Attic Support Structure

This photo indicates a properly installed knee wall in a attic for additional support to roof structure.

Attic support structure.

Flooring your attic is the best way to add space to your home at a low cost. This attic structure needs additional support and was most likely repaired by a non professional. This is made up of ceiling joists typically 2x6 or larger boards. If your attic joists won t bear the weight necessary to finish out a living space but the engineer cleared them to support floor decking for light storage you can install inch plywood or.

Once we look to make the attic livable space the existing ceiling joists usually will not meet the. Attic truss repair 01. Typically ceiling joists are 2 6 or 2 8. They are designed to carry only the weight of the drywall or plaster depending on the age of your home.

As long as they are not damaged the joists should be strong enough to allow you to move around in the attic for an inspection and to provide storage for typical boxed items. How to brace rafters in an attic. Once the structure has passed the building inspection you can run electrical plumbing. The roof is subject to pressure placed on it by natural forces including snow rain.

Certain conditions must be met before an attic truss can be built. If required by local code. In this situation the walls of a finished attic space or room would go with the roof line. Collar tie used for adding additional support to attic roof supports.

The red lines on the left side indicate the knee wall. Proper roof structure is a must the first requirement for an attic conversion is to have the right roof structure in place. Homeowners cannot take chances with the structural integrity of their roofs. The structure should be sufficiently wide to allow for a loft and attic spaces the loft area must be on a living floor and have attic rooms on both sides separated by knee walls a flat ceiling in the loft area and a floor below steep enough roof pitch to provide appropriate ceiling height for the loft area.

If your roof is supported by w shaped trusses it will either be too expensive or practically impossible to create living space out of the attic. Extra support for the trusses can be made by placing a 2 by 4 inch piece of lumber from each truss on one side to the truss on the other side high enough to provide head room but low enough to provide support for the trusses.