First among these is the somewhat valid argument that wood trusses are not real good-looking. That s true. Because they re so tightly engineered, wood trusses have a spindly, almost flimsy appearance. If, when you ask your builder to use trusses, you expect something out of an English manor hall, you re going to be unpleasantly surprised. You ll see, not heavy timber and massive metal joint connections, but skinny pieces of dimensional lumber with stamped metal plates here and there.
Modern trusses are too spindly to look good if left exposed.
Appearance solutions Not to worry, however. If exposed overhead trusses are your design wish, you can get that image by simply bunching two or more of the spindly standard types together, perhaps covering them with wood trim to add bulk and hide their true nature. If you bunch three or four trusses together, the spacing rises to six or eight feet, and you ll have to use cross-purlins to help the plywood deck stay up. It s more structure overhead to admire. If aesthetic inadequacy is one charge levelled at conventional wood trusses, at least it s somewhat true.