What is a decorative gable truss?
A decorative gable truss (Dutch: schijnspant, literally “sham truss”) is a mostly timber construction in a gable that looks like a roof truss but is mainly ornamental. A real truss is a framework of timbers that carries the roof deck of a pitched roof. A decorative truss appears to support the roof deck, but carries little or no load.
It may be fixed:
- flat against the gable wall,
- slightly in front of the gable, under the roof overhang, or
- partly built into the gable.
In the angle between the two roof slopes, at the bargeboards, there is often carved timberwork in the same style. It acts as a triangular link between the bargeboards and can stiffen them somewhat; the open, fretted pattern is decoration and gives a lighter look.
In the Netherlands, decorative gable trusses are typical of villas and country houses from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, such as Villa Sonnevanck in Apeldoorn (1904), and of houses in the so-called chalet style. Similar features are found in Victorian Stick Style and Queen Anne houses in the US, where they are often called gable trusses or gable ornaments.
Application
If you own a house with a decorative gable truss or plan a new gable in this style:
- Maintenance: it is outdoors and usually high up. Check regularly for wood rot, especially at joints and bottom edges where water collects.
- Paint: a good paint system and timely touch-ups greatly extend its life.
- Timber: for replacement, choose a durable species or properly treated timber, and detail it so water can run off.
- Fixings: use stainless or galvanised fixings.
- Listed buildings: replacement on a listed building usually requires consent.
Related Terms
- Roof truss
- Gable
- Bargeboard
- Wood rot
- Timber framing
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