Removing Attic Braces

The studs would run through the middle of the frame.

Removing attic braces.

Sagging rafters are a sign that a house is in serious trouble. They don t look as if they were meant to be permanent so i wanted to know if from a structural standpoint they are really needed. I added a picture of the roof directly above the brace i am asking about. Click the images to enlarge into a new window.

Purlins as shown in sample photos below are installed for rafter support. Bracing for the roof frame can. I laid on my back to take the shot in that picture the roof slopes downward to the right. These give the sheathing something flat to lay against.

If the roof slope is steeper than 9 inches in 12 inches of run it doesn t take much width to end up with a nice room 12 feet wide with an 8 foot ceiling. You can see perpendicular cross braces above the trusses between the trusses and the roof sheathing. When sagging gets too severe it can lead to roof collapse and once the roof goes the house won t last for long. An important notation is that the purlin bracing should be off of walls or beams as needed.

I have this above my own garage. The problem is that there are 1x4 braces where i want to put my 2x4 studs. Attic trusses have a rectangular shape inside each truss. Prevent this unfortunate series of events by bracing your rafters to make them sturdy and resistant to snow loads and wind.

The braces struts or kickers should be within every 4 and should not be at a greater than a 45 degree angle towards the roof slope lower side. I want to run 4 horizontal 2x4s and add a plywood sheet to use as storage in my attic. In order to gain space while still supporting the roof adequately you will need to build a short support or pony wall to run along each side of your attic before removing the the webbing braces in your trusses. Tape measure chalk line 2 by 4 inch boards.

Look at this photo of the space created by attic trusses at my home. Let s start our discussion by looking at the proper way to brace an attic.