Attic question

[wsiegel]

OK guys, I need some opinions. 1951 house - as you can see from the pictures there have been 3 2x4's added for support. What you may not be able to see is the beams they are sitting on have twists about 30 degrees. One of the 2x4's is basically sitting on the upper corner of the beam only.

The next picture of the block wall is showing some displacement. Two of the blocks are moved out about 1 1/2 inch.

Looks to me like this was a non engineered repair that could become troublesome in the future. I am deferring to an SE. Just wanted to get your thoughts on my opinion and what, if any, reasons could have caused this.

Thanks

[tdietrich1]

I've seen in the past, where home owners tried to compensate for rafter sage by putting in braces. The rafters are designed to transfer weight to the outside walls, and once the braces when tn it transferred weight down to ceiling joists and cracked walls.

2x4's seem cheaper than doubling up the rafters.

tom

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

Originally Posted by wsiegel

Looks to me like this was a non engineered repair that could become troublesome in the future. I am deferring to an SE. Just wanted to get your thoughts on my opinion and what, if any, reasons could have caused this.

Conventional framing doesn't require "engineering."

[wsiegel]

So are these "repairs" sufficient??

[Kenton H. Shepard, CMI]

ROOF FRAMING
Those posts are a poor substitute for a purlin assembly, which would be a 2x 6 or 8 strongback running perpendicular to the rafters, square to the pitch with one edge touching the bottom of the rafters.

The strongback would be supported by 2x4 purlin braces which are basically posts that rest upon the tops of walls and are nailed through the strongback and to the sides of the rafters. braces are usually installed every 2nd or 3rd rafter.

If the posts in the photos are resting on ceiling joists, the result over time will be sagging rafters and a sagging ceiling. Posts must bear on the tops of walls. If they bear on ceiling joists, they should be corrected so that the roof is stabile.

Any qualified contractor or carpenter can correct that situation. An engineer will be a waste of money.

BLOCK FOUNDATION WALL
The CMU block wall looks like it was sloppily built. It looks like the mason didn't know the height at which to provide support for floor framing, so he left out blocks in certain areas. When they framed the floor they stuck in the handiest block that would fit. What supports the floor?

[Peter C. Russell]

It looks to me that the framing has been compromised to allow for the wiring and the PVC. That was not installed in the 50s.

It also looks like some refrigerant lines or something else, can't tell but these where not there when the house was built and this seems to be a homeowner fix to support the ceiling.

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

Are they adequate? Possibly.

Originally Posted by kshepard

Those posts are a poor substitute for a purlin assembly, which would be a 2x 6 or 8 strongback running perpendicular to the rafters, square to the pitch with one edge touching the bottom of the rafters.

I completely agree. . .

[jking2]

What about the ceiling joists that end (were they cut off?) in the middle of nowhere? If this is a gabled roof, there has to be something spanning from eave to eave to hold the house together so that the weight of the roof will not push the exterior walls out.

[ajewell]

Were there any collar ties? I didn't see them in the picture.