Rafters literally tied together

Is this an old school repair ? I’m calling it out for further evaluation. Just wondering if any of you have seen something like this??!!

Good move…

I’ve seen similar type repairs and, from N.W. MI, it seems they were trying to keep the rafters/walls from spreading.

Do you do that for whatever you don’t unstandard?
That right there is the easiest to do for people/inspectors that are outside their knowledge base…
Admit you don’t know…And try to do better…
Believe it or not …I was there.
And I’ve always try to keep on learning. The more the Merrier’

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It probably works, but looks like a hack to me. The cable rafter ties need to be engineered to support the tension. Unless they have paper work to show this, I would definitely call it out for review to be on the safe side. It’s not our job to be engineers and that is not a typical raftier tie system you will come across.

And the question is, was it working? LOL

I like all those shiners along the rafters, lol. Fine southern engineering. Still standing ain’t it.

yeah, I’m not the type to pretend I know everything. Honestly I believe you, I’m sure you have no idea what you are talking about all the time. No reason for me not too. Thanks for the uninformative and unhelpful reply.

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Wonder what the wire nuts are all about

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Honestly I think they were just installed to prevent puncture injuries. Figured the repair was worth a share.

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I’ve seen this on log cabins to hold the top of the side walls from spreading. I call it out to be monitored as the cable may stretch over time and adjustments would need to be made to re-tighten the cables.

Solid rod ties are used as an architectural feature. They are tensioned by using turnbuckles.

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I have seen a few repairs like this in old barns I have inspected, but steel cable is used.

I’ve seen this in barns and storage buildings, never in a house. I actually helped someone do this on a foundation with a come along, House is still standing with a plumb foundation. Pretty interesting find, thanks for sharing!

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This falls into a category that we often encounter…The First Time That I’ve Seen This Category.
So, our first question is, “What is someone trying to do, or fix, or make better?”
Our next question is, “Is it working?”
This looks like someone was trying to prevent wall or rafter spread. So, is this working? If the wires are taught, then maybe it is. Or maybe, the wires aren’t necessary, but an overly concerned guy was trying to do preventative work.
Which leads to the last question. “Is this hurting, damaging, or causing an unintended problem?”
People come up with clever, low cost repairs, even if unconventional. I wonder if the guy jabbed himself on a wire end and added wire nuts. Clever!

First pic, lower right. Looks like wood was overheated or smoky. Lightning?
Second pic. Looks like a long history of poor ventilation in the attic.
First pic left, lower cable shadow has a loop. Is this where they inserted a rod to twist the wire?
2x4 rafters, two beams that look installed later, lots of 1x4 purlins and struts, younger OSB. Total guess that two beams were installed to support a ceiling and an old sagging 2x4 roof. The cables may have been improvised turn buckles to pull in a rafter. Very interesting photos. Sargent Schultz “I know nothing; I see nothing”.