilities from each truss.

Right material. Right Job.

On a final note, make sure the lumber supplier you work with is synonymous with quality. We at Tamarack Lumber are no strangers to this concept because we provide exceptional truss and lumber supplies day in day out; there’s a reason they make a great choice for roof reinforcement and trussing for clients all across Ontario.

Don’t lumber around finding a lumber supplier

If you have yet to find a reliable company to work with, you can always count on Tamarack Lumber to supply you with high-quality lumber for all your roof trusses. With >40 years of experience supplying lumber across the GTA, we promise quality results for your project. Inquire with us to get started!