Wood Beam Roof Construction

A structural ridge beam is a horizontal beam placed at the peak or ridge of a roof and is designed to carry much of the live and dead loads or weight of the roof structure by itself.

Wood beam roof construction.

Construction beams are horizontal weight bearing supports that bridge an area. A newer type of beam than the more traditional materials a composite roof beam can be made from several different materials to make the beam lighter and stronger and less prone to rotting warping or cracking. There are many advantages to be gained through the use of the plank and beam system of framing. Beams of more than one ply must be fastened together with either nails or bolts.

They are designed by the manufacturer for each specific building. Pre manufactured roof trusses come in a wide variety of styles. Built up roof beams you will need a roof beam as a nailing surface to support the rafters. A roof beam is generally a length of wood steel or aluminum that holds up a roof meant to keep rain snow and other elements out of the house.

In homes you ll find beams in walls floors ceilings roofs decks and garages. Typically the roof beam is made by nailing together a few pieces of dimensional lumber. They are attractive interesting durable and strong. If you re planning to do your own home renovations consult a structural engineer about what kind of beams to use.

Contact us online or call 800 816 0335. The loads on the ridge beam are carried by vertical posts at the beam ends down through the building structural walls to the building foundation. In many houses the roof planks serve as the ceiling thereby provid. Heavy timber rafters typically spaced 240 cm 8 ft to 370 cm 12 ft apart are called principal rafters.

The 2012 irc code calls for a minimum of a 32 o c. Conventional roof framing is used with plank and beam construction a header should be installed to carry the load from the rafters to the posts. Once again you will need to look at your local charts and use your local snow load factor to determine the maximum span for a given wood rafter size. Such methods use a 4 foot design module which governs a 16 inch spacing of joists.

Treated mechanical beams are constructed based on the required load and span and are composed of layers of treated timbers or lumber held together by an ultra high quality glue and fastened with high strength hardware. Wood construction data 1. The first approach to achieving a strong durable struc ture involving economical use of materials is to follow a basic modular plan for layout and attachment of framing members. Use the span tables below to determine allowable lengths of joists and rafters based on size and standard design loads.

We have learned from our experience to use at least a 3 1 4 x 131 groove shank nail in a column of four every foot apart down the laminate. Details for conventional wood frame construction. Timber trusses also are built in a variety of styles using wood or metal joints.