Roofing 101 Gabled Roof.

Roof framing is one of those carpenter skills that appears quite complicated, and indeed, some roof designs are difficult. Roofs are basically five types: shed, gable, hip, gambrel and mansard. Another common design in the Northeast is the saltbox, !hich is a gable roof !ith one longer side. "hese days cut#ups, or roofs !ith a lot of valleys, dormers and other features, are increasingly popular. $n many cases !ith purchased house plans, the details of the roof construction, including rafter design, are included. %re#constructed trusses have also become increasingly popular. "hey are constructed at a factory to match your building and delivered on site. "hey do, ho!ever, require extra manpo!er and lifting equipment to install in place. &ou can also build your o!n trusses if you have the equipment, or can rent the equipment to install them. %iece#by#piece rafter'roof construction, ho!ever, is still the more common construction method for many buildings. (imple roofs, such as a shed or the common gable, are fairly easy to construct, even !ithout plans, if you understand the basics and a little geometry. Roofs are framed in five basic designs: shed, gable, hip, gambrel and mansard. The gable is the most common, and it can be complicated with multiple roof lines, including valleys and dormers. $n order to build any but a shed#type roof, including trusses, you)ll need to first determine a fe! factors* the span, rise, run and line length. +or a shed roof you only need to kno! the rise, span and line length. (pan is the measurement across the building from outside supporting !all to outside supporting !all. Run is half the distance of the span. Rise is the measurement from the centerline of the span to the top of the roof line. ,ine length is the measurement from the outside of the supporting !all line to the centerline of the roof at the top of the rise. -asically you)re !orking !ith a triangle !ith t!o legs and the line length for a hypotenuse. The framing of a basic gable roof is based on a right-angle triangle, and the various roof framing components fit the triangle. The rise, or height of the roof at its peak, is the altitude of the triangle; the run, or half the building span, is the base of the triangle; and the line length, measurement from the roof peak to the building wall, is the hypotenuse. &ou !ill also need to kno! the desired pitch of the roof. %itch is the slope or angle from the !all plate to the roof ridge line. %itch can vary a great deal, from a shallo! slope up to a very steep pitch. %itch for a gable roof, the most common, is generally .'/ or .'0* !hich is equal to .'/ or .'0 the total span of the building, not counting any overhang. %itch also has its o!n denotation, determined by the rise in inches in .1 inches. +or instance a /'.1 pitch denotes a roof rising / inches for each .1 inches. 2aving the correct pitch is important. $n many instances, a certain pitch may be necessary or even required by local codes. %itch is determined by sno! loads, other !eather factors and the covering to be applied to the roof. +or those in the northern parts of the country, an 3 in .1 pitch, or more, is commonly used to keep excessive sno! loads off the roof. "hose in the southern climates may utili4e lo!er pitches. "he minimum pitch, ho!ever, that can be used !ith many roofing materials such as asphalt shingles or corrugated metal is 0 in .1 50'.1 pitch6. +or lo!er pitches, a built#up or continuous roll roofing must be applied to keep the roof !aterproof.

Pitch is the amount of angle or slope the roof has. This is denoted two ways, a !" or !# pitch in fractions, and a $! % pitch in inches, which means the roof rises $ inches for each % inches of run. & framing s'uare is traditionally used for laying out the roof and determining pitch. Rafter ,ayout "his article !ill discuss a gable roof, !ithout valleys or dormers, because it)s the most common and the easiest for a first#time builder to tackle. After you determine the rise, span, run, line length and pitch, the next step is to lay out the rafters, or mark the cuts on a pattern rafter to create the roof. "here are three basic cuts used in creating the rafter* the plumb cut at the top of the rafter !here it fits against the ridge plate* the tail cut that creates the outside edge of the building eaves* and the bird)s mouth, !hich positions the rafter on the top of the !all plate. 7e !ill sho! t!o methods of laying out rafters* one using a traditional framing 51# foot6 square, and the second using the ne! 8.2. 2anson %ivot (quare.

2old the framing square !ith the manufacturer)s name up* this is called the face of the square, and the opposite side is the back. "he long arm of the square is the blade, and the short arm is the tongue. $n the example !e)ll use a .'0 pitch as sho!n in the dra!ing belo!, this means a rise of 3 inches for each .1 inches of run 5an 3'.1 pitch roof6. "he first step is to lay the square on the end of the rafter board and locate 3 inches on the tongue 5the rise6, and .1 inches on the blade 5the unit of run6. 9easure from the point on the blade to the point on the tongue :it should be ./#;'.< inches. 9ultiply this by the run of the building. 7e)re using .= feet in this example, excluding the overhang. "he resulting figure is .//#.'1 inches. 7e add .1 inches for the overhang to get a final figure of .><#.'1 inches. & framing s'uare is used to lay out the rafters. ?xamine the rafter board to determine if there is any curve or cro!n in the

board. &ou should make this first pattern rafter on the straightest board you can find. $f there is any curve in the board, lay out the rafter so the cro!n is up or facing a!ay from you. ?xperience has sho!n that the !eight of the roof !ill gradually flatten this cro!n. 5$f the cro!n !ere to be positioned do!n, the roof could eventually sag.6 "hen lay out the rafter as sho!n on the next page. Rafter ,ayout !ith a +raming (quare "his example is for a roof !ith an 3'.1 pitch %osition the square at the end of the rafter board, !ith the tongue on your left and facing a!ay from you. %osition the square !ith both the 3 inch on the outside edge of the tongue and the .1 inch on the blade on the upper edge of the board. 9ark along the backside of the tongue. "his is the plumb cut for the roof ridge. 9easure form the top of this line do!n the board to determine the line length, or length of the rafter, less @ the ridge board. "his commonly is a 1#by or .#.'1#inch board, so the measurement is less A inches. Also exclude the overhang at this point. 2olding the square in the same position as before, mark do!n to the side of the tongue. "his marks the plumb cut at the inside of the house !all for the notch 5called a bird)s mouth6 to seat the rafter one the !all plate. Add the length of the overhang beyond this mark and mark it. Note the square is turned over. $n the example sho!n this is .1 inches. 8ut the rafter at the ridge line and at the overhang line. "hen hold the square on the plumb line that marks the bird)s mouth. Betermine the !all thickness or depth of the bird)s mouth cut and make a mark. 8ut the notch, first !ith a handsa! or portable circular sa!, and then finish the cut !ith a handsa!.

Another method of laying out the rafter !ith the square is called stepping off. Cnce the plumb cut is marked, simply move the square .1 inches and mark another plumb cut. 8ontinue moving do!n the rafter and marking plumb cuts, including any odd figures. (ne method of laying out rafters with a s'uare is called )stepping off.* 8ut the %attern 9ake a duplicate rafter from the pattern. "hen lay the rafters out on a smooth, flat surface, !ith a 1#by bet!een them at the ridge line. 9easure to make sure the rise, run and span are correct. &ou may !ish to test these on the building before cutting the rest of the rafters. Cnce you)re sure these t!o pattern rafters are correctly cut, mark them as patterns and mark and cut the necessary number of rafters. $f the building has hanging or fly rafters for the gable ends, cut them as !ell. "hey do not, ho!ever, have the bird)s mouth cut. 9ake sure you carefully follo! the pattern rafter. A number of years ago $ !as constructing a t!o#story building. Cne carpenter laid out and began to cut the rafters. 2e became ill from the extreme heat of the day and another carpenter took over for the last third of the rafters. 7hen the roof framing !as completed and decking installed, there

!as a built#in sag. $ don)t kno! if the second carpenter didn)t use the pattern rafter, or simply !asn)t as precise, but it !as a costly mistake. %ivoting (quare 9ethod "he ne! 8.2. 2anson %ivot (quare makes the chore of laying out a roof quite simple. $ !ish $ had this tool a number of years and buildings ago. "his quality tool is basically a small adDustable square. $t comes !ith its o!n heavy#duty belt holder that is also designed to hold a carpenter)s pencil and the instruction booklet. The new +.,. ,anson Pivot -'uare makes it eady to lay out rafters. this 'uality tool comes with its own belt pouch and has dividers for the s'uare, an instruciton manual and a carpenter.s pencil. "he %ivot (quare has three edges corresponding to the three sides of a triangle. Begrees and rise are marked on a blade attached to the pivoting arm. 7ith the common rise figures facing you, and the raised fence on the right, the bottom represents the base of the triangle 5the run6 and the right side the altitude 5the rise6. "he long adDustable edge represents the hypotenuse of the triangle, or the line length. "he %ivot (quare can be set to any !hole number pitch from .'.1 to .1'.1. (imply adDust the square to the desired pitch and lock in place !ith the knurled knob. &ou can then use the square to transfer the angle for the cut to the lumber. Cr you can hold the square in place and use it as a sturdy guide for running a portable circular sa!. Cne great feature is that the pitch is also marked on the tool in degrees of angle. Betermine the pitch, then you can set a miter sa! or compound miter sa! to make cuts in degrees that conform to the desired pitch. "he %ivot (quare can also be used to lay out pitches steeper than .1'.1, as !ell as to lay out hip#valley rafters. "hese figures are determined on the back side of the square. "his tool takes a lot of the figuring and guessing out of creating hips and valleys. And, the tool is even more versatile and can be used for other cuts as !ell. A series of numbers run along the center of the graduated arc of the adDustable blade on both sides of the tool. ?ach of these numbers represents the complement of the corresponding angle along the edge. "he sum of these t!o figures al!ays equal E= degrees. +or instance, !hen you set the square for 1= degrees, the complementary angle of ;= is directly aligned. &ou can make the 1=#degree cut follo!ing the set angle, flip the tool over and make the complementary ;=#degree cut to create a perfect E= degrees. "he square also comes !ith three leveling vials !hich make it easy to measure the pitch of existing structures. "o measure pitch, first position the hypotenuse of the square on the roof, running straight up the pitch. 9ake sure it)s not off angle because of the shingle edges. &ou may use a /#foot level to set it on for more accurate measurements. "he outer end, or number E on the hypotenuse or adDustable blade, should be at the top or upper side of the pitch. ,oosen the lock and adDust the square until the level vial on the base reads level, then lock the setting. &ou can no! read the pitch and degrees on the Beg. 8ommon Rise scale of the square. "o lay out a rafter !ith the%ivot (quare, first determine the pitch and set the square to the correct pitch on the Beg. 8ommon Rise scale. %osition the square !ith the base or raised edge on top of the rafter board. 9ark the plumb line for the ridge line cut near the end of the rafter board. 9easure the length of line on the rafter 5less .'1 the ridge board6, and

make another plumb line mark parallel to the first. Betermine the rafter overhang, move the square to that position and make another plumb cut mark. "o create the bird)s mouth cut, position the square at the bottom of the middle plumb line !ith the altitude side against the plumb cut and mark across the board using the square base, and beginning at the bottom of the plumb cut. Cnce this level line is established, measure and mark the !all thickness, plus about .'/#inch for any slight imperfections along the level line. "hen use the square to dra! a short plumb line parallel to the others, do!n from this mark to the bottom edge of the board. "his completes the bird)s mouth layout. To begin layout with the ridge board plumb cut, set the ad/ustable angle-blade to the desired pitch. Position the s'uare in place and mark for the cut. 0ake a second plumb cut at the line length measurement on the rafter. ,old the s'uare in place with the base along the plumb cut line, and mark the level line of the bird.s mouth. Turn the s'uare back in place for the plumb cut to complete the bird.s mouth and to mark the tail cut. 1ou can also hold the s'ure in place and use it as a portable circular saw guide. +raming $ssues "hese days) !ider rafters are often used than are suitable for the fascia, so the tail of the rafter is also cut to create a narro!er, more suitable fascia board. "his requires laying out a level line on the tail of the rafter. "o do this, do not make the tail cut until this has been established. Bra! the sub fascia and finish fascia board on the end of the rafter and against the plumb tail cut. Fse the bottom edges of these boards to mark the level line cut. Again, once all cuts have been marked, cut the pattern rafters, test and you)re ready to erect the roof framing. 2n some instances the bottom edge of the rafters are also cut with a level line. 3ay these out as shown. To erect the rafters, use temporary ridge board braces. -efore beginning the framing, determine rafter location on both top plates and mark them using a framing square. "he small or tongue side of the square is .#.'1 inches !ide so you can mark the locations of both sides of the rafters to guide the installation. 4asten the rafters to the ridge board and the bird.s mouth to the top wall plate, and add collar ties. "he easiest method of erecting the rafters is to make temporary braces of 1#by materials. "hese should be the height of the building !alls, plus the rise. Fse only enough supports for the first length of ridge board. Rip the ridge board to the correct !idth to meet the rafter !idths at the ridge. 8reate a saddle at the top !ith the braces the height of the building !alls, plus rise, less the !idth of the ridge board. -race these supports in the centerline of the building. %osition a ridge board do!n in the saddles of the supports. Align the top plumb cut !ith the ridge board, and align the heal cut of the bird)s mouth !ith the inside of the !all. Nail the rafter in place. As the rafters are installed, add any supports needed or required by code, such as collar ties or center supports. 8ontinue erecting rafters until you reach the end of the firs piece of ridge board. "hen move the temporary braces for the next ridge board and continue installing rafters.

7ith the rafters in place, the gable end framing uses vertical studs, or blocking, positioned directly over the !all studs and supported by the end top plates. "hey are notched to fit around the gable#end rafters. After the sheathing is installed, hanging or fly rafters are then installed. Roof framing doesn)t have to be daunting, but if it)s your first try, a simple gable roof, say on a garden shed, is the best bet. 4inish the end walls with blocking studs, notched to fit around the rafters and fastened to the top plate. Remove the temporary collar ties. %ages: . 1 0 / >Next %age G Bisplay All G

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