I usually post on the Knots forum, but I have a construction question.I’ve posted here once before,and got a quick and complete answer to my question.
I’ll try to describe the problem as best I can. I hope this makes sense!
I’m doing some trim work on a house for some people I know, and they have asked me to look at their roof.The house is an older frame house with vinyl over wood siding.It was probably built in the 20’s or 30’s.Like a lot of houses of that vintage, the roof extends past the exterior wall to overhang the porch. There is a gable at right angles to the main roof over the entry door. The problem is where the two roofs intersect, they sag. I got up in the attic, and found out why: there are no valley rafters. The jack rafters meet, and are supported only by the sheathing.
So, what do I do? I thought of two things: run a beam under the valleys, or try to run a brace under the valley where the valley rafter would be.
To complicate things, there seems to be no place to brace from. There don’t seem to be any convenient interior walls to brace from.
It’s been years since I did any framing, and I’m out of ideas. Does anyone have any?
Thanks,
Rick W.
Discussion Forum
Discussion Forum
Up Next
Video Shorts
Featured Story
Get expert guidance on finding a fixer-upper that's worth the effort.
Featured Video
Highlights
"I have learned so much thanks to the searchable articles on the FHB website. I can confidently say that I expect to be a life-long subscriber." - M.K.
Fine Homebuilding Magazine
Fine Home Building
Follow
-
Fine Homebuilding
Dig into cutting-edge approaches and decades of proven solutions with total access to our experts and tradespeople.
Start Free Trial Now -
GBA Prime
Get instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field.
Start Free Trial Now
- Home Group
- Antique Trader
- Arts & Crafts Homes
- Bank Note Reporter
- Cabin Life
- Cuisine at Home
- Fine Gardening
- Fine Woodworking
- Green Building Advisor
- Garden Gate
- Horticulture
- Keep Craft Alive
- Log Home Living
- Military Trader/Vehicles
- Numismatic News
- Numismaster
- Old Cars Weekly
- Old House Journal
- Period Homes
- Popular Woodworking
- Script
- ShopNotes
- Sports Collectors Digest
- Threads
- Timber Home Living
- Traditional Building
- Woodsmith
- World Coin News
- Writer's Digest
Replies
This is accessible from the attic, I see. The simple fix would be to nail a 2-ply built-up beam of 2x under each valley and then jack it up and set posts to hold it there. But the posts have to land on solid framing like a stud wall that will transfer the load directly down to the basement. Trying to hold up the roof by setting the posts on floor joists is just gonna push down the floor joists, too.
If that won't work, you're gonna have to cut the jacks back so that you can insert valley rafters running from ridge beam to building wall. That can be pretty tricky once the roof is already on, but it's doable. You might have to cut away some of the sheathing and then nail it back in and re-roof the valleys.
Don't forget the flashings.
Dinosaur
A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...
But it is not this day.
Thanks for the advice.Your point about not transferring the load to the floor joists is well-taken. That's another problem with the house. It has foundation problems, too.
I was wrong about there being no valley rafters. There are, but they don't continue to the ridge. They just meet together and are supported by the sheathing.I had thought about running a beam across the rafters under that point, but it would have to be 12' long.
The house is in another town 30 miles from me, so I didn't remember all the details when I posted yesterday.I was out there today,but I still don't have a clue how to fix it.
Thanks again,
Rick W.
Would it be possible for you to post a photograph of the roof framing? That'd help a lot in figuring out a reasonable way to fix your problem.
Dinosaur
A day may come when the courage of men fails,when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship...
But it is not this day.
howwever you decide to fixthe structural parts, advise them ahead of time, that jacking the valley back to right will in all liklelyhood cause leaks in the valleys.So now you are a trim carp trying to do framing and getting stuck with a re-roofBetter find some subs to lean on here. make the profit off them, or
refer it out. Don't buy all this liability alone.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Thanks for the warning, Piffin. I had thought that fixing the sag in the roof might cause leaks.
Dinosaur, I forgot my digital camera the last time I went out there, and it will be a long time before I go back.
Thanks to both of you for your help. I'm walking away from this one. Too many things wrong with the house.
Rick W.