Collar Ties--When Required?

Specific Inspection Topics Structural Inspections
1

Did a 1940s house yesterday. Attic span was approx. 25’. Rafters were 2x6. No collar ties provided, yet no evidence of sagging. My interior attic pics didn’t develop well. Exterior pic is below.

Question is: when would you say collar ties are necessary? Who would you refer the issue to: roofer or general contractor?

050106 005.jpg

2

Joe,

the requirement for collar ties is an engineering call, I would normally only query the lack of them if I could see rafter or ridge sagging. In most homes the ceiling joists run in the same direction as the rafters, so unless the rafter is very long they are not needed.

Regards

Gerry

3

Hey Gerry;

You got me going on this one.

What came first the chicken or the egg?

What came first;

A) Mathematics

B) Engineers

C) Commen Scence

D) Triangle

Have fun.

Marcel :slight_smile: :stuck_out_tongue: :slight_smile:

4

Joe
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. You can’t retro legislate. If the code didn’t require collar ties when the house was built why put them in now. I don’t think you have to worry about snow loads where you are and if the attic is in good shape and there is no rafter sag or walls bowing why bother?
Larry

5

Hi Marcel

  1. Common sense (has since died out)
  2. Triangle (the Egyptians figured this one out)
  3. Engineers (kept redesigning stuff til it stopped falling down)
  4. Mathmeticians (told the engineers why (see above))
    As for the chicken, triangular eggs were proven not to work due to apparent discomfort :wink:

Regards

Gerry

6

Gerry;

You get an A++ for this one, I have been LOL for about ten minutes.

I could not have got this any better than that.

Marcel :stuck_out_tongue: :wink: :stuck_out_tongue: :slight_smile:

7

See this discussion …

http://www.nachi.org/bbsystem/viewtopic.php?t=4514

8

Thanks guys. I searched the subject but didn’t come up with the link Robert posted. Very useful info. Thanks to all.