Watch this video before.
How to remove roof trusses.
However if you want to better utilize the space in your loft you may consider changing roof trusses and going for stick framing or rafters instead.
Measure in from the lower edge of the roof to a point 1 4 the width of the truss on either side of the attic.
My own home i live in now has 2x12 rafters.
I have this above my own garage.
Most common attic trusses for homes and garages are made with 2x4 s.
If the roof slope is steeper than 9 inches in 12 inches of run it doesn t take much width to end up with a nice room 12 feet wide with an 8 foot ceiling.
Attic trusses have a rectangular shape inside each truss.
Your parents roof rafters were probably made from 2x8 s and could have been 2x10 s or 2x12 s.
Look at this photo of the space created by attic trusses at my home.
The first step when removing a wood roof truss is to disassemble the existing roof that is causing a load upon the truss.
This can easily be accomplished by using a hammer and a crowbar.
Step 1 remove the existing roof.
Typically the truss designer will specify a very strong wood species like southern yellow pine or even douglas fir.
Measure the width of your roof trusses from inside to inside.
Roof trusses are a common means of support and load bearing.