Finishing Attic Space With Trusses

If you have this type of roof framing you cannot finish your attic without rebuilding the roof.

Finishing attic space with trusses.

Newer truss framed roofs are made with prefabricated trusses. Trusses are like big structural triangles that have angled top pieces that serve as rafters horizontal pieces that serve as floor joists and interconnecting web pieces that give the triangle strength. The space is 12 feet wide and ceiling height is 8 feet. Trusses w shaped framing that supports the roof make things harder.

You can t simply cut out or alter these supports without seriously undermining the integrity of the roof structure. I didn t build this house but the architect did everyone a favor by making the vast space above the 40 foot long garage out of attic trusses. If your attic joists won t bear the weight necessary to finish out a living space but the engineer cleared them to support floor decking for light storage you can install inch plywood or. The structural framing beneath your roof rafters or trusses will determine if you can add an attic bedroom and what it might look like.

Ironically though it s the rafters that provide a better environment for an attic conversion because of the clear space. This is the end wall of the attic above my garage. If you have trusses it will be next to impossible to reconfigure them to allow for clear space. Trusses are considered a superior method of framing a roof because of the additional support.