What is a Raised Heel Truss?
Raised-heel trusses are engineered wood trusses fitted with a heel where the bottom chord intersects with the perimeter wall plate which raises the top chord. This additional space allows you to increase the amount of insulation you can use without compressing it.
As with all modern trusses, raised heel trusses are engineered utilizing advanced manufacturing, quality materials and advanced design techniques. Not only do these techniques exceed building code requirements, they also ensure uniformity and accuracy in your roof framing.
How Raised Heel Trusses save you money
Raised heel trusses can be installed in a single day. Getting your home build under a roof earlier can prevent moisture damage.
The raised-heel provides additional space for cheaper attic insulation and for the full depth of insulation to be extended right to the outside of the top plate. When insulation is compressed, its R-value is reduced. With a raised heel truss, you have enough space to utilize cheaper insulation methods such as blown cellulose or fiberglass batts. Using cheaper insulation may offset any increase in costs that using raised-heel trusses incurred.
When a raised-heel truss roof is combined with an efficient building envelope and a well-ventilated attic, it reduces the pressure and temperature differences between the home and the attic space. This, in turn, cuts heat transfer and improves the efficiency of the HVAC system. This also makes the attic a better option for HVAC ducting as it reduces heat loss.
Unlike conventional trusses with reduced R-value compressed insulation that allow heat from the home to warm the roof enough to melt snow that turns to ice, raised-heel trusses reduce the occurrence of ice dams that can cause roof damage.
When raised-heel trusses are combined with taller wall panels such as TallWall and Windstorm, the longer panels block the insulation and eliminate the need for blocking and baffles to further reduce material and installation costs and time. The taller wall panels provide a continuous load path and lateral stability which will prevent uplift in the event of strong winds. Depending on your building code and design, the combination of raised-heel trusses and taller wall panels may eliminate the need for hurricane ties. See full details in the APA Systems Report 103 here.