Shed Roof Rafter Ties

The rafter ties were clearly pulling away from their rafters because of the tension forces they were experiencing when under snow load.

Shed roof rafter ties.

A rafter tie is a horizontal tension tie that is located in the lowermost third of the span of a pair of opposed sloped or gable roof rafters. If heavy winds can damage a roof by uplifting the trusses on a house think what it can do to a shed. A rafter tie resists spreading of the building walls by bulges at the wall top that would otherwise occur due to roof loads. From a practical perspective it s difficult to use high rafter ties on a low pitched roof because the force in each tie increases with the inverse of the pitch.

For an 8 10 shed one sheet of plywood should be fine. So roughly 7 8 long for a 2 4. The rule of thumb is that the gusset should be twice the width of the wood you use for your rafters. In most homes the ceiling joists also serve as the rafter ties.

Where rafters are oriented perpendicular to the ceiling joists rafter ties should. Simpson strong tie 5 2 7 in 18 gauge triple zinc steel rafter tie. Rafter ties are always required unless the roof has a structural self supporting ridge or is built using engineered. Rafter ties are required by code unless the house is designed so that the walls or a structural ridge beam carries the full load of the roof.

For pricing and availability. Visit the roof framing page for more information on cutting roof rafters and visit the roof pitch calculator for determining rafter lengths based on rise and run. Many local counties across the country now require the use of hurricane ties for roof framing on homes and your shed is no different. Rafter span tables use these tables to determine lengths sizes and spacing of rafters based on a variety of factors such as species load grade spacing and pitch.

Rafter ties resist the forces caused by gravity loads that would otherwise cause the roof to pancake and push out the sidewalls. Collar ties are necessary to prevent separation of the roof at the ridge due to wind uplift. Collar ties also take the stress off of your wall plate and rafter joint. A collar tie is a length of lumber that attaches to each opposing rafter near the peak preventing your rafters from spreading apart.

For pricing and availability. If your garage is 24 feet wide and has a 4 12 roof the new rafter ties can be placed no more than 16 inches up from the plate without additional engineering. This also was a sign of tremendous tension. I noticed that steel cables has been hidden behind the rafter ties to try to reinforce them but the screws attaching the cables to the rafters were also pulling out.

For additional support you can use ceiling joists which are lengths of lumber that run from the end of one rafter to another.