I'm typing this column right now in my small man cave that's above my garage. Fortunately, the builder of this home used attic trusses over the large garage to create a vast storage area.

A regular common truss with a 24-foot span and a 10/12 roof pitch with no storage space costs $69 in my market at this time. This same truss framed as a light-storage truss costs just $87.

To answer your question, the garage attic is not a good area for storage. First a truss, a manufactured roof system, is designed to support the roofing above and the ceiling below.

Your roof is either constructed using a hand-framed system with 16-inch centers or roof trusses with 24-inch centers. Your house probably has trusses, which cannot be cut.

— Arn T. For most homes, using roof trusses is a far better construction method than stick built roof framing. The main exception is if you plan to use the attic area for storage of large items.

Q: Tim, I grew up in an older home with an attic. I love storing things up there. When I watch new homes being built, all I see are trusses with all sorts of cross supports that make it impossible ...

Dear Arn: For most homes, using roof trusses is a far better construction method than stick built roof framing. The main exception is if you plan to use the attic area for storage of large items.

The cost of these space-creating trusses is very modest. A regular common truss with a 24-foot span and a 10/12 roof pitch with no storage space costs $69 in my area. This same truss, framed as a ...

Adding insulation and air/vapour barrier to the ceiling of your garage will create the conditions for a proper attic, rather than just an open-truss situation below the roof.