Replies

1. 
   Guest_ | Dec 13, 1999 11:58pm | #1

   *
   David,

   Exposed rafter tails are an excellent visual detail. Depending on the strength requirements, I'd favor redwood for exposure and infestation resistance, though doug fir would be close if painted. After replacing many vintage rafter tails, I'm also leaning towards a bunglow rafter design popularized by Irving Gill among others - its a 'stacked rafter/rake' that utilizes a combination of rafters and exposed structural elements. What I like about this design is that it is kept under the overhangs and should outperform exposed elements. If exposed tails is the design you use, would it be possible to devise a system that would make replacement easy? An article by Randy Mackinson a couple of years ago that explains how the replacement of the rafter tails on the Pasadena Blacker House '08? was done - see Style 1900: Greene and Green issue. Good luck.

1. 
   Guest_ | Dec 14, 1999 02:15am | #2

   *When we do exposed rafter tails, we always incorporate a metal flash cap, the paint lasts as long as the paint on the sides, any exposed wood on God's green , rainy, and windy earth needs some protection. Modern paint, without the lead, doesn't seem to protect like the old woodwork details from the victorians, it needs some help. And its not like a painted railing, that gets inspected 50 times a day, its up in the sky where only God and the sea gulls can see if it needs a paint job................. Give it a hat.

1. 
   Guest_ | Dec 14, 1999 09:12am | #3

   *Douglas Fir has many great characteristics. Holding paint is not one of them.

1. 
   Guest_ | Dec 14, 1999 05:09pm | #4

   *The few weather damaged rafter tails that I've replaced were all falling appart at the exposed endgrain.I suspect that if you keep the tails back a couple of inches from the roof edge, use a dripedge to keep water off, and seal the ends with paint, this will solve most of the problems.I'm not sure that rot resistant woods will solve the problem if exposed to water because the wet-dry expansion cycle at the endgrain will cause even heartwood cedar to fall appart.

1. 
   Guest_ | Dec 14, 1999 06:52pm | #5

   *Exposed rafter tails are very common here on lots of 80+ year old houses. The pitch is usually greater than 8/12 and roof decking projects past about 1 inch. Almost all of the rafter tail damage I find seems to be caused by poorly attached gutters and off center gutter spikes splitting the tail.good luck,Stephen

2. 
   Guest_ | Dec 14, 1999 10:34pm | #6

   *You don't say where you are so what I say may not be applicable since most of my experience is in cold and or high climates. In both I've seen many exposed rafter tails on roof pitches from 4/12 and higher that looked just fine if they were protected by the roof decking going past the tail by an inch or so and they were kept painted/stained/water sealed. As Mr Hazlett says I would use a great deal of care in fastening gutters, flower boxes etc to them though.