Broken Rafter In Attic

Beams sadly are a different story.

Broken rafter in attic.

Fixing a cracked or split rafter in your attic ensures that the roof will receive the necessary support. Repairing this is called scabbing. Some say you only have to patch the damaged area going a few few beyond the crack on either end but if you can sister the whole thing and you wont need to worry about future potential cracks. Measure the length of the split and multiply this measurement by three to determine the length of the metal angle you will need to fix the rafter.

Rafters can also be damaged by a blow to the roof from falling branches. A rafter might split when heavier roof tiles are installed or if the rafter has. But i should know tomorrow. Obviously this is not a good situation as it can cause the entire roof to fail if not addressed.

This board is a section of lumber that is the same thickness as the rafter and 2 feet longer on each side of the damaged section. Add a 2nd rafter to the damaged one the rafter with the same size piece of lumber. Although the rafter must be replaced if it is completely broken smaller areas of damage can be repaired through the application of a scab board. Locate the split rafter.

If the rafter is completely exposed you re in luck. Measure the width at one.