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I bet there's far more contractors who do small jobs, than there are builders. They just don't have fancy trucks with their name on them and they're harder to find, getting business by word of mouth. You should be able to find a good one if you ask around for someone who has done good work. Ask your Realtor. Facebook is a pretty good resource to ask for referrals... if there is a local group you're a member of.
Thank you! I hope so. I've posted on a local group, and I'm starting to ask around. I've done Google searches, but I don't want to call any, until I get some recommendations. And a small carpenter may not be on the internet as a business.
Too bad that we don't have pictures or a better description of the problem, but from what you have said, here is my best guess. First, boards that are in tension don't bow. Only boards that are in compression will bow. This tells me that the board you are concerned about is likely a brace between the main components (roof rafters and ceiling rafters) of your roof structure.
Likely what is happening is that the roof rafters are beginning to sag a bit in the middle. This is placing a greater load on the bracing board and causing it to bend. What this bending board needs is greater support (thickness) to help resist the bending/bowing. The easiest way to do this is to "scab" another board of the same size (width and thickness) to the bowing board. The extra "scab" board doesn't need to be as long as the bowing board, but the longer you make the scab board, the better. In fact, you could scab (add) a board to each side of the bowing board for even greater support.
The best way of scabbing (adding) boards to the side of existing boards is by using long wood screws. Quite likely the bowing board is a 2x4 which is actually about 1.5" thick. I suggest that you use 3" long wood screws to scab boards to each side of the existing board. Do one side at a time. Use a screw about every 10" to 12" of board length.
Actually, there is an easier and cheaper (but similar) way to do this. Instead of scabbing a board to each side of the bowing board, attach a board to the EDGE (small dimension) of the bowing board with screws with the attached board having its wide dimension perpendicular to the wide dimension of the bowing board. In other words, join the boards such as to make a "T" shaped cross section. This takes only half the lumber but gives almost the same resistance to bowing as does scabbing a board to each side of the bowing board.
Use a power drill to install your screws. Typically these will be Philips head screws so use an appropriate bit (likely a #2 Philips). It's actually easy work. The drill (used as a screw driver) does all the work. All you have to do is hold the board in place to get it started and pull the trigger on the drill.
Hope I've explained it well enough for you. If you have any questions, send me a message.
I'm guessing we're eventually going to see a picture of part of a truss system.
That’s what I was thinking. Honestly it likely would be a fairly rare custom house built in 2001 that would have rafters and collar ties as opposed to a typical truss system roof. Is it attic trusses or actual stick framing with rafters, collar ties, diagonal braces (kickers), purlins and ceiling joists? It would be far easier to attempt to diagnose with a picture.
My attic has a lot of wood braces, since it's a high pitched roof. I've noticed that one of the wood braces is bowing. When I looked up to what the brace is supporting, I saw two pieces of horizontal wood starting to separate. The other braces in my large attic look fine. Some of the thinner braces like this one, have a second thicker brace attached to the bottom part of it.
Does anyone know what kind of contractor or worker I would call to address this issue and repair it? My city doesn't have structural engineers. This is too small a job for a building contractor. An inspector doesn't repair things.
I bought the house just 1 1/2 years ago. It was inspected, so I guess he missed it, or this is new? The house was built in 2001, so I wouldn't think this would happen suddenly after years.
Anyway, if anyone knows what kind of contractor I would call to repair this or bolster it, I'd appreciate it.
If you were my neighbor or a friend, for about $25. worth of wood and maybe a little glue and some fasteners, maybe a jack and half a sheet of plywood to temporarily support it, I'd do it for you, in an hour or so. Maybe if you think about it, you do have a friend like that.
All of the cross braces are working together and if one is bowed, it is probably not a major structural integrity issue going on. Good to replace it though. I would probably just leave what is there in place and put a new brace right below it.
That’s what I was thinking. Honestly it likely would be a fairly rare custom house built in 2001 that would have rafters and collar ties as opposed to a typical truss system roof. Is it attic trusses or actual stick framing with rafters, collar ties, diagonal braces (kickers), purlins and ceiling joists? It would be far easier to attempt to diagnose with a picture.
Depends on where you are, I guess. I have not seen a house built with prefab trusses in the Dallas area, even in current construction. It's all conventional roof framing, except for glu-lam beams for big spans.
Too bad that we don't have pictures or a better description of the problem, but from what you have said, here is my best guess. First, boards that are in tension don't bow. Only boards that are in compression will bow. This tells me that the board you are concerned about is likely a brace between the main components (roof rafters and ceiling rafters) of your roof structure.
Likely what is happening is that the roof rafters are beginning to sag a bit in the middle. This is placing a greater load on the bracing board and causing it to bend. What this bending board needs is greater support (thickness) to help resist the bending/bowing. The easiest way to do this is to "scab" another board of the same size (width and thickness) to the bowing board. The extra "scab" board doesn't need to be as long as the bowing board, but the longer you make the scab board, the better. In fact, you could scab (add) a board to each side of the bowing board for even greater support.
The best way of scabbing (adding) boards to the side of existing boards is by using long wood screws. Quite likely the bowing board is a 2x4 which is actually about 1.5" thick. I suggest that you use 3" long wood screws to scab boards to each side of the existing board. Do one side at a time. Use a screw about every 10" to 12" of board length.
Actually, there is an easier and cheaper (but similar) way to do this. Instead of scabbing a board to each side of the bowing board, attach a board to the EDGE (small dimension) of the bowing board with screws with the attached board having its wide dimension perpendicular to the wide dimension of the bowing board. In other words, join the boards such as to make a "T" shaped cross section. This takes only half the lumber but gives almost the same resistance to bowing as does scabbing a board to each side of the bowing board.
Use a power drill to install your screws. Typically these will be Philips head screws so use an appropriate bit (likely a #2 Philips). It's actually easy work. The drill (used as a screw driver) does all the work. All you have to do is hold the board in place to get it started and pull the trigger on the drill.
Hope I've explained it well enough for you. If you have any questions, send me a message.
Sorry for not replying to you and other helpful posters. I got sidetracked trying to find someone or some business who would do a small job. It took me a while to find someone who came recommended.
He did pretty much what you describe. Except the bowed board couldn't have sister boards added because it was too bent. So he did a new one. It doesn't look too good because I didn't watch him, and he didn't remove the old bent one, so the new one is to the side. I had him remove the old one. He knew I wanted the old one removed because I asked him if he was going to use a jack or something to prop up the boards above. Leaving the bent board would look awful when I go to sell the house.
He used 3" screws. I had him add sister boards to a couple of others that were in the beginning stage of bending, but not obviously so, so sister boards could be added.
The house was clearly not built well. There are other 2X4 brace boards, so I sister boards need to be added to all of those. Many 2X4s up there have sister boards, but not all. I don't know why.
The boards that the bent one were supporting...they were coming apart with nails exposed (yes, they used nails, not screws). He couldn't get those boards back together, so he just added screws.
I'm afraid all these obviously new braces up there will prevent me selling the house. Why would someone buy a house that wasn't built right, when they can buy one that was? But first things first...I have to make sure everything in the attic does its job.
Thank you so much for your detailed post. That lets me know the guy I hired did the right thing (except not removing the bent board).
That’s what I was thinking. Honestly it likely would be a fairly rare custom house built in 2001 that would have rafters and collar ties as opposed to a typical truss system roof. Is it attic trusses or actual stick framing with rafters, collar ties, diagonal braces (kickers), purlins and ceiling joists? It would be far easier to attempt to diagnose with a picture.
I don't know what most of those terms mean, regarding attics.
I've had the job done. But I can post a picture of it so you can see the type of attic it is. I found a guy who is more than a handyman, with a lot of experience, but is not a construction company, which was what I wanted. He seems to have done okay.
It's a very tall attic space, with 2X4s bracing up the attic roof all around. The 2X4s are too small to hold up the attic, apparently (2X6s are code, now, the worker told me). The 2X4s are at a slant.
It looks different from the attic in the house I had before, which also was a tall attic, but not as tall as my current one. There were no slanted support boards holding up the roof in the attic in my prior house.
I think the house was probably not built well. I wanted to hire a structural engineer to inspect before I bought the house, but there wasn't one in town that would do residential inspections. So I just used a regular inspector, but didn't look for things like this, I guess. He would have noticed a bent board and put that in the report, but beyond that, he wasn't a structural engineer.
Thank you for your response. I really appreciate it.
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