Gable Roof Framing Cathedral Ceiling

If you are framing a cathedral ceiling there are a couple ways to deal with the need for rafter ties.

Gable roof framing cathedral ceiling.

These horizontal framing members tie a building s outer walls together and resist the outward force exerted by the roof rafters in conventional framing. To avoid these problems in a structure with a cathedral ceiling it helps to understand how a typical roof frame works. A plain flat ceiling gable is actually a procession of light trusses usually spaced 16 in. 406mm o c or support more than a roof and ceiling or exceed 8 feet 2438 mm in height for exterior walls and load bearing walls or 10 feet 3048 mm for interior non load bearing walls.

But a gable roof also requires some form of horizontal. The gable truss should be the same scissor profile as the common scissor. The trick in framing a vaulted ceiling is figuring out what to do with the ceiling joists. Finally when a cathedral or a vaulted ceiling or any gable roof is framed without either an engineered structural ridge ceiling joists or rafter ties or an engineered solution some amount of ridge sag and wall kick out is guaranteed.

A standard triangular roof known as a gable roof is framed using rafters which are diagonal members that support the roofing materials. Without joists the walls can bow outward and the roof ridge line may sag. In conventional gable roof framing the slope of the roof is formed by rafters that run diagonally downward from the peak of the roof to the tops of the exterior walls of the building. You can possibly remove them altogether of you include posts in the gable walls to support a structural ridge.

The simple 6 12 gable roof is composed of actual 2x6 rafters 24 oc sheathed with 1 2 plywood and covered with asphalt shingles. Old cottage cathedral ceiling i have a 50 year old seasonal cottage in a northern climate. Each truss is composed of two opposing rafters and a ceiling joist. There is no insulation in the ceiling and i suspect little to no effective insulation in the 2x4 walls.