Ridge bracing

[GaryJ]

Hi There,
I have an extension on my house it has a hipped roof. The roof is of 'A' frame construction of 6x2 timer, the 6x2 ceiling joists are bolted at each end to the 6x2 rafters. From the ridge plate there are 3 vertical 4x1 timbers which are screwed into the ridge plate at the top and screwed at the bottom into a length of timber which runs at right angles to the ceiling joists. The ceiling joists are then screwed into this length of timber. Are these 4x1 supports only there to stop the ceiling joists from sagging? or are they structural?
Regards Gary

 

[Deluks]

Both probably. If you want them out you'll have to think about adding more (deeper) timber to the side of the current ceiling joists. and adding collar ties, horizontally just under the ridge beam. And possibly verticals in the eaves connecting the rafter and ceiling joist. What are the dimensions of the extension?

 

[GaryJ]

Both the ceiling joists and the rafters are 47mmx150mm, the room is about 12ft square.
Today I have placed 2 joists 47x125 at right angles to the ceiling joists, parrellel to the beam I want to remove, each placed about 2 ft from the eaves and fastened them to the ceiling joist below and used some metal straps to fix then to the rafters above. All seams sturdier as i ultimately want to put boarding down for storage.

This would be so much easier with a pic!

Regards

 

[noseall]

it seems as though the ceiling binder is 'borrowing' a little stiffening from the ridge beam, though it does appear rather superficial.

i take it there are no midspan or third's span purlins in the roof?

 

[^woody^]

The vertical timbers are 'hangers' and are used to support the binder which is in turn supporting the joists.

These are structural elements and are stopping the joists from sagging.

If you remove them, then the binder should be upgraded

 

[GaryJ]

Hi,
No there are no purlins in the extension roof structure. The binder I want to remove is of the size of a wall plate(5x4ish), probably what was left over i guess from the build. The new binders I have fitted will certainly stop the ceiling from sagging, they sit nice and true now. I was just concerned if the binder was providing any upward support to the ridge plate. Im very much a 'belt and braces' person, you don't think regs would be concered with these supports being removed then?

 

[^woody^]

Have you calculated or otherwise checked the binder section sizes against known span tables?

Binders typically require support at between 2 and 3m depending on there section size and spacing between parallel binders or supports.

There is no load at all on a ridge beam, but insufficient support of ceiling joists generally means cracked ceiling plaster at some future time