Flat Wood Roof Framing

Think of a flattened hip roof.

Flat wood roof framing.

Steel has a much higher cost than wood nearly twice as much for materials. Old asbestos roofs are often replaced with flat roofs. Now that the walls are rigid from the structural sheathing we re going to tackle the framing the roof. The coating material for a slanted shed roof can be varied.

Wood vs steel framing. We re going to use 2x8 lumber to make the roof frame. So any timber joists that are used need to be strong enough to support this weight. A flat roof has a slope of 1 8 per foot to 2 12.

If you build a flat roof try to have it slope in multiple directions to drains or gutters. However it is also possible to build larger roofs using steel framing. Flat roofs are always built at a slight incline at least 1 8 inch per foot. Some roofs actually slope in several directions ensuring optimal water runoff.

Of course you don t need to live in a modern house to deal with a flat roof. You can do this with a foam layer that exactly fits your roof. Yet for historic modern style buildings like this old house s cambridge tv project flat roofs are at the core of the architecture meant to reflect the broad horizontal lines of the natural landscape. It must be clearly equals to thirty five degrees.

Sizes of joists needed for flat roof construction. As you may imagine there is a fair amount of weight involved here in terms of boards felt etc. When framing a flat roof you will need to create a slight incline. It is not ideal for snow or heavy rain but modern materials and proper drainage have helped.

Flat roofs aren t architecturally logical as rain and snow will shed much more quickly off a sloped roof. While most home builders will outsource the construction of roofing trusses the rafter supports of the roof itself learning to frame a roof yourself is one of the true arts of carpentry and a basic primer is covered below. This will help you create a flat roof framing plan. Framing a roof is the last step in framing new construction.

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