ᐅ Truss Roof – An Alternative to a Traditional Roof Structure?

Created on: 18 Aug 2021 16:54
C
Chloe83
Hello,

we are still in the planning phase for our urban villa. Initially, we planned a traditional timber roof structure above the reinforced concrete ceiling on the upper floor.
Due to the high cost estimate, we are now considering an alternative: a truss roof over a wooden beam ceiling on the upper floor.
This is expected to be more affordable than our originally chosen option.

I have two questions that I am interested in:

a. Can you roughly estimate the price difference between a traditional roof/reinforced concrete ceiling and a truss roof/wooden beam ceiling?

b. Is a truss roof with a wooden beam ceiling considered a “budget construction” or a viable alternative?

Thank you very much for your answers.
K1300S19 Aug 2021 08:16
Chloe83 schrieb:

No well-known general contractor. A mid-sized, regional construction company.

Known or not: Maybe they have different options available and can switch between them as needed.
Chloe83 schrieb:

My main question was whether the timber beam ceiling/truss roof option is a common and good alternative.

As stated above: timber beam ceilings are quite common, but I would avoid the traditional truss roof.
11ant21 Aug 2021 11:37
Chloe83 schrieb:

I’m still hesitant to share the design at this stage because it’s not finalized yet. However, I will share it when the time is right.

If you wait to show the design until it’s finalized, you might end up waiting forever: it will only be finalized once you’ve addressed the question about the ceiling. Until the general contractor (GC) hears from you on that matter, the issue will just go in circles—it’s a classic catch-22.
As someone experienced, dealing with hesitant builders, I believe the cost concern is just an excuse and suspect the real issue is related to structural aspects.
And even if I interpret your forum name as meaning you’re three years older than most clients who endlessly shift their plans back and forth, I sense the real root of your GC’s question lies right here.
I already offered for you to email me the design informally—but I would prefer if you introduced it here in the discussion. Are you familiar with the threads by @Shiny86?
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
C
Chloe83
5 Sep 2021 11:53
Tolentino schrieb:

For me, the difference would have been 13,000 EUR. So I didn’t go for it on 10 square meters (108 square feet).
@Tolentino I need to ask again. Was the 13,000 euro difference between a carpenter-built roof frame and a prefabricated truss roof?
11ant5 Sep 2021 12:07
Chloe83 schrieb:

@Tolentino I need to ask again. A difference of 13,000 euros between a carpenter's roof structure and a truss roof?

Above a rectangular floor plan. It gets even more expensive with an angled layout. Both are for hip roofs, mind you.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Tolentino5 Sep 2021 19:02
I already answered your question from the original post:
Is it possible to roughly estimate the price difference between a constructed roof/reinforced concrete slab vs. a truss roof/wooden beam ceiling?

More specifically, in my case, it was the additional cost of a carpenter-built roof frame with nail plate trusses compared to a concrete slab with engineered wood trusses.
Since there was only about 10 m2 (108 sq ft) of walkable area, I decided against it.
In hindsight, for various reasons, I preferred to switch to a gable roof with engineered wood trusses instead (hehe).
Tolentino5 Sep 2021 19:48
Stupid autocorrect.
Manual corrections:
the question a
I would have from