2 story house, built in 1903. I’m just curious to know if anyone has ever seen roof framing built this way, what type is it and is there any info out there?
thanks.
Seeing those chains it was built to haul heavy equipment into the attic.
Not to support the roof structure.
Looks like an old style rafter roof with no ridge board.
Rafters are 24 inch off center…standard stuff.
perhaps you’re right. This house also used to be the general store back in the days.
Thats why the log is there.
The roof is framed conventionally (rafters) with intermediate supports (knee wall). The inside makeshift trusses are to either support a hoisting mechanism or the full span of the ceiling if the downrods are holding up another beam under the ceiling joists. Hope that makes sense…
yes, the steel rods, which are about 1 1/4 inches seem to be tied to another beem just underneath the ceiling (as the drawing shows) that runs the entire lenght of the house.
Scissor trusses designed for Cathedral ceiling. They may have intended to have this at first and then changed there minds.
http://www.chiefarchitect.com/support/article/KB-00068/
Stephen,
My guess is the lower rafters were part of the original roof. The upper roof was added at a later date. The upper rafters appear to be dressed lumber, not the rough sawn lumber used in 1906 like the lower rafters.
from dictionary of architecture
trussed beam
- A beam, usually of timber, reinforced with one or more tie rods.
- A beam in the form of a truss; braced by one or more vertical posts supported by inclined rods attached to the ends of the beam.
sometimes seen with parallel tied beams in the living space to support larger open ceiling design
Newer roof on top of an older roof. I’ve seen a few out here over the years.
Randy why would they raise the roof unless they were going to condition it ?
I see nothing there that indicates there is an advantage to doing so.
Meat butchering storage and butcher shop would be my guess.
actually the truss rod and beam set up is used to transfer the load of the center beam to the outside walls eliminating the need for a center wall…that’s all folks…
that is what I was suspecting too.
Bob,
Not enough information to know why the upper roof is built. From the picture the upper truss lumber was not typically available until the 1940’s. The lower truss still has the hand notched cuts at the joints and the limber is rough-sawn, which is typical of the period the original house was built (1903).
I get your logic though the deck planking looks like 100 year old stuff.
Appears to be sawdust insulation as well.
Amazing how a young man like Jim would know that. 
But he is correct.
Here is a version that is a little bit more modern doing the same thing as the picture in the above post.
The idea is to eliminate the ceiling load on the roof framing. So to eliminate a bearing wall such as this;
http://i373.photobucket.com/albums/oo171/mcyr/SDC12268_zpsbea59f63.jpg
You support it with rods and send that load to the exterior walls.
http://i373.photobucket.com/albums/oo171/mcyr/SDC12266_zps7b9d675a.jpg
http://i373.photobucket.com/albums/oo171/mcyr/SDC12265_zps0278b318.jpg
http://i373.photobucket.com/albums/oo171/mcyr/SDC12263_zpsd008c106.jpg
That is exactly what was being done in the picture submitted by the OP.
Hope this helps clarify. :)
I think Jim meant the beam or bottom chord of the truss. Good job Jim.
I know exactly what Jim said Kevin, and not what you said. 
Read it again!