What Holds Up The Roof?

    Until anti-gravity technology becomes widely in use, the way the beams and studs are engineered is what holds up the roof. The roof is pressing down on the plywood which is pressing down on the rafters. The ends of the rafters are pressing down on the horizontal framing of the walls which presses down on the vertical studs. All this rests on the horizontal foundation boards, supported by concrete and, below that, compacted dirt or bedrock. It is a remarkable feat of physics with its balances and equilibrium.
    The load bearing beams supporting the roof can become dry rotted or termite damaged. If so, they would need to be replaced by supporting the roof, removing them and installing new wood.
    On a recent addition, the customer wanted the open look of beams far apart. In order to do this it is necessary to have an engineer do “load calculations” and a design that will properly support the roof and properly hold the structure together.
    In a different room addition we did, which was not perfect square – more like a wide piece of pie, we had to work with tricky angles. This required additional supports and metal straps and wood pieces to tie everything together. This meant more cuts of the wood, more screws, more straps, more bolts, etc.
    It all boils down to getting an architect, explaining what you want, deciding on your budget and what can be done within that budget. If you don’t have an architect, call us for a referral – (818) 548-8760.