We chose to build our house using floor trusses.
I beam joists or floor trusses.
Both floor trusses and floor joist systems provide suitable structural support.
Floor trusses have built in openings which can be used to install hvac ductwork plumbing lines and electrical wiring.
Because they are manufactured off site according to the specifications of the project the need for alterations is almost completely eliminated.
Joists are horizontal supports that span from wall to wall wall to beam or beam to beam.
Built from traditional 2x12s.
Haven t seen too many people use this i guess most carpenters are more comfortable with some sort of wooden product.
Ewp is resourceful for many reasons some of which you may already be aware of some of which you may not be.
Floor trusses can span farther between bearing points than i joists allowing for larger open rooms.
Let s examine three of these materials.
Wood trusses provide a very efficient use of materials and are excellent over long spans.
This also reduces the need and cost for extra bearing posts beams and footings.
One more option is steel floor joists dietrich cemco or similar.
However the installation of these requires more experience and training than sawn lumber.
The biggest advantage in my opinion in using i joists is simple.
The advantages of open web floor trusses are beginning to decelerate the growth of ewp.
Floor trusses though are an economical alternative to joists.
Which product is better i joists or floor trusses.
However most of the increase results from the national builders market share growth.
And the first floor trusses are installed and so very pretty.
However they offer many of the same advantages as i joists and trusses.
Like the i joists they have a low moisture content after production so they shrink very little and result in few loose fasteners and subsequent floor squeaking.
In case you are curious about the different type of options when building a house here s a lay wo man s low down.
The question really lies on what you wish to achieve with the product selected.
Though i joist sales per housing start have increased about 6 over the last two years the trend has slowed considerably.
Some of the small gain is due to the continuation of the replacement of solid sawn joists.
With floor trusses being built this way to begin with it was a huge step for the world of i joists.
Each product is unique in its own right and has advantages.
This is a question that has been kicked around for a long time.
Floor joists are traditional wood joists.