Finished Attic With Exposed Collar Ties

You can get away with removing two out of every three collar ties because the eaves wall plate acts as a horizontal beam.

Finished attic with exposed collar ties.

Collar ties may take up space in the attic of your home but they are there for a reason. Stately attractive and open. If you nail the collar tie to the rafter use plenty of 16d commons and angle them toward the center of the building. Rafter ties resist the forces caused by gravity loads that would otherwise cause the roof to pancake and push out the sidewalls.

This article describes and illustrates the different types of support that prevents roof sagging and wall bulging at buildings including definitions of collar ties rafter ties and structural ridge beams. Another possible solution is building dormers to increase the ceiling height in select areas which has a similar effect. Some of these can support the roof and prevent ridge sagging and wall spreading. Collar ties shall be a minimum of 1 inch by 4 inches 25 mm by 102 mm nominal spaced not more than 4 feet 1219 mm on center.

Collar ties or ridge straps to resist wind uplift shall be connected in the upper third of the attic space and of a a minimum of 1x4 spaced no more than 4 feet on center. A collar tie is a tension tie in the upper third of opposing gable rafters that is intended to resist rafter separation from the ridge beam during periods of unbalanced loads such as that caused by wind uplift or unbalanced roof loads from snow. This will cause them to dig in as the rafter pushes out. Collar ties or ridge straps to resist wind uplift shall be connected in the upper third of the attic space in accordance with table r602 3 1.

This often happens by exposing the collar beams also called collar ties. Bolts are the best fasteners for the rafter collar tie connection. There are collar ties the 1 x 1 5 horizontal beams you can see in the photos nailed in roughly. Collar ties are necessary to prevent separation of the roof at the ridge due to wind uplift.

The exposed beam ceiling look is one that many owners of conventional flat ceilings desperately want. What the poster may have be referring to are rafter ties which are placed lower in the attic. In this how it works article managing editor debra judge silber explains the role of collar and rafter ties in the framing of a roof. Collar ties rafter ties tension beams structural ridge beams.

Exposed rafter ties or attic joists should be cheaper than a vaulted or cathedral ceiling that would require a large ridge beam with posts down to the foundation assuming the finishing costs are similar but it would depend on the actual design. Fortuitously exposed beams are a very popular interior design trend and also make master bedrooms feel much larger than they actually are.