How the rafter system of the attic roof works: a review of structures for low -rise houses

Anyone planning to construct or remodel a low-rise home must comprehend the operation of the attic roof’s rafter system. The system serves as the fundamental component of the roof structure, offering stability and support while meeting the special requirements of attic areas. The rafter system is ideal for residential buildings where maximizing usable area is crucial because it offers more flexibility in interior space usage than simpler roof designs.

The ridge, the top of the roof, and the eaves, the edges that overhang the walls, are the two main points of intersection for the system of rafter beams. These beams, also referred to as rafters, serve as the main support structure for the roof covering. Their pitch is determined by their angle and spacing, which has an impact on the roof’s functional performance as well as appearance. A shallower pitch optimizes the amount of usable space in the attic, while a steeper pitch effectively sheds snow and water.

The rafter system has various benefits over other roof structures, such as trusses, for low-rise homes. Rafters can be shaped to fit different roof shapes and sizes, which gives architects more creative freedom to create more personalized designs. Homes with unique floor plans or particular design tastes will especially benefit from this flexibility. Furthermore, easier access for wiring, insulation, and ventilation systems is made possible by the open space between the rafters in the attic, which improves the comfort and overall efficiency of the building.

Structural integrity and load-bearing capacity are taken into careful consideration when building an attic roof with rafters. In addition to the weight of the roof, rafter loads may also include snow loads and wind forces that are typical in various climates. For the roof to be durable over time and be able to withstand these external pressures, proper rafter spacing and sizing are crucial.

In conclusion, it is critical for both homeowners and builders to comprehend the rafter system of an attic roof. It provides a flexible and durable way to balance structural integrity with architectural flexibility when designing useful living areas for low-rise homes. Understanding the fundamentals of rafter systems enables people to make well-informed decisions that maximize their homes’ practical functionality and visual appeal.

This article from "All about the Roof" explores the inner workings of low-rise house-specific attic roof rafter systems. We examine how these crucial structural elements give the roof stability and support, guaranteeing longevity and safety while allowing for a range of architectural styles. Homeowners and builders can improve both functionality and visual appeal of their roof construction by making educated decisions about rafter systems. The goal of this review is to make complicated ideas understandable to anyone who is interested in the basic components of the roof structure of their house.

The main sign of attic roofs

At the mention of the attic roofs, we instantly recall the pentagonal gable structure of impressive sizes above the log house, concrete or brick walls. Visual memory suggests that it should certainly have a different slope, t.e. The lower part of the roof is simply obliged to be much cooler than the upper. Due to the difference in the corners of the inclination, a convex break is formed, which gave the roof the folk name "broken". The term justifiably migrated to the technical definitions of attic structures. It reflects the essence of the usual standard in the device, but with configuration often has nothing to do with. Despite the fact that the design of all the attic roofs without fail includes two parts, visually their presence can not always be determined.

Based only on external indicators, the majority of attic structures can be classified as follows:

  • Triangular roofs, the lower and upper part of which has an equivalent slope. Outwardly, they resemble traditional gable structures without breaks in the plane of slopes.
  • Pentagonal roofs with slopes with convex corners. This category clearly shows the presence in the design of two coasted parts.

The rafter system in both of these variations is made up of two tiers that are raised on top of one another. At two to three meters in height, the lower structure creates the useful living attic space, which is easy to navigate. The shape of the roof’s peak is formed by the second tier, which can have any height.

You can achieve the ideal roof shape for your needs by adjusting the inclination of the upper and lower rafter legs. The five-angle attic, whose corners are in contact with an imaginary circle, is thought to have the best appearance.

Keep in mind that rafter and gable systems are not the only ones that can benefit from the building a broken roof concept. One can organize an attic into a holm, single-sided, tent, and other roofing structures by understanding the fundamental attic method.

Occasionally, an existing structure beneath the attic is rebuilt without the use of "broken" technology. But the attic cannot be the cause of these roofs a priori. It is true that, with enough strength from the rafter legs, anyone can use the rifles of the pitched rafter systems as ceiling beams and supports of additional runs as wood to line the attic.

It was discovered that the presence of two nearby rafter structures joined to a pentagon or triangle in a lovely shape is the primary indicator of an attic roof. Typical technologies are used in their construction to create the rafter frames for the pitched roofs:

  • Named, according to which the lower tier of the attic is built and used in the upper device.
  • Hanging. In accordance with it, only the upper part of the structure is built.

If the attic roof were divided in half to simplify its attitude, the result would be a triangle at the top and a trapezoid below. The triangle’s sides are inhabited and hanging, while the trapezoid’s inclined sides are permitted to be entirely inhabiting.

Basic schemes of rafter systems

The pentagonal diagram of the attic roof’s rafter system, with support racks forming the interior walls, is rightfully regarded as the "classic of the genre." Its incision is divided into basic geometric shapes conditionally. A rectangle with two mirror-detailed rectangular triangles on its sides sits atop an equilateral triangle in the center.

Standard attic structure

The upper heel on the right or left run, and the Mauerlat below, serve as the foundation for the layered rafters of the lower portion of the structure. Hanging rafter arches serve as a portion of the attic roof’s frame, crowning the building. If they are meant to obstruct the flight path by more than three meters, they are augmented with a pendant with a pendant in the center. The grandmother cannot be linked to the cramping arch tag, similar to a support rack. Her job is to stop the tightening and sagging; this is a suspension rather than a support.

The lanterial rafters in the lower part are rested on the ceiling by means of savorns-strokes. Install struts to improve stability under the supports if needed. The racks are joined by crooks that lie flat and run, and metal corners and gear plates replicate the joints. Underneath the lying bitumen waterproofing if the overlap is made of concrete. The lying can be done on leveling boards or brick columns rather than the ceiling. You don’t need to lie when organizing an attic on a wooden floor; you can place the racks right into the beams.

There is essentially no snow load and no precipitation delay on the somewhat steep lower portions of the attic roof slopes. Nevertheless, another unfortunate aspect of the steeply installed rafters is that strong winds will attempt to topple them and rip the roof off. As a result, you must take the Mauerlat system very seriously. Unlike traditional rock structures, each rafter in the attic scenario is tied to the twisting walls rather than through one.

Method of removal of rafters behind the wall line

Frequently, the internal space is too narrowly formed by the planned attic structure. By taking off the rafter legs outside the walls, it can be enlarged. T.e. The upper ceiling beams will support the rafter leg instead of Mauerlat. Theoretically, Mauerlat is completely unnecessary in this case. However, because there is absolutely no support beneath the extreme portion of the side triangles, the strengthening struts in the scheme with the removal of rabbins are used without question.

It is possible to do away with the Mauerlat installation, but it is highly preferred to fill a monolithic railway belt in order to fasten beams to the brick walls. Anchors are used to secure the ceiling beams to the monolithic belt; in these anchors, the support racks are only cut to a maximum of one-third the beam’s thickness. Crucial point: Redpilin removal is only required to create a cornice that is at least 0.5 meters wide for wooden houses and at least 0.4 meters wide for concrete and stone homes.

Technology for building a rafter structure in which the leg of the rafter behind the wall is removed:

  • Install the extreme blocks that determine the contour of the cornice overhang. T.To. The overlap will be loaded, the cross section of the beams is taken from 150 × 200mm. If when laying the starting beam it reveals that the walls do not form the perfect rectangle, we strive to change the position of the beams to fix the flaws.
  • On stretched extreme beams fixed between the fixed beams, lay and fix the rest of the bars. We control the height and stack of laying the beams before fastening. The distance between the elements of the ceiling is equal to the step between the rafter legs. For insulated roofs, the optimal stepille installation step is 0.6m, because it is equal to the width of the thermal insulation slab. If the rafters are mounted with a similar frequency, they can be made from boards 50 × 150mm.
  • From the left and right edge we put off a distance equal to the length of a short chandelier of a rectangular triangle. At the marked points, neatly, select the nests at a third of the height of the beam under the extreme supports with the chisel.
  • We will make supports by displacing spikes. They need to be made in size of the selected nests. For the manufacture of corner supports, a beam with a cross section of 100 × 150mm is suitable, also from it two supporting supports for the front -line sides of the roof should be made. For ordinary racks enough a beam of 50 × 100 mm. Material for supporting elements should be longer than the design height by the length of the spike, but it is better 10cm in case of errors in case.
  • Install the corner racks and fasten them with temporary spacers. Connect the racks with a lace.
  • On the lace, we verify in the beams the sample of the nests for ordinary supports and select the indicated holes.
  • We install ordinary racks and two supporting supports in the centers of the hiccups of the attic.
  • Put the runs – boards with a cross section of 50 × 150mm on the installed supports. We fasten the runs with corners. It is not necessary to use as many nails as in the corners of the holes. Two or three on each plane is enough. As a result of laying the board, the frame of the walls of the future attic is obtained.
  • We combine the supports set against each other by bars, attaching them to the grunts of the corners. These elements will perform the function of riglavs working to stretch. Therefore, for their manufacture, it will require lumber of the 1st variety with a cross section of 100 × 150mm. For each installed crossbar, you need a temporary support from inch 25 × 150mm.
  • We temporarily fasten the same inches on top of the crossbars, retreating from the edges of the frame 20-30cm. A temporary rare flooring of one or two-three boards is needed for ease of installation of the upper part of the rafter system.
  • We make a template from an inch for rafters of the lower row. To do this, we attach a boarding board to the end of the run and beams. Then we outline the lines of the grooves along which the excess is to be sawn off. We try on, if necessary, we push the excess.
  • We make rafter legs according to the template. If there are doubts about the impeccability of construction, then it is better to cut out only the upper groove to begin with. By placing Rhapilin in the place put to her, it will be possible to correctly adjust the lower groove in fact without undesirable damage to the material.
  • Install end rafter legs, which will need to be connected again with a lace.
  • Focusing on the lace, we mount the rafters of the lower tier of the attic.
  • Similarly, we make a template for the upper part of the rafter system. In order to find a line of the upper saw, temporarily sew on the front -ton support board.
  • We make a mirror collective for the previous template. Rate the rafters of the upper tier will be at each other.
  • Try on both roof templates. If everything is normal, we make the required number of upper rafters from a board 50 × 150mm on them.
  • We build the upper tier of the rafter system.
  • In order to prevent the crossbars from sagging, we mount the required size to each upper farm of the required size. We sew them hard only to the ridge zone, the bottom should not be rigidly fixed.

Subsequently, wire ligaments are used to secure the rafter legs to the walls. The pediment must then be sheathed in accordance with the installation of its frame. Finally, the crate is mounted with a step that matches the properties of the roofing material.

Method with frame modules

The technology is different from the previous approach in that it fully prepares the floor for the future attic’s side walls’ moduli-blocks to be fastened, rather than installing separate supports there.

Because the modular element construction is done on the ground, the block method of rafter system construction allows us to optimize the attic roof construction. A calm environment without a sense of altitude makes it simpler to obtain accurate nodal compound readings.

The method by which the block attic roof device operates:

  • For a pre -made project, we make the frame of the walls of the attic. Longitudinal bars according to this method play the role of runs and beds. We lay them together with the racks on a flat platform and mark them using a jack of a nest under the support of the side walls. On measured lines we make cuts.
  • We cut the spikes on the racks, the size of which is required to correspond to the size of the nests.
  • We connect a longitudinal beam with vertical racks, we get two modular frames – these are the walls of the attic.
  • Raise the frames up, install it in a designed place. Temporarily fix the position of the walls with spacers, then attach them to the beams of the overlapping with brackets.
  • Chisel select a nest on the edges of the beams for installing the lower row of rafters. They must be placed in one line. To observe geometry, it is easier to first outline them with a chainsaw, then finalize a chisel.
  • The upper rafter tier of the attic is performed on the ground, having previously tried the workpieces to the installed elements. For the accuracy of fitting to the end of the future roof, we temporarily nail the board so that one of its edges clearly repeat the central axis of the rafter system. The base of the upper attic triangle performs the function of stretching. Its length is equal to the distance between the external vertical planes of the installed frames. At the edges of the stretch, select the nests, and on the lower heels of the rafters spikes.
  • We collect the rafter farms of the upper tier, for reliability we mount an additional crossbar, we amplify the skate node with a triangular leeres.
  • Until we moved to the roof, we make blanks of rafter legs. We try them on the frames laid out on Earth. It is more convenient to “cut” them in one fell swoop, grabbing a few pieces with a clamp. We cut out only the upper bevel, taking into account the fact that it will rely partially on the wall stand, partially on the stretching of the upper rafter farms.
  • Try on the lower rafter to the end. We draw the shape of the spike in the zone of its lower heel, repeating the configuration of the nest in the beam. Drink the spikes.
  • We move to the roof of the farm of the upper tier and the rafters of the lower tier. First, we mount the farms, attaching them to the upper strapping of the walls with brackets, then the rafters of the lower part, attaching them to the beams of the floor by the same brackets.

The construction of roofs is done in accordance with standard procedures in subsequent stages. created using the specified building principles for the attic roof rafter system drawings, which accurately depict the design. The ability to produce compounds with cramping has increased the overall strength and rigidity of the frame, preventing the need to add more struts.

The method’s drawback is how challenging it is to move the completed modules to the roof. It will take at least 4 people to move the gathered blocks without the use of lifting apparatus.

Dochaita-bvyste rafter system

Although it is not feasible to construct a sturdy attic over tiny summer houses, I still wish to preserve space on a tiny plot of land. A light plank-bvo-heating nashened structure is a fantastic option for small building owners. Savings enthusiasts should find the method appealing as the building doesn’t utilize an entire beam.

Two boards are used in the manufacturing of each supporting element, and the bar’s distance segments are installed in between. The system’s ease of use when compared to solid brothers can be explained by the cavity created by the bars. Wind contractions are installed between the supports and the rafter legs to guarantee spatial stiffness. In turn, the crate will strengthen the structure in its own unique way.

It is essential for homeowners contemplating building or remodeling to comprehend the workings of the rafter system in attic roofs. This system, which is essential to the roof’s construction, aids in evenly distributing the weight of the roof covering across the load-bearing walls. This design is especially popular in low-rise homes because of its affordability and effectiveness.

The fundamental structure of a roof is made up of rafters, which are usually placed in a triangle. They provide the appropriate pitch to efficiently shed snow and water by sloping down from the roof’s ridge or peak to the eaves. In addition to guaranteeing appropriate drainage, this design helps keep the roof stable overall, avoiding problems like sagging or water pooling.

There are several different kinds of rafter systems for low-rise homes, and each has advantages that vary depending on the needs of the architecture and local climate. Traditional cut roofs, trussed roofs, and more intricate hybrid systems that combine structural integrity and visual appeal are examples of common designs.

To choose the best rafter system, homeowners should think about speaking with roofing experts when building a new roof or remodeling an old one. The best design depends on a number of factors, including the desired roof aesthetics, environmental factors, and local building codes. Furthermore, correct installation and upkeep are necessary to guarantee the roof’s durability and functionality over time.

In conclusion, anyone working on the building or remodeling of low-rise homes needs to have a thorough understanding of the rafter system of an attic roof. This system affects the roof’s overall durability and functionality in addition to offering structural stability and support. Through the selection of an appropriate rafter design and careful installation, homeowners can improve their home’s visual appeal as well as its long-term durability.

Video on the topic

Balks of ceilings and rafters of a gable roof | Proffkrov.ru | Roofing Work Veliky Novgorod

Fastening of the rafters to Mauerlat | Gable of attic roof

Rafter system. The attic roof. Roots with your own hands

Gable of attic roof. Rafter system. After 2.5 years

Rafter system of the attic roof. DIY house

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Alexandra Fedorova

Journalist, author of articles on construction and repair. I will help you understand the complex issues related to the choice and installation of the roof.

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