How much does a high quality and cost-effective roof cost?
How much does a roof cost? – this is a question asked on a daily basis (without exaggeration) by every 15th inhabitant of Latvia. Someone is interested in a new roof for a private house, for others it is a roof for an apartment project, for still others it is a farm building or factory. To get the best result, it is recommended to divide the question – how much does it cost? – and break it down by item and first calculate each separately, only then get the total amount, as the initial first step of purchasing cheap item of materials may prove misleading. If you are not happy about other costs, you may have to part with a much larger amount than planned and expected. In order to make sure of the best prices offered by Freimans Timber Constructions for the construction of a roof structure from timber trusses, we recommend getting acquainted with the real opinions of the owners of future private houses.
A private house in Ulbroka
A private family house with a plan size of 15×9 m is being built in a nice village in the outskirts of Riga. It is being built in a smooth rhythm having carefully planned everything beforehand, after the purchase of each material and the choice of service had been evaluated thoroughly. The walls are made of aerated concrete blocks – this is both convenient and creates visual and functional durability of the load-bearing walls. The mass of aerated concrete blocks is large enough so that you do not have to choose the thickest insulation layer. The construction of the building began in July 2020, and in October, the house was under the roof so that the autumn rains do not cause any worries.
Due to rafters, the project needs to be amended – this is not an acceptable solution
When the roof construction was being planned, the owner together with the architect initially thought of buying rafters and hiring masters to build the roof. However, the idea, it turns out, would have caused other changes in the project, because the rafters needed additional support, they could not cover 9 m without support. Therefore, partitions needed to be built, other amendments to the project were also required none of which were acceptable to the owner. Doubts were also raised about the size of the rafters, which seemed too small to the owner’s liking to build a durable roof structure.
Specially made timber truss construction with large spans
Luckily a construction specialist who had already worked with ready-made, prefabricated timber trusses by Freimans Timber Constructions advised to consider this solution. The possibility of creating large spans when it is not necessary to build additional loadbearing walls was also in favour of the selection of timber trusses. Thus, the premises acquire the desired space and there is also an opportunity to flexibly create the layout of the premises. The calculations and costs of the Freimans Timber Constructions project were understandable and acceptable, no further changes to the building design were required, the large window could be designed as it had been intended and there was no need to change its location as if the case when the roof would have been built using rafters. The private house also got a long overhang, about 100 cm, as the owner had wanted. Visually, the roof looks more monolithic, and the overhangs will protect the building’s facade from precipitation draining rainwater away from the house and preserving the building’s visual aesthetics for longer time.
Assembly details
The assembly took place quickly, only one day was needed and the roof could already be covered with film to protect it from precipitation. It must be taken into account that the trusses are heavy. Therefore if it is necessary to built them on the construction site you will need more than masters. Special equipment and machines will also be needed so you have to take into the account the additional costs of the machinery. However, if everything is organized quickly, the equipment needs to be rented only for 3 hours.
Precision and accuracy
The owner was a perfectionist in the best sense of this word, so no detail during the construction of the house was insignificant for him. Needless to say that the same referred to the roof construction. It is nice to receive a ready-made, industrially produced product – timber trusses for which only calibrated timber is used. Roof trusses have a precise geometry so there are no unpleasant surprises. However, they also require that the structure on which they are based is to be constructed precisely – in this case, we are talking about aerated concrete block walls. Everything is smooth and straight. And the assembled timber trusses also look visually attractive like a graphic 3D drawing.
A gable roof
The private house we are talking about has a traditional gable roof, a cold attic, for which functional use is not planned – if only the owners of the house might decide to place a small household item. However, the attic space is large enough to comfortably accommodate a person (on the boards that are laid on the thermal insulation layer) and perform a visual inspection of the roof or get onto the roof to repair a defect if necessary. A 40 cm thick thermal insulation layer is laid in the cover of the living space. A rolled profile, which is a light, durable and has long-lasting warranty was used in this case.
Cost comparison – private house roof area 202 m2 (prices do not include VAT)
The roof structure is built on the site by the masters using rafters
Rafters – 202×6 euro/m2 = 1212 euros
Installation 202×15 (15 euro/m2) = 3030 euros
Total – 4242 euros
Roof construction from prefabricated timber trusses
Pre-manufactured product (Freimans Timber Constructions) – 2316 euros
Installation – 202×6.5 euro/m2 = 1313 euros
Total – 3629 euros
The preliminary price calculation has been made in accordance with the information on costs provided by the timbre truss and rafter assembler Mr. Janis Odzins, the manager of Kraso LTD.
Private house in Zakumuiza
This real estate is located in a picturesque place where the presence of nature is felt and silence dominates. The family is currently building their house trying to do it cost efficiently with the idea that it will be long-lasting and will be used by future generations. The construction technologies were chosen based on some important principles – the materials must be durable and they need to provide an opportunity of prompt installation and assembly. They are to be safe and last a long time. The house has prefabricated foundations, filled with concrete, load-bearing walls are made of aerated concrete blocks, timber trusses, above which a metal roof covering with a 50-year service guarantee is installed, in addition, it is light and does not create additional loads for substructure. House dimensions in the plan – 9.5×14 m.
Why did the owners decide in favour of the prefabricated timber trusses?
For the purpose of price comparison, before choosing the timber trusses, two manufacturers were addressed – a company in Estonia and Freimans Timber Constructions. Freimans Timber Constructions won the price survey. There were several reasons for this. The Estonian producer, it turns out, used less timber, therefore the trusses were relatively slender, fine and not so durable as the result; however, the price was higher. The offer of the Latvian manufacturer was exactly in line with the real situation – the trusses were more massive, the price was lower, as well as the understandable delivery price.
With ready-made timber trusses – the desired layout of the premises was achieved
The family who owns the house loves spaciousness and open layout, so it was important not to build load-bearing partitions just to base the roof structure on them. Prefabricated timber trusses can have sufficiently large spans and do not affect the layout of the roof or layout of the premises, as they are based on the external load-bearing walls of the building. The attic is cold, intended only for viewing the underfloor space or accessing the roof through the hatch. The cover is insulated.
Completion of the project and assembling
The project was completed in good time, even faster, it took only 2 weeks. The manufacturer does not have an assembly team, but has good partners who provide this service and who are usually recommended to the customers of Freimans Timber Constructions. The timber trusses from the truck were mounted onto the roof in a certain order using special equipment, and they were installed in the right fastening places. The work was carried out by two people. The trusses are not too heavy, on average they weigh approximately 70 kg, they can be lifted and moved by two people easily. The owner is satisfied with the quality of the product and the service. He is convinced that it was the right choice.
Cost comparison – private house roof area 179 m2 (prices do not include VAT)
The roof structure is built on the site by the masters using rafters
Rafters – 179×6 euro/m2 = 1074 euros
Installation – 179×15 (15 euro/m2) = 2685 euros
Total – 3759 euro
Roof construction from prefabricated timber trusses
Pre-manufactured product (Freimans Timber Constructions) – 1986 eiros
Installation – 179×6.5 euro/m2 = 1163.5 euros
Total – 3149.5 euros
The preliminary price calculation has been made in accordance with the information on costs provided by the timbre truss and rafter assembler Mr. Janis Odzins, the manager of Kraso LTD.
Cost in details
Theoretically the calculated prices are approximate, as there are differences in each individual case, but they indicate a trend that can be seen: a prefabricated product will certainly cost less. It also provides the guarantee of higher quality, because it is made of calibrated timber using technological equipment with high precision, as well as before transporting to the object the products undergo careful quality control. In Latvia, the situation with good masters-craftsmen is not hopeful, they as scarce as hen’s teeth, so after you buy timber for roof construction the process of looking for craftsmen will definitely make you wait for a long time until you get the services of a high-quality brigade. The only ones that can be hired fast enough are unexperienced frauds who don’t give a damn about the result.
Mr. Armands Liede, the Head of the Latvian Roofers’ Association:
The price of roof construction is not so unambiguously calculated and universally applicable in all cases. I would evaluate it this way: the construction of a roof structure on site from rafters can cost from 10 to 30 euro/m2, depending on the roof configuration, the ambitions of the masters and the level of their professionalism. The installation of the premanufactured trusses in turn costs from 5 to 20 euro/m2. The transportation costs and the rent of the equipment must also be taken into account. Craftsmen’s brigades are also different – often professional specialists who know their job well will charge a relatively high fee for their work, but the work will be done very quickly and providing high quality. Lower-skilled craftsmen rates are usually cheaper, which, of course, attracts customers, but they work longer hours and, as a result, the client tend to pay more. The tools at the disposal of the team are also important – whether they are new, with high productivity or worn out, that makes the work process unsuccessful. In order to defend one or another variant of the roof construction, it must be said that there are situations in which only one of them really fits. Therefore, you need to trust designers, experienced manufacturers and assemblers!
Janis Odzins, the Head of KRASO LTD:
I have been dealing in assembling of roof structures for more than 20 years. Pre-manufactured roof trusses are a specific product. Although they have been on the market for some time, they still require additional public information. Kipsala exhibition hall (built as RTU sports centre) with large curved glued timber STRUCTURES was one of the first, IF NOT THE FIRST object in Latvia, which demonstrated the potential of timber in the form of an industrially made product.
Industrially or by hand
Advantages of premanufactured roof trusses:
- span potential – a great solution for longer span sections, large overhangs;
- precision, speed of the manufacturing of the production, assembly and unlimited possibilities to produce trusses for roofs of various shapes and constructions;
- saves time and labour costs;
- Pre-manufactured trusses, which are made according to fine calculations, have smaller dimensions than rafters that are mounted by hand.
After assembling the premanufactured roof timber trusses, eaves boxes and cover are also obtained, to which they can already be attached. This position requires more resources when building the roof structure by hand.