Rafters or Scissor Trusses for Cathedral Ceilings?

5 years ago

Hi, we are in the process of having a home designed and we want to have cathedral ceilings in some areas of the home.
We are unsure whether to use conventional rafters built on site or to have pre-fabricated scissor trusses, can any of the carpenters/builders out there please provide information on pros/cons of each and ideally some info on the difference in price?

Thanks in advance.

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PRO

Dr Retro House Calls

5 years ago

Conventional rafters to a cathedral ceiling are always substantially more expensive due to the skilled labour content needed, especailly if there is a large span, and you have large, heavy rafters that need to be hoisted up. If the rafters are exposed then it is even more expensive as you want a visual grade that isn't too knotty or has visual imperfections.

A scissor truss roof looks visually busy if exposed, but is a lot cheaper and easier to install. They are also great at attracting dust and spiderwebs, and need more consideration for careful lighting design between the exposed trusses.

The cleanest and easiest answer is a scissor truss roof with the ceiling lining attached to the underside of the truss, which gives you a decent ceiling cavity for insulation and wiring, and still a cathedral ceiling look. So much to consider with aesthetics, practicality, insulation, time and cost when weighing up these options.

Best of luck,

Dr Retro

of Dr Retro House Calls

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Comments (8)

oklouise
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
we've used scissor trusses successfully with simple square set plasterboard and no exposed beams...the advantage for us was the feeling of extra space without raising the height of the roof but still had plenty of roof space for extra insulation and enough headroom for a good sized ceiling fan in a room that is only 2400 at the edges...when pricing the cost of the different precut trusses there was negligible difference in the cost of trusses for a flat ceiling or scissor trusses although modest extra costs for the square set and extra plasterboard but thrilled with the results and a much cleaner look than exposed timbers
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Thank you everyone for all your help and advice! Yes, we live in an inland part of Southern Australia that is very chilly in winter and exceedingly hot in summer. So efficiency is a very important part of our build. From the picture you added Louise, I think a "coffered" ceiling looks like what I would call an "up lift". I'm glad to have a second on that option ;) The picture looked good, and could defiantly be an option over the dining table I think. Thanks jbantick I looked up "scissor trusses" and they look like a great idea as well. I'm just not sure how they would run. From the entry across the dining area (N to S) or across the whole length of the 3 zones E to W ? The middle of the roof line (running E to W) doesn't run in the middle of the living zones (if that make sense) as it stretches across a hall way on the south side. If it ran this way would it look a bit off centre? How did you in vision it? Thanks for your thoughts guys.
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apologies for the poor quality pic..anyway hopefully u can see. My design features a cantilevered upper floor over the existing living/dining/kitchen using exposed engineered hyspan beams, it's hard to say but the new ceiling could be around 9 feet high, giving enhanced space downstairs. Upstairs there should be enough room for the master bed, study and additional lounge area (approx 8mx5m). Northfacing windows will provide ample sun in winter but shaded by the overhanging skillion roof in summer. A balcony overlooking the garden can be created using the cantilevered beams. Flooring can be particle board floor sheeting (again in keeping with the modest nature of the original worker's cottage). Southfacing windows will give expansive views of the lake and surrounds. Another feature I am proposing is a light well to light the downstairs, and connect the downstairs with the upstairs, so when you walk into the room, you see the fireplace, lookup and see the lightwell, look outside and see the views of the garden and lake. The exposed timber beams and high sheet ceiling will add interest to the downstairs as well. To complement, and soundproof the masterbedroom I am proposing a japanese style screen which can be pulled across for privacy and restrict noise from downstairs. The existing kitchen and bathroom can be demolished, and placed into a new wing, in the form of an old 'colonial' style (for want of a better descriptor) brick or sandstone extension (harking back to previous times). Complete with corrugated roof in the same colour as your existing roof. The extension will include a small walkin pantry, bath, shower, wc, and laundry utilities. All up these are modest extensions which I believe will enhance and encapsulate your existing workers cottage without costing a bomb. The chimney will be kept and will need extending either in brick, or steel flue up over the new roof. Steel might look nice.
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bhp19
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks very much for your comprehensive replies, there’s a lot to consider there. We will want to line the ceiling so it sounds like the scissor truss is the better bet for us, especially if we mean we get the nice open look at a lower cost than the rafter style.
PRO
Wild Bear & Co Hervey Bay
5 years ago
awesomelouise - I was hoping to do exposed trusses in our new build over the open kitchen/living/dining but the price was estimated to be about $11-$15k so I think we will have to go without. But I'm intrigued with what you are referring to and I've got the idea (I'm quite sure), not right in my head lol. Do you have a pic of your own or on Houzz you can share so I can visualise it better? Our ceiling is only 2400 also.
oklouise
5 years ago
last modified: 5 years ago
the scissor truss is the frame inside the roof that can't be seen from inside once the raked ceiling is lined but in our example allowed for a ceiling that slopes from 2400 at the sides to about 3m in the centre without having to make the height or shape of the roof or ceilings different in adjoining rooms...the actual heights could be different depending on the angles of the roof and your preferred ceiling height..no reason why it couldn't be 2700 at the sides and 3.5m in the centre ...all depends on budget but i don't have any photos of the insides of the room as it's in a house we no longer own and i only have external photo that don't really explain the difference
PRO
Wild Bear & Co Hervey Bay
5 years ago
No worries - thank you :) I appreciate the explanation, that helps a lot :)
PRO
MB Design & Drafting
5 years ago
As the others have mentioned, scissor truss cost is comparable to a standard truss.

However it may also depend on the scale of works you're proposing as in my area there is a significant lead-time on trusses. Therefore many builders are just building the roof on site.

If its a new build and you aren't after a large area of cathedral ceiling, you could do standard trusses for the flat ceiling and cut rafters for the pitched areas.

Also note that a scissor truss will have say 23 degree roof pitch with the internal ceiling pitch around 10 degrees less at say 13 degree. 13 may not be steep enough perhaps?
bhp19
Original Author
5 years ago
Thanks for your comment MB Design & Drafting, we will be having a 30 degree roof pitch but I’m not sure what sort of internal ceiling pitch that would allow with scissor trusses?
As we don’t intend to have exposed beams I think we’re beginning to lean towards the scissor trusses more, as it may appear too cold and cavernous with a rafter ceiling matching the 30 degree roof pitch.
The scissor trusses should also allow us to run A/C ducting through the roof space I think.
Dell123
5 years ago
Jumping in here as i am in the process of floor plans with my builder at the moment and also having a scissor truss done. The builder has said that my inside pitch is 24degrees (and that the scissor truss isn’t followng the roof line). I haven’t seen enginnering drawings yet. Can someone tell me what angle that is? Width of the space is approx 7.6m
Dell123
5 years ago
Jumping in here as i’m also having a scissor truss roof in my family/dining/kitchen area. The builder has said the internal pitch is 24degrees (Roof line not following the scissor truss). I haven’t seen engineering drawings yet. Overall width of room is around 7.6m. Can someone tell me what angle this would be?

Rafters or Scissor Trusses for Cathedral Ceilings?

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oklouise

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