Roof
Trusses are pre-fabricated, triangulated wooden structures used to support the roof. The alternative is to build up the roof's frame with 2x8s and 2x10s. Trusses are quite common these days because they have many advantages from the builder's standpoint:

• Trusses are incredibly strong.
• You can span a large distance with a truss and the truss transmits all of the weight to the exterior walls. Therefore, none of the interior walls are "load-bearing," so they can go anywhere and are easily moved later.
• Trusses go up quickly!

From the homeowner's standpoint, the one big disadvantage is that you don't have any attic space.

The trusses are fist stacked on top of the walls, either by hand or with a crane. >>

The trusses are tied to the walls with small metal plates.

Once the trusses are up, the roof is covered in plywood or OSB, which gives the roof tremendous rigidity.

There are two small custom roofs in this house: the roof over the porch and the roof over the breezeway.