Roof Ridge Board Design

Definition of ridge board in construction the top board at the peak of a roof.

Roof ridge board design.

A classic example is the los altos hills remodel below by klopf architecture which uses a double 2x tension tie to sandwich each roof joist. Continuing on from part 3. Traditional examples of the ridge board system utilize wood tension ties a k a. Choose a ridge board that is one size larger than your common rafters.

Let s consider a basic gable wood roof framing design. Collar ties of a similar dimension and look as the roof joists. Ridge beam sizing is based on the span of the beam between supports and the amount of roof load supported by the beam. Ridge boards can only be used in roofs with slopes from 3 in 12 up to 12 in 12.

Is 22 ridge board too long of a span worried about roof sag. A structural ridge beam is a horizontal beam placed at the peak or ridge of a roof and is designed to carry much of the live and dead loads or weight of the roof structure by itself. The rafters terminate against the ridge board unless the framing is designed to bear rafter against rafter with no ridge board. The loads on the ridge beam are carried by vertical posts at the beam ends down through the building structural walls to the building foundation.

This type of framing is a specially designed rafter layout and requires precise and experienced erection. The image below shows a cross section of our simple 12 x 13 house from the joist span tables section of this tutorial. For 2 x 4 rafters use a 2 x 6 ridge board. The ridge board s length will be the outside measurement of the building plus the length of the overhang at both ends.

A ridge board is a non structural member that serves as a prop for opposing rafters to rest against and connect to. Rafter to ridge beam connection framing roof ceiling construction structural ridge beam absolute deflection in a ridge beam structural ridge beam tricks of the trade. Floor beam span tables of residential structural design we will now look at roof rafter and beam design.