Framing Roofs

by: Fine Homebuilding Magazine

Topics include: hip template, hip centerline, ridge plumb cut, side king commons, level seat cut, jack trusses, doubled valley, dormer roof planes, truss spacers, rafter jig, trimmer rafters, backing ridge, rafter stock, valley trusses, height above plate, structural rafters, measuring triangle, rafter template, cripple rafters, gable truss, main roof rafters, gable commons, dormer sidewalls, rafter horses, valley kit

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Book Description:

From Book News, Inc. Fifteen articles from the magazine provide step-by-step information on the basic design and safe construction of various types of roofs, bay windows, and dormers. Includes color illustrations, highlighted tips, and sources.Copyright 2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Book Description The For Pros By Pros titles are compilations of articles from Fine Homebuilding magazine, selected by the editors of the magazine and organized by subject. New articles from recent issues of the magazine have been added to this edition of Framing Roofs. Updated and redesigned throughout, this book gives builders the very best and current information.

Exact calculations and cuts in framing members, plus advice on working with trusses Accomplished roof framers rely on a variety of tools, techniques, and trade secrets to get the complex and dangerous job of roof framing done right. In Framing Roofs, a collection of articles from Fine Homebuilding magazine, you'll find out how the foremost framers work with speed and precision, and discover what it takes to master the craft of roof framing. Written by the pros who actually do the work, these articles will help you to: * design and build common, and not-so-common, residential roofs * lay out and cut valley rafters with compound angles * frame hips, valleys, eyebrows, and gable overhangs * calculate tricky measurements quickly and accurately * work safely and efficiently with roof trusses * wave time by using production techniques Formerly The Best of Fine Homebuilding: Framing Roofs, this newly revised edition features 30 percent new content, including the latest tools and techniques and updated photos and illustrations.

Table of Contents: Introduction Part 1: HIP AND GABLE ROOFS A Different Approach to Rafter Layout Framing a Gable Roof Framing a Hip Roof Ceiling Joists for a Hip Roof Framing a Dutch Roof Joining Unequally Pitched Roofs Simplified Valley Framing Part 2: DORMERS AND BAYS Framing a Bay Window with Irregular Hips Shed-Dormer Retrofit Raising an Eyebrow Framing a Bay-Window Roof Framing an Elegant Dormer A Gable-Dormer Retrofit Part 3: TRUSSES Raising Roof Trusses Building Hip and Valley Roofs with Trusses Credits Index

As a carpenter I came of age in the Midwest, where shallow roof pitches were as common as cornfields. When I finally got the chance to frame a steep roof, I got to frame it twice. The first time, my fellow carpenters and I gave in to the lure of Friday quitting time -- the promise of paychecks, cold beers, and two days off -- and we failed to brace the roof properly. A big storm blew in that weekend and folded up the roof like someone snapping shut a set of Venetian blinds. It was a somber crew that assembled around the splintered mess on Monday morning. Roofs are the most complicated and dangerous part of house framing. Geometry makes them complicated and height makes them dangerous. But roof framing is also pretty exciting. With the roof complete, you can stand back for the first time and see the building as the designer imagined it. And of course, framing a roof opens an umbrella over the house, protecting its vulnerable parts from the weather. It's no wonder that finishing a roof frame is a traditional point of celebration. The "topping-out" ceremony is usually marked by nailing an evergreen bough to the highest part of the frame. You won't find any advice on "topping-out" in this book. But you will find advice to help you deal with the complexities and dangers of roof framing. Written by builders from all over the country, the articles in this book were originally published in Fine Homebuilding magazine. If I had read these articles 20 years ago, that roof might never have blown over. --Kevin Ireton, editor-in-chief, Fine Homebuilding

Reviews:

no basics: Many of the chapters in this book are written by individual carpenters who "do things their own way". For instance, in the first chapter, the writer says to disregard previous techniques and use his method. In the 2nd and 3rd chapters, the writer talks about using power tools that are either outrageously expensive or not even avilable any more. Further, there is no discussion or summary of basic roof geometry and calculations. The tag phrase "for pros by pros" is quite misleading. It is merely 15 chapters of guys telling how THEY frame a roof. Anyone, even pro carpenters using this as a refresher, should start off with a tutorial on basic roof geometry, design, and construction methods. If you are looking for info on how to properly design and construct roof framing, don't waste your money on this one!

Good reference for stick roofs: In recent years, the roof has become the focal point of many NA homes. No longer content with simple styles, rangy, monstrous roofs are the norm. Additionally many of them are likely to be built with either trusses, or maybe manufactured wood sticks. These techniques shave dollars right into the developers pockets. And frankly have become the norm in the last 5 to 10 years. They aren't much covered in this book. The reality is that these new story and a half high, architect/engineer designed truss roofs, factory manufactured, and crew/crane installed are a little much for the average homeowner. On the other hand, if you want to cut your own roof, this comparatively recent book gives you all the info you will need to build 2x roofs in many styles. It's a good basic reference, that covers a lot of procedural detail. I find it very useful. If you are only looking for a roof's worth of studs, you will have no difficulty finding the materials for a stick built roof, of generally higher quality than the truss roofs so popular today.