Hi, I live in a 1930's end terrace with a hipped roof. To do a full loft conversion would require planning, fire regs, a new gable end wall and about £30k. So I just want to 'clean up' the space to use as an occasional office/storage accessed via a pull down ladder. I intend to fit a velux, insulate and palsterboard it so it become a cleaner more usable space.
The problem is there are two horizontal beams (2"x4"s) that run the depth of the house, v cut and nailed to the underside of the perlins. They pass right through the most usable part of the space so I need to remove them. My neighbour said they were just there to support things while the roof was being constructed and that you can just take them out. I'm not sure but it's difficult to see what role they play other than to stop the perlins moving apart which is odd because if anything wouldn't the forces be pushing in under the weight of the tiles? Anyone out there know what they are for and if I can remove them?
Chris