In the race to keep builds on time and on budget, one of the biggest decisions Florida contractors and developers face is this: stick frame the roof or use engineered trusses?
The debate isn’t new, but in 2025—with tighter code enforcement, rising labor costs, and an unpredictable materials market—the numbers and the logic lean heavily toward pre-fabricated trusses.
At Park Place Truss Inc., we work with builders across Florida who’ve made the switch for speed, consistency, and cost control. Here’s a breakdown of which option actually delivers better value today.
Stick framing requires more skill, more time, and more labor on-site. Every rafter, ridge, and jack must be measured, cut, and fit by hand. That’s a lot of payroll hours.
Trusses, on the other hand, are fabricated in advance and arrive job-ready. Once lifted into place, an entire roof system can be framed in a day or two.
Multiply that over several units or multiple projects, and the savings are clear.
With stick framing, builders order extra lumber to account for mistakes, miscuts, or warped pieces. On average, 10–20% of framing lumber is wasted.
Pre-fabricated trusses are built in a controlled environment, using optimized cuts and dry storage. You get:
While raw truss packages may appear similar in cost to framing lumber on paper, the installed cost is consistently lower with trusses.
Getting dried-in quickly protects your build from Florida weather. With trusses:
Delays in stick framing often cascade into trades like MEP, drywall, and inspections. Trusses help move the critical path forward faster.
Every Park Place truss system comes with:
Stick framing relies on field measurements and builder knowledge. With tighter inspections and wind load enforcement, that approach leaves more room for error—and delays.
Stick framing works for basic roof shapes. But if you’re designing:
Trusses offer better consistency, better engineering, and more design options.
At Park Place Truss, we help you value-engineer your system to reduce interior bearing walls, open up floor plans, and simplify transitions between levels or units.
Stick framing keeps crews up high for longer, with more cutting and hauling. This increases:
Trusses install faster with cranes and fewer workers on ladders. It’s safer, and in many cases, lower-risk for insurance coverage.
| Cost Factor | Stick Framing | Trusses |
|---|---|---|
| Labor (time/cost) | High | Low |
| Material waste | 10–20% | Minimal |
| Engineering | Site-based, variable | Pre-engineered, sealed |
| Inspection risk | Higher | Lower |
| Weather exposure | Longer, riskier | Shorter, controlled |
| Total installed cost | Higher (varies by site) | Lower (more predictable) |
In Florida’s fast-paced, high-regulation building environment, trusses offer a faster, cleaner, safer, and more cost-effective path forward. If you’re still stick framing, you’re paying more in labor, exposing yourself to greater risk, and missing the efficiency that today’s market demands.
Let Park Place Truss Inc. help you make the shift. Contact us today or upload your plans for a cost-effective truss package engineered for Florida code, climate, and construction speed.
Park Place Truss Inc.
Florida-Engineered Roof & Floor Truss Systems That Keep You on Budget and Ahead of Schedule
