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Comment by sgtaylor5 | Hacker News Reader

The stamped metal framing connector facilitated the use of trusses, which means an open plan house (McMansion) of much larger footprint. Trusses mean no attic.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oIeLGkSCMA

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You can absolutely design trusses to have an attic. They're called "room in attic trusses".

I would guess the decline in livable attics in new construction is mostly attributable to changing consumer preference.

At least where I am, I would attribute it to code requirements. A livable attic requires much more work to meet code than a vented attic space. Not to mention the energy cost of having a livable attic can be higher because there is no venting and limited insulation. All of this is speculation of course. You definitely could do it. But, if you did you'd almost certainly have to use more expensive construction techniques to meet code insulation requirements.

On top of that, a usable attic is a third story. Once you go 3 stories, you need a fire sprinkler system installed.

> Trusses mean no attic.

Unless you use attic trusses:

* https://design.medeek.com/resources/truss/trussgallery.html

Or (vaulted) parallel cord truss:

* https://www.dimensions.com/element/truss-vaulted-parallel-ch...

There's still an attic with many typical roof truss designs.

I think a lot of people in this thread are too young to understand what is meant by attic. Go upstairs in a house built in 1920, that’s an attic. A tiny cubby in a cavity left by engineered trusses is not. You’ll also notice the modern house, even a cheap one, is far better insulated.

> A tiny cubby in a cavity left by engineered trusses is not.

Yes, it is. It doesn't have to be usable to be an attic. It just needs to be a space between the ceiling and roof.

Yes it fits the definition of the word, but not the context in which it was brought up here.

I realize now perhaps they meant livable attic. That wasn't obvious to me. Crawling through non livable attics framed with trusses is part of my work sometimes.

It is what I meant, but the confusion from the ambiguity is completely understandable.

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