Gable end wall is one inch higher than rafters
This is the first house I built and am doing almost all of the work myself. I built the walls on the ground and attached the T1-11 siding and that included the gable end wall. The walls have been raised,leveled and braced and the rafters have been cut and installed.
I was getting ready to install lookouts for the barge rafters and discovered the gable end wall is 1 inch taller than the rafters. I was thinking of removing the top plate and cut 1” off of the 2×6 studs however the siding is already attached and nailed with ring shanked nails.
Another idea would be to cut out a 1.5 inch notch underneath the bottom plate and then insert another 2×6 but this would put the height of the top plate about a half inch too low.
Any ideas? Is this as serious a problem as it looks? The wall is the back wall of the house, the front wall turned out perfect. The two walls weren’t built at the same time.
Thanks for any help
Rick
Replies
Isn't that going to make the ridge too high as well? I don't see any easy way out of this. It won't be fun but I doubt it will take as long as you think to cut the wall down and then you won't lay awake at night for the rest of your life wishing you had fixed it.
How would it work out to remove the second top plate of your gable wall, and change the way you frame that overhang. (hang a ladder on the outside)
If you replace the second top plate with some half inch ply or osb, you should be able to lay the sheathing flat and have the roof surface uniform.
The details of the overhang would look different on the back of the house from the front, but I would guess that you (and us) would be the only ones to notice.
The details should be considered with understanding of the location and impact on wind resistance.
Thanks for the replies.
Uncle Mike, using a piece of plywood as a top plate would make the height just
about perfect but how would I frame the barge rafter? Won't those lookouts be necessary?
https://basc.pnnl.gov/resource-guides/framing-gable-roof-overhangs#edit-group-training
Look at details in the retrofit tab, and the rest of the document.
I agree that you should consult with the local building authorities to verify whatever you do.
Since your original design seems to have 2 x laying flat for support of the barge rafters, I was thinking that you could use a ladder rafter, with suitable size and spacing, and then close in with a soffit on the underside.
This depends on any high wind concerns, and how long the overhang is.
The plywood would be easy but I'm thinking you might run afoul of the inspector since that's a structural wall and the double plate is usually required. I'd run it by the inspector first.