My ranch-style home was built in 1968. It has dreary low ceilings. I would love to create a cathedral ceiling. When I looked in the attic, I discovered that the roof was not built with trusses.

Building a cathedral-style ceiling in a room with a roof without ventilation Published: Sep. 16, 2007, 6:43 p.m. By Zolton Cohen | The Grand Rapids Press ...

Trusses are gradually replacing the conventional rafters, to the point that nowadays more than 80 percent of new residential construction makes use of trusses to support the roof.