Home Building And Repairs

Why Your Roof Framing Ridge Might Not Be Level And How To Fix It - Improving Your Carpenter Skills


The video discusses common mistakes that can cause an uneven ridge and offers solutions for how to address them.

It opens with Greg explaining a problem he encountered as a carpenter when the mason placed a footing in the wrong spot. This caused one of the posts to be off-plumb, which created issues when framing the roof.

According to the video, there are two main reasons why a roof framing ridge might not be level:

The footings are not located in the correct spots: This can happen if the mason who lays the foundation makes a mistake. Even a small mistake in positioning the footings can cause problems later on in the construction process.

One or more of the posts is not plumb: This can be caused by a number of factors, such as using a level that is not working correctly.

The video goes on to show how these problems can manifest themselves in the roof framing. For example, if one of the posts is not plumb, the roof rafters will not be sitting on the same plane. This will cause the ridge to be pushed over to one side.

The video also discusses two different ways to fix a roof framing ridge that is not level:

Extend the seat cut on the side that is not plumb: This will involve making the notch in the rafter that sits on the beam a little bit longer. This will compensate for the fact that the beam is not level.

Change the length of the roof rafters to match the width of the building: This is the method that Greg used to fix the problem he encountered. It involves cutting the roof rafters on one side of the building to a different length than the roof rafters on the other side. This will ensure that the ridge is level and that the overhangs on both sides of the building are the same size.

The video concludes by emphasizing the importance of making sure that the building foundation is square and that all of the posts and walls are plumb in the first place. This will help to avoid problems with the roof framing later on.

Overall, this video is a helpful resource for carpenters and DIYers who are looking to learn more about how to frame a roof. The video provides clear explanations of common problems and offers practical solutions for how to fix them.

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