Strengthening Roof Rafters

Use your tape measure to record the distance of both rafter legs.

Strengthening roof rafters. Measure the thickness width and length of the rafters in your home and purchase one piece of framing lumber of. The roof rafters provide integral structural support to the roof. You can strengthen the roof to prevent damage by adding braces to the roof rafters inside your attic. Take 2 6x4 as long as your longest stored lumber and cut 2 inch deep grooves in them as wide as your 2x6 is thick every foot or so.

If you are building trusses it is easy to make part of the roof into a cantilevered extension. A cantilever is any structure such as a roof or floor overhang that is braced internally. If there are other rafters that need to be repaired follow the same procedure for each one of them. If you re framing a gable roof on a new house or building a shed or even a doghouse with a gable roof you ll need to cut a number of roof rafters.

Use a circular saw to cut two sets of new rafters from the same size wood by the same dimensions. If your roof is strong enough it can extend beyond the support walls without external bracing. Drive the remaining carriage bolts into the two by six rafter and tighten them all up. How to strengthen roof rafters for snow step 1.

Carry the cut lumber and framing supplies into the attic. Install these over your existing horizontal 2x6s 2 feet from the roof edge inside and paralel to the roof ends crosswise from your existing 2x6. Place a long piece of framing lumber alongside the. Just make one of the rafter members extend beyond the cross tie.

Measure the dimensions of the old rafters beneath your roofing surface. This is a fairly basic project that can help protect your roof but consult a structural.