# interior support for hip roof



## paul lloyd (Jul 12, 2011)

I am putting up a 20'x40' one level building that will have a conventional hip roof w/6-12 pitch, there will be ceiling joists 2x8x12 secured in the center and hung from the ridge beam by 2x4's. My question is: does this seem adequate to hold this roof up without having a load bearing support wall in the interior. My intentions are to have a wide open interior. Also I live in the northeast and the weight of snow may be a factor. Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks


----------



## AGWhitehouse (Jul 1, 2011)

cheapest and easiest way would likely be premanufatured trusses. They show up and get installed in one day.

If you want to "stick build it" and want a clear span I would recommend using continuous members for the ceiling in addition to collar ties. The ceiling joists and ties are under tensil loads and having a break in the middle only weakens them.

The tensil load is evident if you saw any of the roofs that collapsed in the NE this winter. The exterior walls splay out as the roof caves in. The joists & ties are what hold the walls together. Without joists or ties you will need a ridge beam to direcly support the roof loads.


----------



## DannyT (Mar 23, 2011)

i agree with AGWhitehouse that trusses are the way to go.


----------



## Daniel Holzman (Mar 10, 2009)

AG, I think you misread the OPS post. He stated he has a _ridge beam_. A ridge beam is a structural element designed to attach roof rafters to, often used where the design calls for a cathedral type ceiling. Collar ties are not typically needed, nor are they used, with ridge beams. Also, the ceiling joists are not under tension using a ridge beam (as opposed to using a ridge board). If the OPS incorrectly stated he has a ridge beam, and in fact has a ridge board (non-structural), this is a completely different discussion.

If I understand your plan correctly, you have an engineered ridge beam at the top of the house, presumably supported by columns on either end, with possibly one or more columns at midpoints. You propose to support the ceiling joists using 2x4 tension elements hung from the ridge beam. This is an interesting idea, one which I have never actually seen done in practice. It sounds like it could work, however you absolutely need to make sure that the ridge beam can handle the load of the roof plus the floor below. You also would have to make sure the connections for the 2x4's at both the top and bottom are adequate. Perhaps one of the framers on this forum has actually built a house this way, I would like to see some pictures, and some details on how it is done.


----------



## AGWhitehouse (Jul 1, 2011)

Daniel Holzman said:


> AG, I think you misread the OPS post. He stated he has a _ridge beam_.


I did read it, and maybe I assumed wrong. Alot of people I speak to that aren't readily familiar with framing call the ridge framing a "beam" whether it structurally is or not. Considering the OP didn't mention the ridge beam make-up but described all other aspects of the roof assembly, I assumed that the "beam" was the standard ridge of a single member for lateral stability. The last sentence of my post stated a "beam" would eliminate the tensil loads of a traditional roof truss-type frame.


----------



## DannyT (Mar 23, 2011)

it would have to be a pretty big beam to span 40 feet from end to end and support the roof and the ceiling


----------



## sixeightten (Feb 10, 2009)

It wont span end to end. It is a hip roof.


----------



## AGWhitehouse (Jul 1, 2011)

For a wide open plan, requested in the OP, it would either need to span the whole 40 feet and have a wall atop it at the ridge line, or you would need (3) 20 foot beams. One each across the structure at the hip ridge peaks and one along the ridge.

Either beam method is likely more expensive than pre-man trusses


----------



## DannyT (Mar 23, 2011)

ok its not going end to end. whats gonna hold up the ends of the beam if its 10 feet away from the wall? i guess that's why im not a framer:jester:


----------



## AGWhitehouse (Jul 1, 2011)

To clarify the beam confusion. The 40'-0" beam talked about is noted in the second scenario.

BLUE: Support beams at the ceiling level
GREEN: Support columns from ceiling level beam to ridge beam
RED: Ridge Beam
BLACK: Building perimeter


----------

