I’m restoring a covered porch on a 180+ year old farmhouse and have run into another interesting situation. The porch ceiling was originally flat, as most are, but at some point in the past, perhaps 8-10 years ago when the last owner did most of his remuddling, someone removed the ceiling joists from the underside of the roof. Whoever did this added joist hangers to the roof rafters, I’m guessing as a way to prevent the roof from pulling away from the front of the house. The roof doesn’t seem to be racked or pulling away, despite 3+ feet of snow on it most winters.
It would be easy enough to reinstall a ceiling, either at the original height or raised that is parallel to the deck. By having the porch ceiling follow the slope of the roof, however, it makes the porch feel much more open, especially since the old ceiling was somewhere around 94 inches high (low).
I’m wondering if anyone has seen anything like this before and if I’m just asking for the roof to collapse without somekind of additional framing?
Thanks,
Dave
Replies
You're probably fine.
Got a picture for all of us wannbee inspectors?
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Here you go, let me know if they don't come out well or if you have any other questions.DGW
Resized for the speed challenged
Edited 6/4/2007 4:31 pm ET by misfit
Sorry 'bout that...
No apology needed, just trying to help you get more viewers
< Thanks, Misfit >Now I am less thrilled with the idea. Those are not hangers. They are A-35 auxiliary brackets for special locations. They help, but support no load. I guess it all depends how nail poor the wood is there at the upper ends of the rafters. My sense of taste is mildly offended by all the missing detail work there is half my awe though.Anyway, it has been time tested, so yeah, it probably won't fall in on anybody.
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Thanks for straightening out my terminology and pointing out the difference. Some of the work that has been done on this house has real potential for offensiveness. Some is just plain dangerous. While redoing a previously remodeled half bath I discovered that the pedestal sink was mounted to the wall with calking, no bolts, and that the non functioning switch was for a light that was never installed above the sink. The wiring was in place, live when the switch was thrown, just tucked into the stud bay. How about a 100 amp subpanel with 8 20 amp breakers being fed off the main lugs of the main service with a 30 amp wire? Or all the 14 gauge wires that went to the devices from the 20 amp breakers? The list goes on...
Do you think it's worth swapping out for joist hangers?
No, that would definitely make it nail-poor!;)
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Spray that dad-gum bald faced hornet nest some evening before ya go beating on the rafters with a hammer...I can attest to that scene."you are dead a lot longer than you are alive"Noah Aaron MacKenzie, 1990.
Dude,
that roof framing is not original, you do realize that? The plywood sheathing and the rafters are relatively new. Looks like they may have cut out the old ceiling joists when they did this "repair" to the roof , possibly to give themselves working room to frame the new roof.
The spindle work and lower portions of the porch may be original though.
If your looking to strengthen the connection at the ledger, you could throw a couple of toenails in through each side of the rafters into the ledger, that will go farther to strengthen that connection than any hangers will.
Please tell us you will be removing that wonderfull vinyl as well!!
Geoff
I thought the plywood sheathing seemed odd nigh to the spindle work and signs of thicker than modern trim work! Didn't thiunk it through that far. Good catch. I was thinking it was just resheathed, not that it had been totally re-framed.
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I'm guessing that the roof sheathing and rafters were put up sometime in the 70s, the spindles and colonial columns around that time too. The rest of the porch looks to be from the 40s or 50s. The framing is good, but he decking is ready to go (I'll be replacing it with Mahogany). Colonial columns are also going and I'll be fabricating ones that are more appropriate in style and scale to the house. Unlike the ones there now, I'll even relocate them so they're not in front of windows and are over the piers :) !Wasp nest is spent but thanks for the warning. I've got a never ending battle with them and yellow jackets. Honey bees are another story. I usually do my exterior work with a hammer on the right side of my tool belt and a can of wasp and hornet spray on the left. As for the vinyl, please don't get me started. It will unfortunately have to wait for the rest of the house to get finished. I figure another 3 years and then down with the plastic and up with the hardiplank.
how about running some ceiling joist off the top of the plate, sistered against the rafters at the eave? that would give you another 8" or so of ceiling height -
"there's enough for everyone"
This is one of the options I've been toying with. I also thought about putting in joists sistered off the rafters further back, more like collar ties, although it certainly wouldn't look very authentic.
I'm restoring a covered porch on a 180+ year old farmhouse...
...wouldn't look very authentic.
...I'm guessing that the roof sheathing and rafters were put up sometime in the 70s, the spindles and colonial columns around that time too. The rest of the porch looks to be from the 40s or 50s.
authenticity seems to be a moot point in association with this porch - I'd suggest you make it such that it pleases you (and any significant other) - authenticity will then follow -
tell us a bit about the house, if you would - are you seeking to return it to some state of historical accuracy?
"there's enough for everyone"
The house is a wing and gable farmhouse built in 1821. The post and beam construction that has been its saving grace since most of the people who worked on it over the years have done some really stupid things involving saws and chisels. Along the way most of the original detail has been either covered or removed, which has left me to play detective so I can reconstruct as much as possible. I guess the answer to the question of restore or renovate is "yes." I restore what is there or can recreate from the original (or traces thereof) and try to ensure an historical fit with renovations.Hope this makes sense.DGW