Home was built in the 1950 s in summerville sc.
House without attic rafting bracing.
Here is a section of the attic with no collar ties or attic bracing.
Over a long span room area not having anything to brace the roof off of a floating beam can be added above the ceiling joists to brace off of.
Without a roof rafter brace in place you would not be able to support a heavier roof for a long period of time.
In this picture a broken rafter is visible due to no attic bracing.
In fact as soon as there was any shift in the roof it would come tumbling down.
Homeowners cannot take chances with the structural integrity of their roofs.
When ever beams are added and are bearing on a wall solid 2 x 4 s should be filled in under the beam in the wall frame to match the width of that beam.
Use 1 by 4 inch boards called purlins as temporary braces for rafter trusses.
In fact as soon as there was any shift in the roof it would come tumbling down.
The roof is subject to pressure placed on it by natural forces including snow rain.
With full home additions costing 75 000 minimum and usually far higher many homeowners search for creative ways to increase living space without overly decreasing their bank account.
Since they are balanced precariously by themselves a 2 4 vertical t brace and a 2 4 diagonal brace are needed before the truss set begins.
But if the purlins appear to be the same age as the rafters and professionally installed it s just because that.
One way is by working within the home s existing footprint and converting the attic into living space.
Sagging rafters are a sign that a house is in serious trouble.
Nail these temporarily to the outside edges of the rafter sides starting with the third truss.
When sagging gets too severe it can lead to roof collapse and once the roof goes the house won t last for long.
Because this is an old fashioned construction style sometimes homebuyers that see purlins in the attic think that the bracing has been added as a repair because the rafters were sagging or due to some other structural problem.
Gable bracing gable ends need multiple braces to hold them in place.
At the time this home was built in the 50 s the type of attic bracing that was installed was at the discretion of the builders.
Prevent this unfortunate series of events by bracing your rafters to make them sturdy and resistant to snow loads and wind.
Brace other rafters as they are installed down the roof by nailing temporary 2 by 4 supports to rafter edges and to roof joists if rafters are being installed separately.
