5 Things You Need to Know If You Want to Modify Your Roof to a Vaulted Ceiling

Construction & Contractors Blog

If you want to remodel your home so you have a vaulted ceiling, you may need to make adjustments to your current roof trusses. Before you get started, here's what you need to know.

1. Roof Design Software Can Help

To guide you along the way, you may want to check out some roof design software. With that, you can put in the specifications of your roof, but instead of replicating your current design, you can let the software know that you plan to create a vaulted ceiling.

Then, you can look at the plans generated by the software and use that as a guide so you know where you need to add structural support.

2. Your Roof Rafters Are Probably Not Holding Up Your Roof

If you are trying to eliminate your attic to change your ceiling to a vaulted one, it's important to realize that you can't just remove the floorboards and expect the roof rafters to hold up the roof. In most cases, with attics, the roof rafters aren't supporting the whole weight of the roof.

Rather, they are being supporting by the walls of your home and the floor beams of our attic. There may also be small boards tying together the floorboards and the rafters.

3. You Can Add Support to Your Rafters

Luckily, it is possible to reinforce your rafters. In most cases, you simply need to pair the existing rafters with larger planks. You also need to ensure that you connect the planks to a structural element for support.

4. There Are Multiple Structural Options

In terms of supporting your newly strengthened rafters, you have a few different options. If you like, you can add bottom chords. Chords are long pieces of timber that run from end to end in the area where you want the vaulted roof.

If you feel that clutters up the look, there are multiple truss designs that can work. For example, scissor designs are popular. With this design, there are extra timber trusses that run from your ridge board to the edge of your rafters. They are angled so that you can maintain as much height as possible with your ceilings.

5. Ridge Boards Don't Provide Structural Support

If you have a ridge board in your current attic, you need to replace it. Just like the rafters, this isn't a structural element, and it will not hold up the weight of a vaulted ceiling. Instead, you need a ridge board. The main difference is the width of these two elements.

To get help, contact a specialist in roof trusses and design. They can help you make the modifications you need. For more information, contact companies like Prefab Technology Pty Ltd.

Share

17 May 2017