Roof Framing Without Ridge Beam

The ridge beam shown below at the living room of a 1950s modern style ranch house in gainesville has cracked at mid span and is slowly heading towards failure after.

Roof framing without ridge beam.

A ridge board isn t a beam per se. Here s a picture of a gable style shed using a ridge beam. A ridge board is a non structural member that serves as a prop for opposing rafters to rest against and connect to. A structural ridge is the standard alternative to ceiling joists.

Determining the ridge beam height. So use a tape measure to find the height of the roof above the top wall of the building. If the roof rises 7 inches 18 cm for every 1 foot 0 30 m its pitch would be written as 7 12. If you know the slope x in 12 you want to use for your roof framing design you can use it along with the run r to determine the height of the ridge beam for example if the slope is 4 in 12 and the run is 12 feet the ridge beam height m will be 4 feet.

Now if you have done any looking around this site you ll quickly see that i am not a fan of using a ridge beam in shed construction. It s often just a nice way to bring the rafters together. Ridge beams are required by code if the roof slope is less than 3 in 12 irc section r802 3. I always always build trusses.

Framing in a ridge beam in shed roof construction is not hard. Ridge beam sizing is based on the span of the beam between supports and the amount of roof load supported by the beam. Because a ridge beam often carries a significant area of roof load they can exhibit structural distress due to a defect in wood impact on the roof or use of an undersize beam. Some of these can support the roof and prevent ridge sagging and wall spreading.

This article describes and illustrates the different types of support that prevents roof sagging and wall bulging at buildings including definitions of collar ties rafter ties and structural ridge beams. The finished ridge beam height z above the top of the wall will be m plus the y height. Collar ties rafter ties tension beams structural ridge beams. You don t need a ridge beam but you do need a way to keep the walls from spreading.

Wondering how to build the structure of your roof. Also measure the length of half of the roof from one side of the ridge beam to the edge of the building. A proper beam would have a supporting post at each end. This video covers one of the most exciting parts of roof framing installing rafters.

To learn more about roof structures go to our home inspection blog at.