I will be adding an addition to my home soon and want to replace all roofing at that time. The main roof is reaching its service life so it’s a good time to do it all at once.
The house was built in 1921 and the original roof is cedar with one layer of asphalt shingles. The roof framing is 2×4’s @ 24†centers. The pitch is 7/12, span is 20’
Should I be concerned about the existing framing? It has lasted this long so am I being overly concerned. Is it common just to rip down to the skip sheathing, install ply, shingles and be done with it?
Replies
>> Is it common just to rip down to the skip sheathing, install ply, shingles and be done with it?
It is in my area, assuming no existing structural problems
View Image
Sojourners: Christians for Justice and Peace
It has lasted this long so am I being overly concerned. Is it common just to rip down to the skip sheathing, install ply, shingles and be done with it?
Yes.
Like the Tucson, I shall rise again from the ashes.
Around here the roofers sheath on top they don't remove the skip sheathing. I would say to keep it on because you said that you had 2x4 @ 24" centers with a 20' span so the skip sheathing in my eyes would stiffen up those rafters. I know it's been there a long time and will never move but once you take the skip sheathing off your changing things.
Yes I tend to agree with all the above and definately keep the skip sheathing in place. It will hold it all together.
I'm an interior remodeler and my roofing/framing knowlegde is limited. I just wanted to confirm what I thougth, but one never knows until one asks. Again, much appreciated on all the replies.
I've done a couple of my own roofs where I sheated over the skip sheathing (was over 2x4 24 oc also) and they all turned out well.
It's unanimous, then. Your plan is a good one. Carry on.
and the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend."
....Robert Louis Stevenson
Allen in Santa Cruz
Edited 2/19/2005 10:26 pm ET by moondance
Indeed, carry on. 1921 was an excellent year for roof framing... clear lumber with tight grain and few if any knots... today we'd use it for guitar tops.
Not so fast on the unanimous. I see that you report framed with 2x4s at 24"oc but nowhere do i see whether you state if these are beginning to fail or not. Failure is not a total collapse. If these are in ####state of permanent dflection over a half inch, than you have a probelm that msut be adressed. If there are splits in the frame members then you have a problem that must be adressed.
I agree that a lot of the lumber back then was primo qualirty compared to now, but still that sounds overspanned to me. The steep slope helps, but if you have a heavy wet snow like almost dumped on youa couple weeks ago, your roof could be suffering. So now is that right time to double check and be sure.
Welcome to the
Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime.
where ...
Excellence is its own reward!
Good points to mention Piffin. I did inspect the 2x rafters and they all appear to be in good shape. My concerns where just that, a heavy wet snow build up. The 2x are close to being true to their size, and agree that the old growth is better quality compared to todays lumber, but with that said, they would not be approved for todays standards.
Considering the condition of the framing which is good, I am sure it will hold up, but why not explore the pro's and con's now before any work is done.
I agree with Piffin that the roof structure is overspanned for the the 2x4's. If it were my house, and the attic space was accessible and not used for living space, I'd get up there with a long straightedge or stringline and check to see if there is some sagging. If so, I'd run a lateral brace midspan across all the rafters and run some braces from that down to the ceiling joists, and gradually straighten the roof out. It's not too bad of a job to get it nice and flat.Won't help if those ceiling joists are overspanned as well though!My house is from 1871, and Ihave been through a lot. Good luck.
Thanks Mad Dog,
The attic is fully accessable and no one living up there that I know of. I believe you are onto something with the Strongbacks. The ceiling joists are definately not overspanned since the rooms are small and the joists are true 2x8's. I did not check with a string, just visually. Maybe I'll take a closer look.
1871 now thats getting up their in age. My house is almost fully updated and soon after this last remodel phase is completed it will be good for for a long time. We even underpinned the basement to get 8' foot ceilings last year.
Thanks again all & be well
Main issue now with this house is getting the bugs sealed out. This winter my place has been home very temorarily to about one million, give or take about a hundred, box elder bugs.The other thing--it's got a nice lean to it in the main building--about two inches in 8 feet. All the more evident now that I just installed two floor to ceiling bookshelves surrounding a ten foot picture window.By the way, you probably won't need a support brace on every ceiling joist and rafter-put a plate down and add a strut to maybe every other rafter or so.
Edited 2/19/2005 7:48 pm ET by Mad Dog
My wife would freak out if there were a million or so bugs in the house. She probably would move out. What will you do when the weather warms up and they start coming out? Do you have trees nearby that they are feeding on?
Thanks again for your input.
My wife and I are losing patience with the bugs. I've been gradually getting the house more airtight, and bugtight but it's a slow process. These bugs have a life cycle involving the boxelder tree, which is a weed tree here in Wisconsin. We've got about a dozen really big ones in our yard but the surrounding area has hundreds, so it doesn't pay to cut them down and lose the value of having large trees, though I have culled a few. It also only involves female trees and I'm not sure which of them all are male and female but I know a few chief offenders.Anyway, they don't bite or eat anything in the house. They just crawl on you when you sleep and are a general nuisance. We've done well not to freak completely out but it does get to you now and then. Fortunately, the season is just about over for them until next fall.
I'm sure you are an expert on that bug.
Hopefully when the weather warms up and they head back to there mother trees you can finish up sealing every little openning and stop them in their tracks next fall. Good luck with that one!
No, I'm far from an expert but I'm learning. I've got a few ways to effectively kill them, but I'd really like to focus on keeping them out of the building. I'm residing the whole house and caulking and sprayfoaming like I own Dow Chemical Company. Interestingly, the siding I'm putting on is red and they don't seem to like it very much compared to white and gray.
Mine was built in 1926, 7 in 12 like yours, Doug fir 2x4 rafters on 24" centers spanning 8 ft. Here in LA, the engineer spec'd new rafters between the old ones, reducing the spacing to 12" oc. I saved about 60% of the old 1x8 sheathing for other purposes, the rest was termite eaten and went for firewood. The new sheathing is 3/4" ply. Originally, I was only going to replace the termite eaten rafters. But there were only 3 or 4 really good ones left, so I just did them all to keep it simple.
-- J.S.