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Guide to Roof Framing

Whether you're just building a simple gable roof or you're installing a complicated set of engineered trusses, this collection of articles and videos will help you get the job done.

Roof framing can be one of the most challenging and confusing parts of building a house, but careful planning and basic carpentry techniques are all it takes to frame even the most complicated roofs. To help you through the process we’ve compiled some of our favorite articles and videos from the Fine Homebuilding archives to help you complete a textbook, code-complaint roof every time.

  • How-To 1
    building a house
    Perfect Roof Rafters

    Focus your efforts on the pattern rafter, and the rest of the roof falls into place easily.

  • How-To 2
    Laying Out a Common Rafter

    For simple gable or shed roofs, you need to learn this basic building block of roof framing.

  • How-To 3
    Framing a Roof Valley
    Framing a Roof Valley

    Do the math on a calculator so that you can concentrate on what's important: getting the rafters right.

  • Design 4
    framing truss roofs
    Framing Tricky Truss Roofs

    When building houses with trusses made for hips and valleys, careful planning and job-site organization are key to an efficient installation.

  • Design 5
    Roof-Framing Design
    Roof-Framing Design

    How to handle framing a roof that may be "more complicated than it has to be."

  • How-To 6
    Hip-Roof Framing Made Easier

    Measure from the rafter's bottom edge for exact layout.

  • How-To 7
    Roof Framing with Engineered Lumber

    Tips from a custom framer make the engineered-lumber learning curve easier to negotiate.

  • 8
    the-rafter-you're-after
    The Rafter You’re After: Using SketchUp to Draw Roof Framing

    You can use SketchUp to draw roof framing and practice your approach before you're on the job site.

  • How-To 9
    Men installing roof
    A No-Math Approach to Valley Plates

    Whether you're tying in new gable dormers or adding a chimney cricket during roof framing, giving the valley jacks a place to land is an easy task with these step-by-step instructions.

  • How-To 10
    Framing a Dramatic Dormer
    Framing a Dramatic Dormer

    If doghouse dormers or shed dormers aren't dressy enough, A-dormers can add an exciting design note, and they're easier to seal against the elements.

  • How-To 11
    Valley Framing for Unequally Pitched Roofs

    An empirical method that works.

  • How-To 12
    How it Works: Collar and Rafter Ties

    Contrary to popular belief, collar ties are not there to support rafters or to keep walls below from spreading under the weight of the roof.

  • How-To 13
    framing a roof with larry haun
    Framing a Roof With Larry Haun

    Pro framer Larry Haun shows how to cut and install ceiling joists, rafters, and roof sheathing in the third episode of this framing video series.

  • How-To 14
    Rolling Roof Trusses
    Rolling Roof Trusses

    Factory-made trusses save time and give you a roof engineered for strength and stability.

  • How-To 15
    Simplified Valley Framing

    Build one roof on top of the other and skip the valley rafters.

  • How-To 16
    Achieving even ridge height requires non-standard rafter cuts
    A Tale of Two Pitches: Exploring Off-Angle Roof Framing

    See what decisions need to be made about rafter angles and soffit depths, if you are building intersecting roofs on houses with wings of varying widths.

  • How-To 17
    roof truss cover image
    How it Works: Roof Trusses

    The roofs on most new houses in the United States are built with trusses.

  • How-To 18
    Framing a Cathedral Ceiling

    To avoid a sagging ridge or bowed walls, start by understanding how a typical roof frame works

  • How-To 19
    Elegant Eaves for a Truss Roof
    Elegant Eaves for a Truss Roof

    Cedar rafter tails and trim add a handsome touch to this roofline.

  • How-To 20
    Ceiling Joists for a Hip Roof
    Ceiling Joists for a Hip Roof

    Three simple, problem-solving framing techniques.

  • How-To 21
    Framing an Octagonal Turret Roof
    Framing an Octagonal Turret Roof

    This roof shape may look complicated, but it's basically the same process as framing a common 45-degree bay-window roof.

  • How-To 22
    High-Performance Roofing, From Stick-Framing to Shingles

    Tricky framing transitions, I-joists for rafters, and top-down shingling offer a look at some unconventional but effective techniques.

  • How-To 23
    Roof Framing Revisited

    A graphic way to lay out rafters without using tables.

  • How-To 24
    VIDEO SERIES: How To Build a Bay-Window Roof

    In this video series, veteran builder Rick Arnold shows us his simplified method for laying out and building a bay roof.

  • How-To 25
    ten-rules-framing
    Larry Haun’s 10 Rules for Framing

    Expert framer Larry Haun details guidelines for working efficiently and accurately.

  • How-To 26
    Modified-Framing-Nailer-1200
    Remove Roof Sheathing With a Modified Framing Nailer

    Overdriving nails is faster and cleaner than pulling them out with a cat's paw.

  • How-To 27
    Sheath a Roof
    How To Sheathe a Roof

    Starting with straight and square rafters is key to making this job go smoothly.

  • How-To 28
    Framing a Hip Roof

    After you've framed a gable roof, rafter templates and rafter tables are all you'll need to make a hip.

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