Can I remove these boards from my attic rafters?

kev23f · 30-07-2013 2:54pm #1

Hi - i live in a bungalow with a truss roof. The rafters all have various amounts of scrap planks very roughly nailed across the rafters and trusses at various random angles and places. When i say scrap planks i really mean that - they are random sized, and look like they were pulled from a skip to be honest. They are very untidy looking and in the way in a lot of places, so i would like to remove them if possible, as i try increase the little storage space that we have.

I suspect these boards were just thrown together to keep the actual roof timbers in place while the roof was lifted into place and secured together, but i'm of course wary of removing random timbers from my rafters. Poorly labelled pictures of the planks in question are here and here.

Any advice? Thanks in advance.

biko · 30-07-2013 2:56pm

From your pics they don't seem to have any structural support role.

Big Davey · 30-07-2013 3:05pm

Don't remove any of the supports that you have marked with a pen they provide vital support to stop the roof spreading and then collapsing. You should never attempt anything like this without speaking to a structural engineer or architect first. They may not look important but they are important to the structural integrity of the roof.

kev23f · 30-07-2013 4:20pm

Thanks folks - i think i'll err on the side of caution, and leave the rafters alone. I'm sick of tidying up that attic anyway...

jack of all · 30-07-2013 5:27pm

Those timbers are braces to prevent racking of the roof trusses and should not be touched under any circumstances.

biko · 30-07-2013 6:10pm

Like purlins? But shouldn't they all be perfectly horizontal then?

jack of all · 30-07-2013 7:19pm

biko wrote: »

Like purlins? But shouldn't they all be perfectly horizontal then?

No, not related to purlins at all- purlins are found (generally speaking) in cut roof construction, that is a roof cut and built on site by a carpenter from individual timbers. Purlins are a load bearing beam designed to distribute roof load and allow for a smaller section of timber to be used for the rafters. The bracing timbers shown are required to provide racking strength to a roof made up from prefabricated roof trusses- without theses braces the individual trusses would simply fall down like a row of dominoes in the event of a storm. They provide triangulation to an otherwise weak structure. Brace sizes, locations and nailing are usually specified by the truss supplier and are an integral part of the roof design.

kev23f · 30-07-2013 10:03pm

thanks jack of all. For an integral part of the roof design, i wonder why they look so rough, and haphazardly placed. They are literally bashed in place with all sorts of nails and screws, are not sawn off neatly, and are in marked contrast to the rest of the roof beams. That said, I'll definitely take your (and others) advice here, and thank you again.

One shot on kill · 30-07-2013 11:51pm

I don't really see how there as rough as you make out.

Technicaly you can't take them out but you might be able to change them to a slightly different location to gain more space. But putting them back in with the same principal of triangulation.

jack of all · 31-07-2013 5:17am

The timbers probably look rough and haphazard to your eye, but remember they are rough-sawn boards, fixed on site (probably in the pissings of rain!), whereas the prefabbed roof trusses are factory made from planed timber. You could potentially relocate the bracing (whilst maintaining triangulation) but is it worth the effort? It would be a two man job to do this and quite awkward to move around the roof space now that it is covered in.

One shot on kill · 31-07-2013 8:44am

Back if you don't mind me saying your making it out that its open heart surgery up there.

Ye you need to be carefull ye triangulation needs to be keep in mind but it can be adjusted if the op wants to.

As I said early the boors in the picture shown. If there moved your not gonna gain space if there to rough looking change them. But it is the attic not a sitting room press.

kev23f · 31-07-2013 9:51am

Hi One shot..to answer your previous question, the pictures i've shown don't quite show how rough they can look in parts. But jack of all has explained how that might be - i've worked on sites before (plasterer) and can appreciate the mess and the rush that all trades sometimes have to work with. I think i've got good advice here , and have learned something new about roof timbers, and my own house, which is good. I guess it would be possible to move the planks to neater configurations but that's beyond my pay grade, and my willingness to stay up in that oven of an attic a minute longer. Thanks again all.

Can I remove these boards from my attic rafters?

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