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Rafter load capacity

Home Improvement Asked by Eric Simpson on February 22, 2021

I have a 1929 craftsman house with dimensional 2×4 rafters on 24″ centers. They’re about 13.5 ft long, spanning 11.5 ft each (measured horizontally, wall to ridge beam) at a 7:12 pitch. About 25% of them have diagonal 2×4 bracing tying them to either the center interior wall or ceiling joists (also 2×4) over interior walls. The top of the rafters were angle cut to sit flat against the 1×6 ridge beam, then nailed through the ridge into the end of the rafters. (I know, definitely not up to current standards.) Over the years, 3 consecutive rafters split at the top end (maybe a tree branch fell on the roof?). I’ve sistered the top 6 feet on 2 of them with additional 2×4’s, screws, and plates and plan to do the 3rd one soon. The roof decking is 1×6’s and 1×8’s nailed on top of the rafters. Besides a few knots and a couple split decking boards, the are no apparent soft spots or sags in the roof. It currently has 2 layers of 3-tab shingles.

I need to re-shingle the roof. I want to strip the existing shingles, add deck and ridge vents, and go back with an impact resistant dimensional shingle with a long warranty but I’m concerned about the weight. I’ve read that some can weigh over 400lb per square (100 square feet). A couple roofers I asked out for bids also said I would have to add 15/32″ plywood or osb decking to ensure the nails have something to hold to, not empty knot holes or gaps between the current decking boards.

I’m in the central United States, Kansas City. We normally get 6-8″ of snow on the ground, but occasionally up to 24-30″ of heavy wet snow. We also routinely get 60-80 mph wind gusts with thunderstorms, sometimes higher.

Will the 2×4 rafters support the weight of the dimensional shingles, possible additional decking, and snow? Since not all the roofers recommended the additional decking, would that increase the roof strength, or is it an unnecessary added load?

One Answer

Your roofers are correct in adding plywood or osb board I order to maintain the roofing warranty. If there is a “blow off” the manufacturer will not honor the warranty if the nails are not installed correctly, including the minimum required thickness of the roof sheathing, which is 1/2”. (1x6 boards is not acceptable because of the number of gaps between boards means the nails could miss the lumber and be installed in the gaps, and thus no withdrawal holding power.)

We design for the exceptional not the standard. So, your occasional 24” deep snow will translate to 30 - 35 lbs. per square foot Live Load plus about 15 lbs. per square foot Dead Load (roof sheathing, roofing, etc.).

Your 2x4 roof joists (even the older larger ones like you have) will only span about 9’, depending on the species and grade. However, the occasional diagonal 2x4 brace will help, but your roof joists are over stressed.

I’d also be alarmed about the connection at the ridge. High winds could “suck” the joists off the roof with just nailing. I’d use Simpson joist clips to hold the roof together.

Answered by Lee Sam on February 22, 2021

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