Gable Roof Framing Cathedral Ceiling

If you are framing a cathedral ceiling there are a couple ways to deal with the need for rafter ties.

Gable roof framing cathedral ceiling.

If it s your first case and if you feel uncomfortable call for the engineer. Roof structure definitions support choices for sloped roofs cantilevered roofs cathedral ceiling roofs. 406mm o c or support more than a roof and ceiling or exceed 8 feet 2438 mm in height for exterior walls and load bearing walls or 10 feet 3048 mm for interior non load bearing walls. A plain flat ceiling gable is actually a procession of light trusses usually spaced 16 in.

Old cottage cathedral ceiling i have a 50 year old seasonal cottage in a northern climate. Without joists the walls can bow outward and the roof ridge line may sag. The trick in framing a vaulted ceiling is figuring out what to do with the ceiling joists. The gable truss should be the same scissor profile as the common scissor.

Collar ties rafter ties tension beams structural ridge beams. An engineer must determine rafter size placement and pitch based on span and. Studs shall be continuous from a support at the sole plate to a support at. You can possibly remove them altogether of you include posts in the gable walls to support a structural ridge.

Contributing editor scott mcbride replies. Finally when a cathedral or a vaulted ceiling or any gable roof is framed without either an engineered structural ridge ceiling joists or rafter ties or an engineered solution some amount of ridge sag and wall kick out is guaranteed. In conventional gable roof framing the slope of the roof is formed by rafters that run diagonally downward from the peak of the roof to the tops of the exterior walls of the building. Each truss is composed of two opposing rafters and a ceiling joist.

Stick framing a roof with rafters is the old fashioned and still most common method of obtaining a vaulted ceiling. To avoid these problems in a structure with a cathedral ceiling it helps to understand how a typical roof frame works. There is no insulation in the ceiling and i suspect little to no effective insulation in the 2x4 walls.