Roof Without Ridge Board

A ridge beam carries the loads of the rafters connected to it and must be both strong enough to carry the weight and well supported at the bearing points at each end to transfer the loads down to the ground.

Roof without ridge board.

For 2 x 4 rafters use a 2 x 6 ridge board. You don t need a ridge beam but you do need a way to keep the walls from spreading. A structural ridge is the standard alternative to ceiling joists. In most applications the ridge board is not structural and only serves as a convienience for the carpenters as they frame the roof.

Ridge beam sizing is based on the span of the beam between supports and the amount of roof load supported by the beam. For 2 x 6 rafters use a 2 x 8 ridge board and so on. This video shows how to make roof rafters with a rafter square and or a speed squ. In this design the tops of the rafters attach to a load bearing ridge beam that runs along the length of the roof.

Its only job is to provide a connection point for the roof joists on each side of the roof. A ridge board is a non structural member that serves as a prop for opposing rafters to rest against and connect to. First off yes it is a common practice to frame a roof with no ridgeboard. Because the ridge board is a smaller member typically only an inch thick sometimes even less it is not a structural member and doesn t carry the gravity load.

The ridge board s length will be the outside measurement of the building plus the length of the overhang at both ends. Ridge beams are required by code if the roof slope is less than 3 in 12 irc section r802 3. In conventional gable roof framing the slope of the roof is formed by rafters that run diagonally downward from the peak of the roof to the tops of the exterior walls of. Ridge board the engineering principles of the ridge board are a bit more complicated.

A ridge board was not always required and the photo above of the attic in a 1920s era house shows a roof framed without one. One collar tie would be enough in your case. Rafters and ridge boards.