Does this kind of attic framing exist? It works or not. Pictures
jory425
| Posted in Construction Techniques on
Hi All,
Any problem with the kind of ridge beam?
It works or not
Thanks guys
I updated the structure picture.
Replies
I have never seen anything like that, it appears to have been built by amateurs who had no idea how to frame a roof. On the otherhand, it looks fairly old and has stood the test of time. I would be concerned if it is located in a high wind area because I don't see much to prevent the roof from lifting off the building.
Some lumber looks like rough sawn hardwoood, it may be quite strong despite the appearance.
The house is not in a high wind area.
How can I fix the kind of attic framing? The shingle is kind of new though.
Thanks
Here is the picture of roof.View Image
wow!
That is cool! Where is the structure and when was it built? I also find it odd [but not scary] that the attic framing that looks so
weathered and stained. Maybe the framing lumber and sheathing was reused? Not that that is bad in itself.
The house is built arround 1930s to 40s if I guess. It's located at NJ, but not near by beach( around 14 miles to closest beach.
The framing lumber might be reused, but I'm not sure.
Can it be fixed or repaired? Around how much it cost?
Thank you guys for your input
The only way it could be fixed is to put a whole new roof system on the structure. I can't give a price, but you could talk to some contractors for estimates.
It's not conventional, but not scary either to me, some may differ. It does not look like a huge roof, and a contractor could finish the R&R in a couple or so days, providing the building is square and level.
Maybe a remodler could do some reinforcement to make it more "robust". Some collar ties would help.
if only it were simple.....
Do you have specific concerns about some new possible way it may fail or just concerns about the strange framing? The thing in
your favor is the fact it has persisted for 70-80 years as is. I assume you have had some heavy snows during that time, no?
The roof does have a nasty sag, if that's been there all the time then that's not alarming. I would not though, ever reroof without
a tear off. I'd hope it only has one layer of shingles now, i.e. the last reroof included tear off.
Pics show upright posts in the roofs center every now and then which are not very effective unless there is a bearing wall under
neath [or in close proximity]. Other things that really matter include the spans or dimensions of the room/building. No one can
give you much info with the info you've provided and even with more info you will only get a wag from anyone who doesn't visit the site.
You might be able to do some improvement with metal rafter ties, hurricanes straps, collar ties , maybe an engineered beam or two. But it would require some one with some engineering skills to plan that.
As has been mentioned a whole new roof system is a sure answer and is easy to estimate, locally.
Thank you for your input.
The structure is like picture below
View Image
Certainly there's no problem with ridge beam construction as a general concept. It is probably the oldest scheme for a conventional peaked roof, and has no conceptual problems if the ridge beam is sufficiently stiff and well-supported and the rafters are fastened to it (and the outer wall header) adequately. I mean, this scheme has been in use since palm-thatched huts.
What is hard to tell from the pictures is how stiff and well-supported the beam is, and how well-attached everything is.
The beam is clearly not sufficiently stiff to work without intermediate supports (the posts), and those supports themselves need to be supported on something solid. In the photo the posts need to be resting atop some fairly robust "load-bearing" center walls, and the walls, in turn, need to be resting on something equally solid below them. The apparent sag in the roof, as seen in the shot of the roof itself, suggests that there is some deficiency in this regard -- either posts are missing (or too short) where needed, or the support for some of the posts is insufficient.
(At least some of the lumber in the roof framing appears to be salvaged, perhaps from a barn or industrial building.)
There is a center wall on first floor.
And how flat/solid is the first floor? Is there a basement or crawlspace?
How robust is the top plate of the center wall?
Thank you for your input.
The structure is like the picture below.
The first floor is flat and basement is flat too. The only weak part I notice is ridge beam. even though the attic rafters are set up weird.
Basically, wood in compression (as with a post) doesn't sag (so long as the post is reasonably thick), and so a beam supported by posts is quite stable. The main question, given your arrangement, is whether there are enough posts, spaced out appropriately, to support the ridge beam without it flexing, though there is the secondary question of whether any of the posts are situated above a doorway or other weak spot in the wall below.
Simply observing the ridge for sag will tell you a lot in this regard, for a structure of this age. If there is sag then you need to observe the structure below the sagging section to determine what is flexing.
I'll add that it's not unlikely that the beam originally had fewer support posts, and as a result it sagged. Posts may have then been added to prevent further sag, but, after the initial sagging, the beam was never jacked up to an "unsagged" level.
If you wanted to correct this you'd have to move carefully, as everything has taken a "set" over the decades. Perhaps the best approach would be to replace the wood posts with steel screw-adjustable jack posts (well-fastened at top and bottom), then jack up a fraction of an inch every few months. And expect the shingles to crack at some point as you do this.
Thanks a lot
I double check all pictures. Just guess. Seams like they moved the wall to the side a little bit when they tried to decorate the house to make living room bigger and one bed room smaller.
It's sad to see someone destroy a house by making bad moves. No zuo no die( To make trouble out of nothing)
View Image
You need to analyze what has sagged. First check if the floors are flat on the main floor, and, if not, how far "out" they are. A long straight edge or a string will help here. If the main floor is flat, check for sags in the ceiling.
You can't fix it if you don't know what's wrong.
roof framing
I don't see any big problems here. Jack up the ridge and put new support posts in. If you have to reshingle the top few rows on the roof, no big thing. Simpson has plenty of connector options if you're worried that things aren't secured well enough. If that support wall underneath is that close to the posts supporting the ridge then it's not a problem at all. This is not a heavy roof.
Roof question......
Looking at the exterior picture of the ridge, there is a little "rise" of the ridge at the gable end, other wise the ridge is perfectly straight along it's length to the left.
There is NOTHING wrong with the structure, leave it alone, don't touch a thing!!
Go back inside and pour a cold one!
Geoff