9 Ways Floor Trusses Can Improve Your Building Process

As you begin your building process, consider the importance of wooden floor trusses for your current work and later purposes.

Floor trusses are specially engineered from high-quality lumber to meet your project’s exact requirements, whether you’re framing the floor of a house or another building. The diagonal and vertical components are robust, making for a stiff, trustworthy floor.

Trusses are typically manufactured away from the construction site, and when they show up, they are ready to fit the plans exactly. This means there is very little modification to be done at the actual place of construction.

In many cases, floor trusses can lower your costs and provide plenty of design freedom. When compared to I-joists or dimensional lumber floor joists, wooden floor trusses offer many strengths and benefits.

Let’s talk about nine of the most significant ways floor trusses positively impact the building process.

Floor Truss Systems Are Economical

Floor trusses aren’t just quicker to install than other options – they’re cost-effective. Because they don’t use or waste as much material, your initial purchase costs are lower. The components come precisely per your requirements, so you’re only paying for what you need.

The beams also span greater distances than most dimension lumber or I-joists, which means you’ll need to purchase and use fewer support beams in the building process. Floor trusses usually cost around $4.40 per linear foot.

They Require Less Structural Support

Many builders use roof and floor trusses to support more weight over longer spans than other options. They’re “valued engineered,” meaning that they defect and span well during a variety of different builds without adding more materials. Instead of extra structural support, wooden floor trusses get their strength from metal connector plates kept within the horizontal members’ confines.

You Can Avoid Creaks and Squeaks

Another reason builders often choose to work with floor trusses is to minimize squeaks and other annoying noises. Because the floor trusses have a wide nailing surface, they are easy to fasten together – and therefore less likely to squeak and creak over time.

Reduced Shrinking

Floor trusses do not shrink, which means they are less likely to shift and cause creaking noises. Additionally, they hold a greater load-carrying capacity over time and can function without support beams in place to handle extra movement.

Deal With Less Warping and Twisting

Floor trusses are made from robust and stiff wood that is predictable to build with. Construction workers don’t have to worry about warping and twisting wood that can compromise loads and cause other problems. Building owners enjoy the feeling of a concrete floor that will last as long as the rest of the structure does.

Easily Add Balconies and More

One of the most significant incentives to work with wooden floor trusses is enhancing all building and design freedoms. It’s easy to add concealed beams, cantilevers, and even balconies. It also increases the available space for electrical and plumbing installation, making future and current architectural decisions easier. There are less on-site sawing and fewer restrictions on the location and sizes of holes in joists.

Lower Your Material Costs

We already touched on this briefly, but let’s dive deeper into why builders spend less on materials when using floor trusses versus other joist options.

Top chord bearing conditions don’t cost as much to create because you don’t need costly hangers and exterior trim boards. Additionally, you won’t need as much concrete, steel, and other finishing materials because there are fewer beams, walls, and columns to deal with.

The materials for floor trusses typically cost less than a dollar or so. This means that a full truss can cost anywhere from $30 to $400, depending on its length.

Install Fewer Framing Members

Because floor trusses can span such long distances, you’ll need fewer intermediate bearing walls, columns, beams, and footings. Not only does this save a substantial amount of time in construction, but it also lowers construction overhead.

Additionally, flooring trusses provide different bearing conditions, including:

• Bottom chord bearing
• Bottom chord bearing trimmable ends
• Top chord bearing
• Mid-block bearing

The ability to choose between these makes it easier to match existing floor heights in pre-existing homes. I-joists, on the other hand, only offer one bearing condition, which can be very limiting.

Add Value to Your Home

Overall, floor trusses are the solution to many flooring framing problems, from material waste to excessive construction times. Homeowners will appreciate the value that an excellent, stiff floor will add to their home – as well as the options to add on with balconies or cantilevers whenever they decide to.

Custom wooden floor trusses also provide the opportunity to add a variety of extra features in sophisticated homes, such as:

• Heated floors
• Heavy tiled rooms
• Kitchen islands
• Quartz countertops

Design versatility and open web spaces are just a few of the benefits that sophisticated homes will experience. The more complex homes become, the more comfortable and practical it is to use floor trusses over other framing and joist options.

In Conclusion

Architects, contractors, and engineers alike will tell you that floor trusses are the solution to many floor framing problems, especially in home construction. If you want high-quality, squeak-free, strong wood floors, then trusses might be the way to go.

It’s easy to manufacture your wood trusses off-site to fit the exact specifications of your construction project. Experience a smaller need for alterations and a considerable level of customization. This also offsets the risk of human errors, miscalculations, and poor measurements during construction.

At Hitek Truss Design, we’ve been manufacturing floor and ceiling trusses for more than 75 years. All of our products are made from the highest-quality materials, and we’re dedicated to providing excellent solutions to all sorts of floor framing problems.

To learn more, turn to our manufacturing facility in Hernando County, Florida. We commonly serve projects across Hernando, Pasco, Sumter, Citrus, Polk, and other nearby counties.

Please find out how we go above and beyond for our clients. Call 352-797-0877 or reach out online to learn about truss best practices, framing solutions, prices, and more.