Should I make trusses or set up a ridge board?
Question:I'm ready to make the roof for a 10x12 shed and torn between making trusses or setting up a ridge board and adding rafters one by one. What are the pros/cons? Any good reason why I should pick one system over another?
Answers:
The ridge board design is easiest to build and least expensive. The truss design is more complicated and uses more lumber, but it is much stronger. So if you got lots of money and plan on spending a lot of time walking or sun tanning on the roof then do the truss, else the ridge board design should be fine for a out building like a shed. If it is real windy in your area you might consider a hip roof design.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/hip_roof...
If you understand trusses they are usually cheaper considering labor and material in your case if you are not building a structure larger than 10X12. you'll have no spans over 6 ft.Except for the ridge beam (2X6) all the rest will be 2X4.This method will save you 8 12' 2X4's or 9 10' 2X4's depending weather you build 10'wide or 12' wide That will increase your head room and you can use scraps from your project or some left over from the last job to add wind beams near the top of the rafters.
Let me save you 2 points:
What are wind beams? They are the 2x4's you are going to add to keep the building from bulging out from both sides. They would do very much the same thing as a bottom of the truss.Except here they only have to go on every other rafter and should be no longer than 4' .
trusses will lower the ceiling hight to the top plate, ridge beam and rifters with coller ties can give you more head room. definatly check local building codes.
If you'd like to take the shortest path to a finished project you might take a look at your local BigBoxHomeImprovement place and see if they don't have prefabricated trusses in the size that you need. One of them here does, and, they have them in a variety of configurations (scissor, attic storage etc).
Obversely, if you go with the stick built option, you can use an oversized rafter (like a nice 2x8) and SERIOUSLY insulate you roof.
Have fun
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