Identify Roof Frame And Bearing

Local building practices are also considered to identify load bearing points such as the use of floor or roof trusses conventional framing lumber manufactured members or a combination of these.

Identify roof frame and bearing.

Due to the triangular shape of all but flat roofs the rafters or joists will run perpendicular. Side walls are primary load bearing walls in simple gable end framing but hip roofs and complex roof lines depend on more than just the side walls. In addition note the position of the ridge or peak of the roof. The roof trusses are too long to span the whole house so the load bearing wall runs down the center of the house to support the.

For example a gable end truss may be designed with support members that transmit the roof weight load outward to the side walls allowing the end wall directly below it to have breaks or openings in it that would otherwise be impossible. Load bearing walls inside the building typically run parallel to the ridge. There may be other load bearing walls that are not so obvious to the layman which is why an on site assessment by a building professional is crucial. Engineered roof truss systems may be designed to eliminate the need for load bearing walls or change where the bearing walls are located.

2 locate the floor joists that run across the. Go into the basement or the lowest level of a building to identify interior load bearing walls.