Regulations for joining long rafters together Information, help and tips on many areas of roofing including trusses, tiling, venting, insulation etc....

[Welshiron]

Can anyone point me in the right direction for regs regarding joining rafters or perhaps offer some advice please? Long story, but basically the carpenter who started cutting the roof on an extension never returned after lockdown. I’m struggling to find another carpenter who will take on a part finished roof. The extension has a hip and valley roof, part vaulted. It’s 3/4 finished with just the one long face left to complete. The rafters on this one section are just over 7m long, with a steel ridge beam and 2 steel purlins all with wall plates bolted to the rsj’s. There will be 3 separate lengths of C24 6x2 but how should these be joined over the purlins? Cut to meet in the centre of the steel after the birds mouth and bolted to another piece of 6x2 strapped to the side, joined using tooth plate connectors or simply offsetting the middle section and bolting the 3 sections together? Any help appreciated and apologies for the lengthy first post

Thanks

[stoneyboy]

Hi welshiron
Suggest you use 3x3m lengths of timber and overlap them on the purlins, bolting or multiple screwing should be OK. However the decision on how this should be done will be down to your building control inspector, much better to seek their advice rather than having to do rework.
Regards S

[Welshiron]

Thanks for the reply, yes I was intending for the joints to be over the steel purlins, wasn’t sure whether they needed to retain the same 400mm centres from ridge to wall plate or whether the middle section could be offset by 2” and strapped/bolted alongside the top and bottom sections of rafter. I will ask the building control guy as you suggest.

Thanks again!