Which bracket to use.

Hi all,

Hope you are all well.

I just needed song advise about what type of bracket OR connection I can use to connect a strut to a rafter.

I've attached the picture and as you can see that is a rafter coming down and there is a strut sitting directly below it in line with it and I want to know what type of bracket I can get to connect these two together so it stays firm.

At the moment as you can see I've screwed a piece of wood highlighted by the red arrow to fix the two pieces together, I know this is not ideal so if anybody can advise how you're supposed to fit these two pieces together so it doesn't move, and sits firm and secure, id really appreciate it.

Regards,

View attachment 234818 Margaret

 

I’m not a builder or an SE but afaik the struts themselves are wedged in tight and nailed under the rafters. The struts, not the nails or any brackets, transfer the load to the steel and eventually to the ground. So it is more than just a case of keeping the struts “firm”. You should rely on your builder or SE to check this.

Blup

 

Thanks for the reply.

The builder that I'm using has said that you can fix pieces of wood either side to secure the strut in place underneath the rafter. But I'm not happy with this as I'm sure there's some type of bracket you can buy.

As you can see from the picture the strut is sitting on top of a beam but that beam is not supported below and is actually running across and sitting on a beam each side.

He has screwed the strut to the rafter and then screwed a block of wood either side but there must be some form of choice bracket you can buy for this type of connection.

Also I wanted to know how the strut is secured to the beam as you can tell on the picture is just sitting on top of it.

 

I have only seen builders wedge the strut under the rafter with the "help" of a club hammer. No idea re the beam but the load would be transferred across and down. Maybe there is a nail gun which goes through wood and steel.

Blup

 

Shouldn't the strut be under a purlin? unless it's the first of many. You could buy a variety of "steel nailing/repair plates if you wanted but why, the arrangement looks ok - however, a T shape cut from 18mm plywood might be better and finish it slightly below the top of the rafter so it doesn't interfere with the sag of the roof membrane. At the bottom, that bit of timber arrangement looks along the right lines and easier than trying to fix into the steel.

Can't really understand your floating steel beam - it must be sitting on something or it'd be on the ground.

 

I looked for the purlin but the window at the far end may have ruled this out, hence - presumably - there will be a series of vertical struts under the rafters. Difficult to tell from the pic uploaded.

Blup

 

If there is a strut under every rafter then you build an ashlar wall.
Alternatively bolt the timber to the side of the rafter.
Or to answer your question, you could use straight nail plates and twist nails.

 

Thank you all for your advice and assistance.

I should have been more clear and I have uploaded a few more pictures of the roof which show the beam which the struts will sit on connects to the beam that underpins and supports the bedroom wall in front where the window is, creating a T shape. And the other side of this beam sits on the new back wall.

Our plan is to have struts on each of the rafters.

And as I mentioned the builder has lodged 1 in to show me and has screwed in using pieces of wood either side at the top where the rafter connects to the strut.

This is the part I am not happy with. But after reading some of your your comments I might be overreacting. As he has cut the strut so it fits right underneath the rafter and then he knocked it in with a hammer.

And the purpose of the the struts is to support the 6m wide span of the rafters.

I've just concerned as nothing is holding the struts to the rafter but the fact that the struts have been wedged into place.

And then at the bottom of the strut it's just sitting on top of the beam not secured to the beam.

As mentioned by one of you guys, the builder has put pieces of wood each side and drilled the bottom of the strut to the pieces of wood but just wanted to make sure that this is all safe and will do the job required.

 

'Wedging' is certainly insufficient.

Is insulation going between the rafters?
If so, you will have to cut it to go around the bulky wooden blocks, and you will get less insulation and cold spots as a result.

All for the sake of £20 worth of plates and nails or a couple of 2x4's

 

Good luck with getting a proper flashing under that window too, that bend in the bottom roofing batten is gonna repeat itself in the tiles too. But they're the least of your worries.

 

The window will be moved up so it doesnt clash with roof. Either up or to other side.

As fot installation, yes i will be putting in boards in between the gaps in each rafter.

I might buy some nail plates. Ive see some which are 75x150mm and was thinking 1 each side.

Any thoughts

 

It's roof framing not the proverbial rocket science

Cut the strut to fit below the rafter and two nails upwards through the strut to the underside of the rafter.

 

A timber plate bolted to the top of the steel (maybe too late or impractical), or screwed through into the joists where they sit on the flange below, the struts skew nailed nailed into the plate.

What is the builder proposing, and what do the architects/SE's drawings specify? That's what you need to go from.

Blup

 

The se report doesn't mention about connections all its States is that there should be struts sitting below the rafters but there's no mention of any to have a bracket OR how they are collected together and I've had trouble getting a hold of him today.

As for the builder if you look at the very first picture he's the one that has done that in terms of putting piece of wood between the two connections and struggling it in and then putting two pieces of wood at the bottom either side of the the strut and then screwing the strut to those two pieces of wood.

 

The builder may well be scrimping and saving but that doesn’t mean what he is doing is unacceptable.

Blup