Leaning barn roof

maulcruiser

maulcruiser

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 13, 2005
Location
Bladenboro/Wilmington, NC
I am wondering how or if I should address this problem. Dad and I built this barn about 30 years ago. The rafters are leaning from end to end, and I'm fairly certain they weren't installed with a lean. The decking is transverse 1"x10" tongue and groove. There are braces on 60% of the interior rafters, but I can see how they wouldn't be enough. The shingles are new as of two years ago.

The backyard engineer in me says that it can't be fixed without damaging the shingles, as I feel the lateral movement from the eave to the ridge would be significantly different. I am replacing the siding with metal, and want to make this thing right (or at least stabilized) before putting it up. The dimensions of the building are 25'x60'. What say ye?
 
Post a pic. Trying to get a mental picture, but I'm coming up a little short. Are the rafters leaning towards a gable end, independent of the walls? Or are the walls leaning under the rafters?
 
The rafters are leaning towards a gable end, independent of the walls. All the walls are true. It's hard to capture a picture of the lean, but I'd say it's 2-3 degrees off from ridge to base of the rafter.

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So, exaggerated... if you looked at it from the side, it would look like this?

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One gable is leaning out and the other is leaning in?
Are there diagonal braces going from the ridge at the gable down to the ceiling rafters? Are the ceiling rafters braced to one another?
 
My pictures didn't help at all, I'm sure. That's just what I had on my phone and I'm here at work.

Yes, it's like that. There are diagonal braces from one rafter to another on roughly 60% of the building, but nothing from the gable to the rafters.
 
I would fix it.
Come along, tractor, heep with a granny or a winch and pull it level.
Add blocking to the bottoms, then cross bracing and let it set a few days before letting the pressure off.
From gable to gable.
just my .02
 
I'm all for fixing it, just don't want the racking of it to destroy the shingles if the boards move laterally a large amount.

*edit - My homemade roof simulator (AKA two envelopes, one simulating a rafter and the other the decking) doesn't indicate any staggered movement of the decking when I straighten it.
 
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skyhighZJ said:
Been drinking so…… if it moves in one direction (not the shitty boy band) it “should” in theory move back the other direction. Stabilize and cross brace. All shingle fasteners ( if nailed appropriately) should be tucked up under the water penetration zone. YMMV
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I'm with drunk ass here.
If the shingles and their fasteners were on it when it leaned, and you can apply a force directly opposite of what happened so you're just undoing the same movement then you'll be fine
 
Ratchet strap or come along and some 2x for diagonal bracing. There should be a 2x directly under the ridge attached to the top of the ceiling rafters. Attach a diagonal brace from there up to the ridge at the gable, both ends. The roof diaphragm is only slightly effective in that direction, especially with board sheathing. Shouldn't affect the sheathing or shingles.
 
Thanks, guys! I felt like what I was going to do was sound, but having no engineering knowledge in that regard, I wanted a little guidance before I found myself damaging more than I was repairing.

braxton357 said:
Take the tractor and push it plumb then nail some diagonals off. That thing looks better built than most barns out there, it'll be fine
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Yes, dad was quite the craftsman when it came to making lumber and over-engineering things. He just didn't quite get this one finalized before he put his efforts elsewhere.
 
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