How many cross-ties, if any?

[Kenton H. Shepard, CMI]

Originally Posted by escanlan

The struts (braces) for the purlins are not adequately placed. The struts should be every 4' - 6' apart. It's obvious these are not.

That's true for modern homes... and the braces must bear on top of a wall, not on top of ceiling joists, and the tops of the braces should be nailed to the sides of rafters. I see purlins installed just like these in the photos often.

The two 2x4's running across are neither rafter ties (tie the bottoms of opposing rafters together)nor collar ties (installed in the upper third of the roof) and are a sign of someone not knowing what they were doing. Many, many older homes were built without collar ties and I would never call their missing as a defect in an older home unless I saw failure which I could relate to a lack of collar ties.

Here in Colorado, I often see 2x4 rafters in older homes that have significant spans. Very common in older homes, many of which also have no ridge, not a concewrn if rafters oppose. Sign of failure is key. Mention that it does not meet modern framing standards.
Whether or not it's structurally adequate if there are no signs of failure would be a structural engineer's call, but if it's an older home and has successfully withstood the test of time, I call failures or defects, not failure to meet modern standards

[Jeffery L. Haynes]

The above picture is precisely why I left the north.......lol



Heads won out........lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gg5XV...eature=related