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Trusses and rafters each have advantages and disadvantages, so one isn’t necessarily better than the other. For example, trusses are more affordable and often come in prefabricated kits, so they’re easier to build than rafters. However, rafters are available in a variety of designs, so it’s easier to find one that fits your style preferences. Plus, if you want to build an attic at some point down the line, it’s far easier to do that with rafters rather than trusses.

The 10 10 rule describes the formula most contractors use to determine how much to charge for a job. Allowing for 10% overhead above the total projected cost to do the work and 10% profit sets a contractor up for success, even if there are delays or other problems on the project. This formula isn’t a hard-and-fast rule, but it is a ballpark figure to begin with when estimating your expenses on a job.

Hiring a structural engineer costs about $550 on average. However, prices range from as low as $200 up to $1,500. Structural engineers may charge by project, hourly, or by the square footage, making it important to understand how your chosen engineer structures their estimates. Additional cost factors include project type, the scope of work, the size of the project, and your geographic location.

Yes, a one-story house can have a load-bearing wall. The load-bearing walls in a single-story home are usually the exterior walls. If the house has a basement with exposed walls, the arrangement of the beams can help indicate what walls are load-bearing.