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| What Size Lumbers Should I Use While Framing a Roof? |
| The size of the lumber you will need for your roof
will determine the weight of the materials that will be used for the
roofing. For example: will the roof have concrete tile or composition
shingles. The size of the building material used to construct the roof, will have to be figured out by a structural engineer. The structural engineer will take the measurements of the roof rafters, along with the weight of the roofing materials, to calculate the size of building materials that will be needed. The size of the lumber is very important and there are times where I have built a brand new roof, using the lumber specifications by the engineer and still had problems with the roof sagging. The structural engineers use mathematical calculations to figure the size of building components like roof rafters, roof hips and valleys and supporting beams. Most of these mathematical calculations are based on averages and general conditions of the building materials. Just because your roof has a sag in it does not mean, the house will be falling down soon. Be careful when selecting a size for your roof rafters on your own, without the help of a structural engineer. I have seen carpenters, contractors and homeowners build a garage, and within a few years I am the one they call to repair the damage. There is not enough room on this page, to tell you all the problems over the years I have ran into. Most of this damage could have been prevented by using the proper building materials. Some people think bigger is better and if a 2 x 10 roof rafter is required, most carpenters or contractors will assume that a 2 x 12 will be better. Most of the time this will be correct, but there will be times when this will add more weight to the rest of the building, with the possibility of creating structural problems later on down the road. |