Roof Trusses in Northern Ireland: Types and Benefits

The roof is the most important part of a house and a roof truss is the best option to provide support and strength to a roof. Roof trusses have well-planned and complex designs that provide unbeatable sturdiness and support for roofs of any size.

What roof truss is?

As the name “truss” describes, a triangular design made with mainly three components top chords, bottom chords, and web bracing. A roof truss contains angles, channels, plates, and eye bars. In Structural Engineering, we can say that it is a framework consisting of rafters, posts, and struts, supporting a roof, bridge, or other structure. In Northern Ireland, roof trusses have become very popular due to their design and benefits. You can see them in big buildings like auditoriums, cinema halls, stadiums, railways, stations, airports, etc.

Common types of roof trusses

Howe roof truss

They are made with a combination of wood and metal that includes upper and lower parts. Howe roof trusses can cover a wide area of 6 to 30 meters.

Fan roof truss

One of the simple roof trusses made from steel. It can cover 10 to 15 meters.

North light roof truss

Oldest and most economical roof trusses that include an extensive set of lattice girders with support posts. Mostly used in industrial structures and large spaces. They can cover 20 to 30 meters.

King post roof truss

If you have a smaller-sized house, a King post roof truss is a perfect choice. It can cover up to 8 meters.

Queen post roof truss

It is considered one of the simple, reliable, and versatile roof trusses that can cover around 10 meters of space.

Quadrangular roof truss

They have a very complex design and are used in big buildings like auditoriums, railways, and stadiums.

Benefits of roof trusses

1. Using the roof trusses can reduce on-site cost
2. It can save the time of roof installation
3. Saves space on-site for other building materials or storage
4. Reduced labor costs
5. Roof load distributed to walls
6. Able to span across longer distances
7. Prevents harmful UV rays from the sun from entering the house
8. Cover and protect the home from exposure to sun and rain