There's nothing quite like seeing perfect hand cut rafters all come together in a valley without so much as a 32'nd of wiggle room. If you're that type of framer, you have my respect. My last custom home had a lot of hand rafters and some trusses in areas too. Use what works, but respect the skill of hand cut... and be ready to pay for it too.
Kudos for the video content! Sorry for butting in, I would appreciate your initial thoughts. Have you tried - *WoodBlueprints. Com* It is a great one of a kind guide for building better sheds and woodworking without the normal expense. Ive heard some decent things about it and my cousin finally got astronomical success with it.?
This is very similar detailing to my modern tiny house on wheels, which I built and is constructed similarly with hand cut rafters and an unvented roof. I incorporated a ventilated rain-screen and exterior Roxul Comfortboard with durable metal siding!
Pieced roofs also allow you to have cathedral ceiling. It is also a higher quality construction because many trusses are the lowest grade of 2x4. You need heavier pieces to piece a roof of any significant span. That is just better wood. You also get less ceiling pops. The idea cut roofs are more expensive is true if you say so, but not true for DIY. It is easy to do, you can follow standard design details, while trusses need to be engineered. The high quality wood I referred to is more expensive, but it replaces the whole truss system, so while one is obviously a superior profit maker, on a owner build project, the cost of a few rafters is a lot lower than the whole truss boondoggle. And a single home carpenter can easily handle rafters where a truss might require multiple operators, and a crane. Most crazy is seeing a small addition or shed being built by a homeowner who makes his own trusses, rather than just quickly and efficiently installing a high quality cut roof.
I want to eventually buy land to build an off grid home/cabin and this is something I often think about, going with rafters will be much easier as I don't have to figure out how to lift large trusses up by myself I can just build it one piece of lumber at a time, and the added bonus of being able to make a conditioned attic is great too as I would probably skip on the basement as well so the hvac stuff could go in the conditioned attic.
@@JamesBlazen I'll have to get creative for some parts like that. Easiest is to probably build it in place. The hardest part of building stuff is dealing with the weather though, as I found out when I built my shed. In a given year, there are only so many nice days where I'm off work. As I get older I also find myself being less tolerant of heat so I would need to do most of it in winter but that comes with it's own challenges such as constantly having to clear out snow. I would most likely invest in machinery for that though, maybe a little bobcat or something.
One major reason why trusses suck in custom homes is the homeowner shows up and gets a new brainwave ever day: Change Order. If they want to add a roof window, balcony, whatever, you can do that with a cut roof real quick , but with a truss roof, you have a much bigger problem. And that kind of thinking carries over into self-builds. You will make mistakes or have ideas. With a few sticks it is no problem. Trusses, no fun.
Living in the north, I think when I build my "someday" home, I am going to have a conditions attic. Doesn't need to be finished to livable but, inside the envelope and able ot be walked on. house mechanical and storage maybe.
This is just superb, I have been researching "how to frame a gable porch roof" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you ever come across - Beybigail Nonpareil Breakthrough - (do a search on google ) ? It is an awesome one off guide for discovering how to create better sheds and improve your woodworking minus the headache. Ive heard some great things about it and my co-worker got excellent results with it.
Not sure about the "rafters are stronger than trusses" bit. Here in Australia, as in the US, most modern houses use pre-fabricated trusses. I'd say the most common roofing material where I live is cement tiles. And close to half of the roofs are also covered in solar panels. Altogether that's a lot of weight.
Just wonderful, I been tryin to find out about "how to build rafters for shed roof" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you ever come across - Beybigail Nonpareil Breakthrough - (Have a quick look on google cant remember the place now ) ? It is a smashing one off product for discovering how to create better sheds and improve your woodworking without the hard work. Ive heard some pretty good things about it and my mate got excellent results with it. @matt risinger
Matt, i'm not quite sure trusses are cheaper than hand-cut rafters, in terms of material cost only. In Las Vegas, NV the truss plants out here charge a pretty penny for a set of trusses. Hand-cut rafters would be way cheaper. Now if we are talking about labor too, well that might be a different story. But the upfront cost of those dang trusses are expensive out here. However, I have to note that Las Vegas is going through another growth spurt on new production homes, so that could be driving up truss prices.
After owning a house with both a trussed roof and cut roof I agree cut gives much better space. Also love how older houses had real stairs to access the attic, so much nicer than the crappy pull down stairs. It would have been nice to have some insight into the cost difference, trusses must win out in that category.
On my house, which is only 840 square feet, we were close to 3K for roofing lumber and LVL beams. Instead we opted for Scissor trusses which ran just a little under 2K and eliminated the need for LVL beams. The rafters, alone, were going to be way more expensive. I'd say trusses definitely win out on cost. However, we built this house ourselves, so setting trusses was basically a 2 day job, so fast, and rewarding. Now that I've built another structure with hand cut rafters, I'll never go back. Rafters are slower, more expensive, but way nicer.
These videos are great. I’ve been remodeling my 1964 house and these videos have helped shape my thinking. To date I’ve used the Prosoco CAT5 system for my water resistant barrier and the metal sill pan for my new slider door. The roof is my next big project and I really like the way this roof came together. Any differences to be careful of when doing a remodel instead of new construction? Thanks!
Matt: Need your recommendation(s) on how to fix my roofs drip edge. The roof shingle is flush with the fascia board, which is causing my facia boards to rot when it rains; when it rains the drip goes right onto the facia boards. Most roofs I see have a 1x2 nailed to the facia with flashing over that and the shingle on top of that; causing the drip to be 3/4" away from the facia which does the trick to keep the water drip off the facia boards. I have some ideas, but I sure would like to hear from a professional like you on how to correct this quick and easy. Many thanks, Rick
Do you have edge flashing on the roof? The end of the flashing is angled (or should be, maybe older flashings where flat) to allow the water to drip free of the facia board, even when the flashing is right against it. If you don't have the flashing, just add it.
It’s a great idea for the southern areas of the country but in the north that wouldn’t work without ventilation the roof holds in heat and creates ice buildup. I have been fighting with a 136 year old house that was built like what you showed. I think if I lived in the south I would build my roof like that but in the U. P. Of Michigan it just doesn’t work
John Clark we stopped ice build up when we put a new roof on insulated the ceiling and vented the over hang and peak just like most new homes in Upper Peninsula of Michigan. House stays warm and the roof ice free in this 140 year old home before we did this the previous owners added a lot of extra insulation and sealed the attic tighter than a frogs ass and I cut down on my heating bill
@@carlfitzpatrick5864 your old house probably has a boiler or forced air in a basement. If you have a basement where you can put mechanicals, a vented attic is ok. If you're looking to get the last penny of efficiency, you're better off with a sealed attic and a double roof, the outer roof sitting on 4-6" of foam. If you have AC in a vented attic, you may as well just buy a fan and light a couple hundred dollar bills on fire every month.
This just shows you know nothing about trusses. It's the triangulation that gives the 2x4 much more strength. Plus there's less waste and they go up in half the time.
Yes. It's an attic truss and you can also work with your truss designer to examine ways you might expand that attic space. For instance, when I built my garage I spec'd a 2x6 instead if a 2x4 for the floor of the attic and I was able to double the amount of attic space.
The idea that they "go up in half the time" is misleading, because the truss company needs to have time to design and build the trusses. Most truss companies also have a lead time of at least 2 weeks before they can start on your trusses. A carpenter needs a pile of lumber and he can start framing any roof, immediately. Trusses are slower, not faster.
I live in Indiana and there are not a lot (if any) air sealed houses up here. Is this a regional thing? Are there different things you have to do HVAC wise when you don’t vent the attic? I was alway taught that a house has to breath.
Great info. Do you plan on adding Simpson strong ties to that framing? In Northern CA it would be required on truss to top plate connections as well as any hand cut roof framing.
Very nice! I like a lot of the stuff you do. I was a framer for a lot of years. The ridge on this roof seems to be overkill. Not that that is a bad thing. I am sure that is more than what is needed to meet code though I would hope.
by my count they are spanning 36 feet and that without bracing in the middle, so yeah that's what would be needed. Although if it was me and my home, I would have raised the pitch to have more room in there. Almost worthless to do what they did with that low of a pitch
Help me understand... I love these videos and your top tier construction methods, but why the ridiculous triple LVL ridge? Is that roof less than 3/12 slope? It looks like 4/12 in the artist rendering? Ridge boards don't typically carry much load. They just take a compression load from the rafters on either side, and maybe some shear load at the fasteners on such a low slope with such a heavy clay roof right? If anything, I'd beef the rafters up to 2x10. Rule of thumb I was taught is 1.5x nominal width = rated span in ft. So a 2x8 is only good up to 12'. With the heavy clay tiles, I'd think the rafters need the added meat more than the ridge... Or am I not understanding something here? Thanks for the great videos, and keep up the excellent work.
The are no collar ties, cripple walls, and little attachment at the base of the roof rafters, which adds up to the necessity of a structural ridge beam.
Maybe we need more information from Matt - perhaps the roofing material is heavy? Or there is extra weight on the rafters that they need that triple ridge?
Most likely reason is the ceiling span under the ridge is not supported, it is open. I don't know about tiles, but otherwise you don't need collar ties since there are ceiling joints. The LVL also means you can have the space in the roof fully usable without posts. supporting the span, if they would be otherwise called for.
Your shed looks great! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us! I built an 8x10 shed for my kids in my backyard earlier this year using plans I got from *WoodBlueprints. Com* Clear directions and an accurate materials list...It was great for a novice builder like myself!
My parents DFW track home built in 1970 was one story with shallow truss built roof. Almost over engineered but very stout! How rigid or structurally "stiff" should a hand-cut roof be? My "hand cut roof looks like it barely has enough bracing to stand up to some of the wind we get here in n. Tx.
Aloha Awesome Video! I was wondering when planning roofing have you had to plan for solar panels being install on the roofing area during the build, also with the solar panels on the roof does that some what help with prevention of heat in the attic area?
Yeah but on a rafter roof you can't get a clear open floorplan there needs to be load bearing walls. With a truss you can get a house with no load bearing walls.
Are the rafters just side nailed to the ridge beam? How is that fastened in place? Could you get rid of the ridge beam and half lap the rafters and put a large dowel pin in them? It would definitely be a lot more work but I was wondering if that would be stronger and no nails. I'm a woodworker and follow a lot of Japanese carpentry where it is all jointery.
You could do something like that and if you did it would be easier to build it all on the ground then crane it up. The call those trusses. The reason you use a ridge beam is so everything has a place to sit as it is being built. Most times rafters are “side nailed” but some have hangers. The weight goes down so when you put the rafters one the ridge gravity does a good job of transferring the weight down the nails at the top are really just to keep things from moving laterally. Until the roof sheeting has been nailed on. Old Japanese carpentry used a ridge pole and most the weight of the roof was transferred to one post (they keep it exposed and often display a small temple called a butsudon near it often near the center of the house). Modern Japanese carpentry uses CNC machines to cut mortise and tenon joints so there are not very much need for nails. They still use them though they just have very small hammers so it takes them a long time to hammer in a nail. Mendokusai ne?
@@hamaljay Well, the traditional Japanese framing with all the mortise and tenon joints is more akin to traditional European full timber framing, using massive pieces of lumber - typically a full 4-5 inches square in width, and for things like ridge beams and rafters up to 10 inches or more in depth. This gives plenty of meat to cut out the joints with, although, to be fair, the size is partly because the sugi wood they use is much softer and weaker than even SPF, let along the oak and other hardwood used in old European timber framing. Half-lapping a nominal 2x SPF is only giving an actual 3/4 inch of timber on the end of each rafter, which is not much... Modern Japanese timber framing also actually uses bolts to hold most of the structure together, not wooden pegs, for better strength and earthquake resistance. They also incorporate a lot of metal bracing and tie-plates behind the scenes for strength and typhoon resistance. As far as hammers and nails, yes you can actually get a normal sized claw hammer in Japan! Most pro carpenters just use compressed air nail-guns like the rest of the world now-days though. :-)
I notice the tooth cuts are every other rafter. Why not just let the rafter tails long like usual, but still run the plywood all the way to the top of the rafter, with tooth cuts around the tails? Must be something about the 4x6....but for those of us who want to save money and still build higher quality...
Ever heard of an attic truss? Trusses can be designed to any roof load you can define. They use much stronger wood and are much more efficient. Only advantage I can see with “hand cut” roof is you can deal with out of square walls and don’t need to rent a crane/lift.
I have used attic trusses ,with lower chords for floors .. Triple Piggy Backs and every array of trusses .. Some hardcore custom homes are so detailed and have so much going on .. The best truss manufacturers won't touch .. nor does the contractor want to use .
To me, if there are 4x6 (or whatever) rafter tails under the eaves, I expect to see the same rafter in my attic. I don't like anything fake. I'd quite happily take those 2x8 or 10 rafter tails on 18" centers under my eaves. That looks great to me because I know it's real. I do acknowledge that I am thoroughly in the minority being so adamantly against anything fake.
I feel the same - I like things to be "real". I like the modern idea, which is really quite an old idea, of exposing some of the actual structure of a building, but I like it to be actual structure, not just something tacked on as a facade. But hey, it's in America... isn't EVERYTHING over there fake? ;-)
Every detail you've mentioned are easily implemented with engineered roof trusses. The only benefit is space for storage. I still see the benefits of trusses far out weighing rafters.
Ian if you go with larger chords 2x6 for example you can spread the webs to give you storage space in the attic. There are also room-in-attic trusses that can open up all the usable space in the attic as well.
I have 38 years of sawdust in my toolbelt .. I grew up on trusses .. Not saying they can't accomplish every design .. Some are inefficient .. Some mansions I have built would be a nightmare to engineer for trusses .. Most trusses are built by a company that has morons assembling them .. " Piece here , Piece there and a gusset and create hideous ceilings and wobbling rooflines .. I have no problem using them on simpler homes or integrating them with aspects of homes .. but in many instances they just aren't built well enough or engineered well enough for hardcore custom
They don't generally have basements. It's an extra cost and the frost line is so shallow no need to dig 4 foot down for you footer. So not many have a crawl space either. Slab on grade.
Love your work. Thanks so much! Question: with a sealed attic space, how do you allow for venting under your roof decking? (Although I guess if you're using a clay shingle it maybe doesn't matter like it would with asphalt?)
John - You may want to check into your asphalt shingle warranty documents. For some manufacturers, "Lack of adequate air space" behind roof decking invalidates the warranty.
The key word is conditioned. They are within the conditioned space of the structure and since the laws of physics don’t allow us to create something from nothing there is no moisture issue.
"Engineered" trusses sound mighty fancy, the reason they are engineered is because each installation is shaved for the particular purpose. Rafters can be installed from standardized tables with success because they are overbuilt. Overbuilt is bad for cookie cutter houses, the environment, and probably causes global warming. But within reason, overbuilt is great for your own house. I just did the shingles on my timber frame house which is about 200 years old. It has a roof made of large timbers, and it sure feels a lot more secure than nailing the roof brackets into the crap we build today. But sure, everyone else's house should be erected out of 2x4 trusses and OSB, and held together with adhesive.
That's really weird since there has been no global warming for over 15 years - at a time when the population is higher than ever and global warming should be at maximum.
Couldn’t you just carve the detail tail into the rafters rather than adding a separate notched section? Not sure if it matters either way but just wondering why it’s not a detail cut in the rafters and is separate in the side.
The reason he gave was that the method he used allow uniterrupted sheathing and miracle wrap to come up to the underside of the roof, except where the rafter tails poked out. There were a lot less of those than there were rafters. Looked like 16" centers on the rafters, and 48" on the tails. Other reasons are: - He clearly wanted hefty 4x4 lookouts, and his rafters were 2x8. - He used a different species. Using old growth D-Fir for the whole roof is too expensive. - The bits he carved were small enough to handle on say a bandsaw, or even to just contract out. - The lookout projection could be adjusted precisely, and this would make it easier to get everything lined up. - Some localities won't allow you to expose rafters as it can cause external fires to get into the roof. In that case though, normally the fakes have to be attached to the surface of the building.
My city plan check made me use clips and hangers for my stick roof. My framers uses Simpson brand clips. Is there benefit to this vs traditional nails?
I have a question about peel and stick alumni-flash though. I noticed on one of the jobs where we installed it and went over with siding, after a week or so a client decided to add a window. When we cut out the opening, I noticed that flashing wasn't reflective anymore, it just became kind of dull, gray color. Did anyone else ever noticed that before? Does it still work against UV, while being not reflective?
What do you mean stick frame was you only option for the heavy load? An engineered truss system can carry any load you throw at it. I like your channel but I would really appreciate a little more research and rigour behind your claims.
It was probably redundant speak, since essentially to get the clear space he wanted, he wouldn't have had a truss option regardless. There are attic trusses, but they are still more interrupted than rafters. We don't see many tile roofs up here, so I leave that part to you, but some of the attic trusses I see I would not be my choice for supporting a lot of weight.
Shouldn't an addict always be vented granted you turned it into a room but there should always be a airspace between the bottom of the plywood on the roof and the insulation to help release Heat and moisture.
It's actually framed wrong. A ridge that's meant to take the weight of the roof should have the rafters rest on top, lapping each other and nailed together.
Cut roofs don't need a lvl beam either, it is an option for structural or design purposes. A truss can be made to any reasonable dimension, and that geometry will allow a huge increase in stiffness and strength, conceptually. The strength is a second order, and stiffness a third order function of cord depth. But they are stapled together out of weeds, so the qualities you really get are going to depend on the qualities built in. In reality most roofing systems are trusses, some are assembled at the job sight by skilled labor using higher quality materials, for more demanding customers, who are willing to pay more. And others are made into roach motels. It isn't complex figuring which are best.
Thank you Ryan for releasing a great product as this [ Check Details Here?> *WoodBlueprints. Com* ]. Most of the plans I have imagined in my mind are put down on your woodworking plans. This is more like a genius job. I love it!?
I've always tried to figure out how to build a shed for my kids. I tried several plans but always got stuck along the way. I'm glad I found this Ryan's shed plans [ Go Here >>> *WoodBlueprints. Com* ]. It has made the work become as easy and simple as I never thought it will be. Thank you Ryan!?
I am a cribber up in Canada. I have always wondered why alot of the US doesn't utilize basements under their homes. Is bedrock shallow, or is it just a cost problem. Also we have to vent our attics to eliminate ice damming, do you have any suggestions for best practice with regards to that?
most of the time slab on grade is cheaper than a full basement or a crawlspace, there is some coding considerations, tax and of course geographical reasons , for example in florida is just not practical because of the floodings and aquifers. in some counties a full basement increases property tax, besides if you have plenty of space to build above ground level it doesn't make a lot of sense spend thousand of $$ digging up for a basement.
Shittastio It also denotes which side is the 'UP' side whether it is used on roofs, floors, walls or the exposed side to the weather as it has an extra finish. The double smooth is not superior.
The bug homeless population is becoming a really big problem in my area because of these types of building practices. I couple spiders crawling into your mouth each year well you sleep can actually be a good thing for the immune system.
I understand that you want a tight sealed house.... BUT houses need to breathe. That's one of the first things I learned from the old timer I worked with. This house is gonna be very musty after a few years.
Cheers for this, I been tryin to find out about "how to build a gable roof patio cover" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Ever heard of - Beybigail Nonpareil Breakthrough - (Have a quick look on google cant remember the place now ) ? It is an awesome one of a kind guide for discovering how to create better sheds and improve your woodworking without the normal expense. Ive heard some unbelievable things about it and my brother in law got cool results with it.
![GUILTY GEAR -STRIVE- Season Pass 4 Playable Character #1 [Queen Dizzy] Trailer](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nXDsAgYXXv4/mqdefault.jpg)
![Yeat & Summrs - GO2WORK [Official Music Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/NEFEwfPcXRA/mqdefault.jpg)
There's nothing quite like seeing perfect hand cut rafters all come together in a valley without so much as a 32'nd of wiggle room. If you're that type of framer, you have my respect. My last custom home had a lot of hand rafters and some trusses in areas too. Use what works, but respect the skill of hand cut... and be ready to pay for it too.
As I do research to build my house, I found myself watching your channel often. Thank you for covering such a variety of topics.
Kudos for the video content! Sorry for butting in, I would appreciate your initial thoughts. Have you tried - *WoodBlueprints. Com* It is a great one of a kind guide for building better sheds and woodworking without the normal expense. Ive heard some decent things about it and my cousin finally got astronomical success with it.?
This is very similar detailing to my modern tiny house on wheels, which I built and is constructed similarly with hand cut rafters and an unvented roof. I incorporated a ventilated rain-screen and exterior Roxul Comfortboard with durable metal siding!
Jack Van Berg no...no you don’t.
Pieced roofs also allow you to have cathedral ceiling.
It is also a higher quality construction because many trusses are the lowest grade of 2x4. You need heavier pieces to piece a roof of any significant span. That is just better wood.
You also get less ceiling pops.
The idea cut roofs are more expensive is true if you say so, but not true for DIY. It is easy to do, you can follow standard design details, while trusses need to be engineered. The high quality wood I referred to is more expensive, but it replaces the whole truss system, so while one is obviously a superior profit maker, on a owner build project, the cost of a few rafters is a lot lower than the whole truss boondoggle. And a single home carpenter can easily handle rafters where a truss might require multiple operators, and a crane.
Most crazy is seeing a small addition or shed being built by a homeowner who makes his own trusses, rather than just quickly and efficiently installing a high quality cut roof.
Enjoyed the video and also the multitude of conversations going on below it. Learning a lot.
Matt if I ever win the lottery I will have you build a home for my wife and I. I learned so much from your videos. Thank you
I want to eventually buy land to build an off grid home/cabin and this is something I often think about, going with rafters will be much easier as I don't have to figure out how to lift large trusses up by myself I can just build it one piece of lumber at a time, and the added bonus of being able to make a conditioned attic is great too as I would probably skip on the basement as well so the hvac stuff could go in the conditioned attic.
@@JamesBlazen I'll have to get creative for some parts like that. Easiest is to probably build it in place. The hardest part of building stuff is dealing with the weather though, as I found out when I built my shed. In a given year, there are only so many nice days where I'm off work. As I get older I also find myself being less tolerant of heat so I would need to do most of it in winter but that comes with it's own challenges such as constantly having to clear out snow. I would most likely invest in machinery for that though, maybe a little bobcat or something.
Quality Brother....
It’s all in the word excellence!!!
+Brian Curwick thanks buddy!
Matt Risinger
Thank You!
One major reason why trusses suck in custom homes is the homeowner shows up and gets a new brainwave ever day: Change Order. If they want to add a roof window, balcony, whatever, you can do that with a cut roof real quick , but with a truss roof, you have a much bigger problem.
And that kind of thinking carries over into self-builds. You will make mistakes or have ideas. With a few sticks it is no problem. Trusses, no fun.
AWESOME HOUSE!, I've done some custom homes, and this one was done nicely!
If you get bugs in your attic.....Matt has the skills to get them out! 🤣 great ending! Haha
+Blake Felber ha. The irony. Hadn't thought of that.
just ordered the *WoodBlueprints. Com* guide for step-by-step videos and different plans to BUILD A SHED. they have some awesome plans in there
Great job on the videos! This is an awesome channel!
Thanks!
Love all the room in the attic.
Funny ending.
Wish you would have shown how far the rafter tails extend into the attic and how they're attached.
firecloud77 I’d like to see that too.
Love the addition of the gratuitous drone footage.
Great content Matt, subbed on the you tubes and followed on the Twitters! Owner builder in the early stages.
Love your videos Matt best of good fortune to yours. I think the bugs at the end of the video where from sealing that building envelope so tight. 😅
Living in the north, I think when I build my "someday" home, I am going to have a conditions attic. Doesn't need to be finished to livable but, inside the envelope and able ot be walked on. house mechanical and storage maybe.
This is just superb, I have been researching "how to frame a gable porch roof" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you ever come across - Beybigail Nonpareil Breakthrough - (do a search on google ) ? It is an awesome one off guide for discovering how to create better sheds and improve your woodworking minus the headache. Ive heard some great things about it and my co-worker got excellent results with it.
Not sure about the "rafters are stronger than trusses" bit. Here in Australia, as in the US, most modern houses use pre-fabricated trusses. I'd say the most common roofing material where I live is cement tiles. And close to half of the roofs are also covered in solar panels. Altogether that's a lot of weight.
You didn’t really do a comparison.
Just wonderful, I been tryin to find out about "how to build rafters for shed roof" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Have you ever come across - Beybigail Nonpareil Breakthrough - (Have a quick look on google cant remember the place now ) ? It is a smashing one off product for discovering how to create better sheds and improve your woodworking without the hard work. Ive heard some pretty good things about it and my mate got excellent results with it. @matt risinger
Matt, i'm not quite sure trusses are cheaper than hand-cut rafters, in terms of material cost only. In Las Vegas, NV the truss plants out here charge a pretty penny for a set of trusses. Hand-cut rafters would be way cheaper. Now if we are talking about labor too, well that might be a different story. But the upfront cost of those dang trusses are expensive out here. However, I have to note that Las Vegas is going through another growth spurt on new production homes, so that could be driving up truss prices.
After owning a house with both a trussed roof and cut roof I agree cut gives much better space. Also love how older houses had real stairs to access the attic, so much nicer than the crappy pull down stairs.
It would have been nice to have some insight into the cost difference, trusses must win out in that category.
On my house, which is only 840 square feet, we were close to 3K for roofing lumber and LVL beams. Instead we opted for Scissor trusses which ran just a little under 2K and eliminated the need for LVL beams. The rafters, alone, were going to be way more expensive. I'd say trusses definitely win out on cost. However, we built this house ourselves, so setting trusses was basically a 2 day job, so fast, and rewarding. Now that I've built another structure with hand cut rafters, I'll never go back. Rafters are slower, more expensive, but way nicer.
These videos are great. I’ve been remodeling my 1964 house and these videos have helped shape my thinking. To date I’ve used the Prosoco CAT5 system for my water resistant barrier and the metal sill pan for my new slider door. The roof is my next big project and I really like the way this roof came together. Any differences to be careful of when doing a remodel instead of new construction?
Thanks!
Matt: Need your recommendation(s) on how to fix my roofs drip edge. The roof shingle is flush with the fascia board, which is causing my facia boards to rot when it rains; when it rains the drip goes right onto the facia boards. Most roofs I see have a 1x2 nailed to the facia with flashing over that and the shingle on top of that; causing the drip to be 3/4" away from the facia which does the trick to keep the water drip off the facia boards. I have some ideas, but I sure would like to hear from a professional like you on how to correct this quick and easy. Many thanks, Rick
Do you have edge flashing on the roof? The end of the flashing is angled (or should be, maybe older flashings where flat) to allow the water to drip free of the facia board, even when the flashing is right against it. If you don't have the flashing, just add it.
100% agree. As long as you can get a drip edge under the shingle, it will keep the fascia dry unless you get a wind driven rain.
4:50 basically the Winnebago man 😂
It’s a great idea for the southern areas of the country but in the north that wouldn’t work without ventilation the roof holds in heat and creates ice buildup. I have been fighting with a 136 year old house that was built like what you showed. I think if I lived in the south I would build my roof like that but in the U. P. Of Michigan it just doesn’t work
Air leaks in your ceiling cause ice build up. Can lights are the biggest culprit. Seal the ceiling, add a little more insulation and no more ice dams.
John Clark we stopped ice build up when we put a new roof on insulated the ceiling and vented the over hang and peak just like most new homes in Upper Peninsula of Michigan. House stays warm and the roof ice free in this 140 year old home before we did this the previous owners added a lot of extra insulation and sealed the attic tighter than a frogs ass and I cut down on my heating bill
@@carlfitzpatrick5864 your old house probably has a boiler or forced air in a basement. If you have a basement where you can put mechanicals, a vented attic is ok. If you're looking to get the last penny of efficiency, you're better off with a sealed attic and a double roof, the outer roof sitting on 4-6" of foam. If you have AC in a vented attic, you may as well just buy a fan and light a couple hundred dollar bills on fire every month.
Framed custom homes for years at the end of the 90's into the 2000's every home we did was hand cut.
Agreed 100%. My 2x10 hand cut roof is 1000x better than some tiny 2x4 trussed roof with no attic space. As always great content Matt!
This just shows you know nothing about trusses. It's the triangulation that gives the 2x4 much more strength. Plus there's less waste and they go up in half the time.
Can you design trusses so you at least get some attic space?
Of course, it is called an attic truss
Yes. It's an attic truss and you can also work with your truss designer to examine ways you might expand that attic space. For instance, when I built my garage I spec'd a 2x6 instead if a 2x4 for the floor of the attic and I was able to double the amount of attic space.
The idea that they "go up in half the time" is misleading, because the truss company needs to have time to design and build the trusses. Most truss companies also have a lead time of at least 2 weeks before they can start on your trusses. A carpenter needs a pile of lumber and he can start framing any roof, immediately. Trusses are slower, not faster.
I live in Indiana and there are not a lot (if any) air sealed houses up here. Is this a regional thing? Are there different things you have to do HVAC wise when you don’t vent the attic? I was alway taught that a house has to breath.
Great info. Do you plan on adding Simpson strong ties to that framing? In Northern CA it would be required on truss to top plate connections as well as any hand cut roof framing.
Not true, we use timber locks and I work in paradise ca
Very nice! I like a lot of the stuff you do. I was a framer for a lot of years. The ridge on this roof seems to be overkill. Not that that is a bad thing. I am sure that is more than what is needed to meet code though I would hope.
by my count they are spanning 36 feet and that without bracing in the middle, so yeah that's what would be needed. Although if it was me and my home, I would have raised the pitch to have more room in there. Almost worthless to do what they did with that low of a pitch
You need to do more video's like this
Truses are easily installed, cheap and can take a heavy load.
Check out Truss Frames. I built a house using them back in 1986.
Looks great!
Awesome video!
Help me understand... I love these videos and your top tier construction methods, but why the ridiculous triple LVL ridge? Is that roof less than 3/12 slope? It looks like 4/12 in the artist rendering? Ridge boards don't typically carry much load. They just take a compression load from the rafters on either side, and maybe some shear load at the fasteners on such a low slope with such a heavy clay roof right? If anything, I'd beef the rafters up to 2x10. Rule of thumb I was taught is 1.5x nominal width = rated span in ft. So a 2x8 is only good up to 12'. With the heavy clay tiles, I'd think the rafters need the added meat more than the ridge... Or am I not understanding something here? Thanks for the great videos, and keep up the excellent work.
Does it have to do with the fact that there are no collar ties?
The are no collar ties, cripple walls, and little attachment at the base of the roof rafters, which adds up to the necessity of a structural ridge beam.
this is a ridge BEAM not board.
Maybe we need more information from Matt - perhaps the roofing material is heavy? Or there is extra weight on the rafters that they need that triple ridge?
Most likely reason is the ceiling span under the ridge is not supported, it is open. I don't know about tiles, but otherwise you don't need collar ties since there are ceiling joints.
The LVL also means you can have the space in the roof fully usable without posts. supporting the span, if they would be otherwise called for.
Great video!
Nice work
well said! you build beautiful homes.
Your shed looks great! Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us! I built an 8x10 shed for my kids in my backyard earlier this year using plans I got from *WoodBlueprints. Com* Clear directions and an accurate materials list...It was great for a novice builder like myself!
Nice video! Good info. 👍🏼
My parents DFW track home built in 1970 was one story with shallow truss built roof. Almost over engineered but very stout! How rigid or structurally "stiff" should a hand-cut roof be? My "hand cut roof looks like it barely has enough bracing to stand up to some of the wind we get here in n. Tx.
Aloha Awesome Video! I was wondering when planning roofing have you had to plan for solar panels being install on the roofing area during the build, also with the solar panels on the roof does that some what help with prevention of heat in the attic area?
Yeah but on a rafter roof you can't get a clear open floorplan there needs to be load bearing walls. With a truss you can get a house with no load bearing walls.
Love traditional framing.
Are the rafters just side nailed to the ridge beam? How is that fastened in place? Could you get rid of the ridge beam and half lap the rafters and put a large dowel pin in them? It would definitely be a lot more work but I was wondering if that would be stronger and no nails.
I'm a woodworker and follow a lot of Japanese carpentry where it is all jointery.
You could do something like that and if you did it would be easier to build it all on the ground then crane it up. The call those trusses. The reason you use a ridge beam is so everything has a place to sit as it is being built. Most times rafters are “side nailed” but some have hangers. The weight goes down so when you put the rafters one the ridge gravity does a good job of transferring the weight down the nails at the top are really just to keep things from moving laterally. Until the roof sheeting has been nailed on. Old Japanese carpentry used a ridge pole and most the weight of the roof was transferred to one post (they keep it exposed and often display a small temple called a butsudon near it often near the center of the house). Modern Japanese carpentry uses CNC machines to cut mortise and tenon joints so there are not very much need for nails. They still use them though they just have very small hammers so it takes them a long time to hammer in a nail. Mendokusai ne?
@@hamaljay Well, the traditional Japanese framing with all the mortise and tenon joints is more akin to traditional European full timber framing, using massive pieces of lumber - typically a full 4-5 inches square in width, and for things like ridge beams and rafters up to 10 inches or more in depth. This gives plenty of meat to cut out the joints with, although, to be fair, the size is partly because the sugi wood they use is much softer and weaker than even SPF, let along the oak and other hardwood used in old European timber framing. Half-lapping a nominal 2x SPF is only giving an actual 3/4 inch of timber on the end of each rafter, which is not much... Modern Japanese timber framing also actually uses bolts to hold most of the structure together, not wooden pegs, for better strength and earthquake resistance. They also incorporate a lot of metal bracing and tie-plates behind the scenes for strength and typhoon resistance.
As far as hammers and nails, yes you can actually get a normal sized claw hammer in Japan! Most pro carpenters just use compressed air nail-guns like the rest of the world now-days though. :-)
I notice the tooth cuts are every other rafter. Why not just let the rafter tails long like usual, but still run the plywood all the way to the top of the rafter, with tooth cuts around the tails? Must be something about the 4x6....but for those of us who want to save money and still build higher quality...
Amazing carpentry skills
A conditioned attic, you say? Sounds like heresy!
I like it.
just ordered the *WoodBlueprints. Com* guide for step-by-step videos and different plans to BUILD A SHED. they have some awesome plans in there
Ever heard of an attic truss? Trusses can be designed to any roof load you can define. They use much stronger wood and are much more efficient. Only advantage I can see with “hand cut” roof is you can deal with out of square walls and don’t need to rent a crane/lift.
I have used attic trusses ,with lower chords for floors .. Triple Piggy Backs and every array of trusses .. Some hardcore custom homes are so detailed and have so much going on .. The best truss manufacturers won't touch .. nor does the contractor want to use .
That, and you gain some more peak headroom this way.
I think it's all about the head room! That's a hell of a lot of wasted usable space if you go with trusses.
With the length of the rafters, why don't you have solid blocking seeing the dead load you are going to put on them?
To me, if there are 4x6 (or whatever) rafter tails under the eaves, I expect to see the same rafter in my attic. I don't like anything fake. I'd quite happily take those 2x8 or 10 rafter tails on 18" centers under my eaves. That looks great to me because I know it's real. I do acknowledge that I am thoroughly in the minority being so adamantly against anything fake.
I feel the same - I like things to be "real". I like the modern idea, which is really quite an old idea, of exposing some of the actual structure of a building, but I like it to be actual structure, not just something tacked on as a facade. But hey, it's in America... isn't EVERYTHING over there fake? ;-)
0:38 dat back pocket cell phone
Every detail you've mentioned are easily implemented with engineered roof trusses. The only benefit is space for storage. I still see the benefits of trusses far out weighing rafters.
Jason Ryan I agree. Plus you can get them engineered with a space for storage
How do you get rid of the truss chords?
Ian if you go with larger chords 2x6 for example you can spread the webs to give you storage space in the attic. There are also room-in-attic trusses that can open up all the usable space in the attic as well.
Ian Powell you don’t. Look at these first two trusses: i.pinimg.com/originals/65/19/19/65191908676bbb3d509bd28a13d2cc47.jpg
I have 38 years of sawdust in my toolbelt .. I grew up on trusses .. Not saying they can't accomplish every design .. Some are inefficient .. Some mansions I have built would be a nightmare to engineer for trusses .. Most trusses are built by a company that has morons assembling them .. " Piece here , Piece there and a gusset and create hideous ceilings and wobbling rooflines .. I have no problem using them on simpler homes or integrating them with aspects of homes .. but in many instances they just aren't built well enough or engineered well enough for hardcore custom
I'm very curious about something you said. Southern houses don't have basements? Why is that?
They don't generally have basements. It's an extra cost and the frost line is so shallow no need to dig 4 foot down for you footer. So not many have a crawl space either. Slab on grade.
Love your work. Thanks so much!
Question: with a sealed attic space, how do you allow for venting under your roof decking? (Although I guess if you're using a clay shingle it maybe doesn't matter like it would with asphalt?)
Roofs don't need to be vented but it's generally easier/cheaper to insulate a vented roof vs unvented.
John - You may want to check into your asphalt shingle warranty documents. For some manufacturers, "Lack of adequate air space" behind roof decking invalidates the warranty.
Not all asphalt shigles have that warranty requirement.
3:42 I feel like you use a different product for *every single* house you show - I assume it's for the differences in custom homes...
He isn't the architect.
How do you control humidity in your sealed conditioned attics?
+Joe Farrell dedicated Dehumidifier. Big fan of Ultra Aire
The key word is conditioned. They are within the conditioned space of the structure and since the laws of physics don’t allow us to create something from nothing there is no moisture issue.
I’ve seen multiple houses with trusses and clay tiles on the roofs. That whole “the roofing material is too heavy” is junk.
"Engineered" trusses sound mighty fancy, the reason they are engineered is because each installation is shaved for the particular purpose. Rafters can be installed from standardized tables with success because they are overbuilt. Overbuilt is bad for cookie cutter houses, the environment, and probably causes global warming. But within reason, overbuilt is great for your own house.
I just did the shingles on my timber frame house which is about 200 years old. It has a roof made of large timbers, and it sure feels a lot more secure than nailing the roof brackets into the crap we build today. But sure, everyone else's house should be erected out of 2x4 trusses and OSB, and held together with adhesive.
That's really weird since there has been no global warming for over 15 years - at a time when the population is higher than ever and global warming should be at maximum.
Can you add a source to the claim that global warming has stopped in the last 15yrs?Thanks.
Should you ever convert vented crawlspace to sealed and conditioned? Same with attic?
Sure. Especially if your duct work and/or mechanicals are located down there.
How do you get away from the code for venting the attic space?
Any particular reason why clips weren't used for the various roof connections (i.e. rafter to ridgeboard connection)?
i thought you vent the roof to help with HVAC since the roof gets so hot in the sun. is that not the case?
Couldn’t you just carve the detail tail into the rafters rather than adding a separate notched section?
Not sure if it matters either way but just wondering why it’s not a detail cut in the rafters and is separate in the side.
The reason he gave was that the method he used allow uniterrupted sheathing and miracle wrap to come up to the underside of the roof, except where the rafter tails poked out. There were a lot less of those than there were rafters. Looked like 16" centers on the rafters, and 48" on the tails.
Other reasons are:
- He clearly wanted hefty 4x4 lookouts, and his rafters were 2x8.
- He used a different species. Using old growth D-Fir for the whole roof is too expensive.
- The bits he carved were small enough to handle on say a bandsaw, or even to just contract out.
- The lookout projection could be adjusted precisely, and this would make it easier to get everything lined up.
- Some localities won't allow you to expose rafters as it can cause external fires to get into the roof. In that case though, normally the fakes have to be attached to the surface of the building.
Hondo Trailside thanks all makes sense
My city plan check made me use clips and hangers for my stick roof. My framers uses Simpson brand clips. Is there benefit to this vs traditional nails?
Can you convert a vented attic to a non vented one?
I have a question about peel and stick alumni-flash though. I noticed on one of the jobs where we installed it and went over with siding, after a week or so a client decided to add a window. When we cut out the opening, I noticed that flashing wasn't reflective anymore, it just became kind of dull, gray color. Did anyone else ever noticed that before? Does it still work against UV, while being not reflective?
i love you man
What do you mean stick frame was you only option for the heavy load? An engineered truss system can carry any load you throw at it.
I like your channel but I would really appreciate a little more research and rigour behind your claims.
It was probably redundant speak, since essentially to get the clear space he wanted, he wouldn't have had a truss option regardless. There are attic trusses, but they are still more interrupted than rafters. We don't see many tile roofs up here, so I leave that part to you, but some of the attic trusses I see I would not be my choice for supporting a lot of weight.
Luv your work to bad I live in Vegas
Hi Matt, Could you please send me a pdf file that shows how to estimate and calculate the wood required for L shape gable and valley roof?
In his spare time??!!
SPF is better than Doug Fir for framing? I don't think so.
Shouldn't an addict always be vented granted you turned it into a room but there should always be a airspace between the bottom of the plywood on the roof and the insulation to help release Heat and moisture.
For that there is ERV systems that replace stagnant air with fresh air
addicts should always be vented or they can overheat and die
Holy, is that LVL really necessary??
naw, classic over engineering because residential architect is afraid to perform actual calculations.
It's actually framed wrong. A ridge that's meant to take the weight of the roof should have the rafters rest on top, lapping each other and nailed together.
Nice
Love those huge lvls. . let's get as much glue in the roof as we can
Let's go fires
AGREED!!
Won't those rafter tails act as thermal bridges?
Yes, but no more than actual rafter tails.
Bug Killer !!!!!!!!!
It's called conventional framing not hand cut and trusses are 10x stronger than a conventional roof , trusses don't need a 3 or 2 ply lvl either
Cut roofs don't need a lvl beam either, it is an option for structural or design purposes.
A truss can be made to any reasonable dimension, and that geometry will allow a huge increase in stiffness and strength, conceptually. The strength is a second order, and stiffness a third order function of cord depth. But they are stapled together out of weeds, so the qualities you really get are going to depend on the qualities built in.
In reality most roofing systems are trusses, some are assembled at the job sight by skilled labor using higher quality materials, for more demanding customers, who are willing to pay more. And others are made into roach motels. It isn't complex figuring which are best.
Come on Matt! You know it's the ridiculous lines that force you to stick build the roof on these multi-million dollar custom homes of yours.
Thanks, man . . .
Thank you Ryan for releasing a great product as this [ Check Details Here?> *WoodBlueprints. Com* ]. Most of the plans I have imagined in my mind are put down on your woodworking plans. This is more like a genius job. I love it!?
That blooper should be the new intro for all videos going forward, replace the camera falling intro
I've always tried to figure out how to build a shed for my kids. I tried several plans but always got stuck along the way. I'm glad I found this Ryan's shed plans [ Go Here >>> *WoodBlueprints. Com* ]. It has made the work become as easy and simple as I never thought it will be. Thank you Ryan!?
Trusses are junk, but they’re cheap.
This episode is brought to you by Toyota.
I am a cribber up in Canada. I have always wondered why alot of the US doesn't utilize basements under their homes. Is bedrock shallow, or is it just a cost problem. Also we have to vent our attics to eliminate ice damming, do you have any suggestions for best practice with regards to that?
most of the time slab on grade is cheaper than a full basement or a crawlspace, there is some coding considerations, tax and of course geographical reasons , for example in florida is just not practical because of the floodings and aquifers. in some counties a full basement increases property tax, besides if you have plenty of space to build above ground level it doesn't make a lot of sense spend thousand of $$ digging up for a basement.
Texas generally if flat, has hard clay soil, mild flood events, and sometimes a high water table.
Too much ground heave in Texas. That gumbo soil is brutal.
Austin Texas. Limestone is abut 6 inches below surface.
those are really crooked boards for a "custom home" . out of sight , out of mind huh ?
please tell me the span
can anyone tell me why OSB board has smooth side as well as rough side?
It is so that when you walk on it during construction of a roof , you don't slide off, it also denotes which side is up.
John Ahern well thats the case with roofing. How about walls? Some OSBs have two real smooth glossy sides and are seen as higher quality?
Shittastio
It also denotes which side is the 'UP' side whether it is used on roofs, floors, walls or the exposed side to the weather as it has an extra finish. The double smooth is not superior.
I thought they banned Only Shifty Builds board?
Bugs want to famous and upstage you....hahahaaa
The bug homeless population is becoming a really big problem in my area because of these types of building practices. I couple spiders crawling into your mouth each year well you sleep can actually be a good thing for the immune system.
I understand that you want a tight sealed house.... BUT houses need to breathe. That's one of the first things I learned from the old timer I worked with. This house is gonna be very musty after a few years.
All that volume, why not utilize it? But framing a roof seems to be a dying art form.
Hand cut? Stick built my brother
Matt is an institution...
Matt drives a tundra im totally a fan now
You really don't like bugs😅🤣😂
😂😂😂😂😂
Cheers for this, I been tryin to find out about "how to build a gable roof patio cover" for a while now, and I think this has helped. Ever heard of - Beybigail Nonpareil Breakthrough - (Have a quick look on google cant remember the place now ) ? It is an awesome one of a kind guide for discovering how to create better sheds and improve your woodworking without the normal expense. Ive heard some unbelievable things about it and my brother in law got cool results with it.
Great builder, perhaps not the manliest runner lol.
This is how you build a house.