Hi,
I am trying to determine what may have caused the rafter crack in a garage rafter. The owners don’t have any idea what may have caused it and the property has been a rental for some time.
I’m thinking someone may have hooked a chain hoist up to the truss and attempted to lift something heavy. . . . or foundation shift. There is a window that is difficult to open and a door out of square with the door frame on the same side of the house as the split rafter.
Any ideas or speculation?
TIA
Art
How old is this house?
Looks more like an old house that was framed with wet wood.
If a structure problem caused that it would be very noticeable elsewhere.
The window and door problem along with this crack are text book indications of a shifting house but in this case I do not think it is related.
Thanks for the reply Bruce. The rest of the house looks good. Doors square and plumb and no gaps at the cieling/wall junctions. That’s what’s got me confused. The door, window, and rafter tell me the house has shifted but no other clues . . . the basement is fully finished so close inspection of the foundation is going to require a bit of work . . external the foundation looks good as does the walk and driveway. This house is in Colorado nr Fort Collins where compacting earth is sometimes encountered. That condition is usually pretty blatant tho . . .
Yep, I guess you’re right . . . the compacting soil can be a problem that gets worse with time. There are streets where the pavement drops 1 1/2 ft in about 10 feet . . . good test for shocks. The soil tests and extra foundation work is supposed to address this . .
If we sister the rafter and the problem arises elsewhere or cracks the sister . . . the customer has purchased the problem . .
. . . went back and checked for attachment points on the truss or garage door attachments. None noted. Also, very close inspection lends credence to the position that the rafter was split when it was installed. It’s even painted inside the crack. So I’m thinking your right Russel.
