Roof Ridge Beam Support

To easily deal with the end wall thrust go to a hip roof and wrap the top with a 1 4 by 1.

Roof ridge beam support.

The sloped roof joists span between two pinned points. One at the envelope of the structure on top of a framed wall or a header the other at the peak of the structure on top of the ridge beam. A structural ridge beam is a horizontal beam placed at the peak or ridge of a roof and is designed to carry much of the live and dead loads or weight of the roof structure by itself. Once again you will need to look at your local charts and use your local snow load factor to determine the maximum span for a given wood rafter size.

A new 4 4 column will support the ridge beam at the center of exterior kitchen wall. The loads on the ridge beam are carried by vertical posts at the beam ends down through the building structural walls to the building foundation. The ridge beam could also be flush with the joists the ridge beam is typically a larger member like a 4 x 12 and carries the gravity load of the roof joists just as the bearing wall or header does at the envelope. Look at it this way say 40 inch load at the ridge look at your 3 4 sheathed roof as a big 8 ft high 3 8 thick beam laid flat down to a 4 12 slope an eyeball number you better check shows that a less than 1000psi plywood would be sufficient with staggered middle edges and 2x6 rafters to keep em flat however you then have about 6000 pounds of lateral thrust at each end wall to deal with.

The ridge board must be set as perfectly as possible so take your time and use careful measurements. Conditions for which a ridge beam is required are described after discussion of a basic gable roof. A ridge beam is a structural member used to support the ends of the rafters at the ridge transferring it s loads to posts or gable end walls. Ridge beam sizing is based on the span of the beam between supports and the amount of roof load supported by the beam.

First we fueled up with some vegan breakfast sandwiches. You will need a roof beam as a nailing surface to support the rafters. Typically the roof beam is made by nailing together a few pieces of dimensional lumber. A classic example of the exposed ridge beam structure can be seen on our magnolia.

Although the names are unfortunately similar a ridge beam serves a much different purpose than a ridge board. The difference between them is that a ridge beam is a structural member that bears half of the live and dead loads of the rafters on either side of it but a ridge board is not structural. The ridge board runs the length of the building and provides support for the tops of the rafters helping the whole roof structure work together as a system. The ridge board is installed to provide a bearing point where the rafters meet and it also helps with alignment along the ridge.

Today we will continue any miscellaneous demolition necessary to install the roof support beam. Yes either a ridge board or a ridge beam is necessary and required by the building code where roof rafters meet at the the center of their span. Ridge beams are required by code if the roof slope is less than 3 in 12 irc section r802 3. A structural ridge beam is required when independent support for high ends of rafters is necessary.