Outbuilding roof beams

[MrDodgy]

Hi,
We have an outbuilding dating back to around 1940. It has brick walls and a felt roof supported by timber beams. The main supports for the felt roof are pressure treated timber beams that poke outside through holes in the brick. Please see attached photos.

The flat roof has been re-done recently, however I'm concerned about the condition of the support beams which weren't replaced. One of them in particular has weathered badly and I suspect it has lost a lot of its strength. The weak point of the design is that the beam ends are fully exposed to the weather. They've never been protected with anything.

I'm considering propping up the roof with acro props and sliding new beams in to replace the old ones. It seems the felt roof is only held onto the main support beams by gravity. I assume the beams were originally cemented into the wall, so I don't know if that needs to be re-done.

If anyone is thinking that the design of the whole thing is daft, then I agree with you, but that's what I have to work with!

Any constructive ideas appreciated!

 

[Ivor Windybottom]

It's definitely different!

It's very likely the roof boarding was screwed down into the joists before the membrane was put over.

Why do you think it isn't attached?

 

[MrDodgy]

It's definitely different!

It's very likely the roof boarding was screwed down into the joists before the membrane was put over.

Why do you think it isn't attached?

OK I should clarify. I can't see any screws or fittings from underneath, and I didn't see it being done. I expect you're right that the chipboard will have been attached to the beams immediately below it somehow. What I don't know is whether those beams have also been fixed to the original cross beams that poke through the walls. I don't know the correct building terms for the different timber parts, so sorry about that.

 

[MrDodgy]

the cop out solution is to fill the beam ends with wood filler, paint them and hope for the best.