If you can show me a drawing I will give it a shot.

 

For a 26' span herev is your rafter length and overhang length. I don't know where you got 26' span though.

 

I got the span from the outside of the right top plate to the location on the existing roof where I want the new roof to land on the existing roof.

How do I figure how high to put the ridge beam?

 

You don't have to figure out the ridge height. All you have to do is set the two rafters on each end of the building nailed into the top plates and then slide your ridge up into it. The rafters set the ridge height.

In your case the ridge height would be 5' 10-1/2".

You have a run of 12' 5-3/4" from the inside of the 2x6 wall and the rise to the bottom of the rafter is 5' 2-3/8". Now you add the plumbcut of the 2x8 and that is 8-1/8" to the rise and that's 5' 10-1/2" to the top of the ridge.

 

Joe, Thank you very much for your assistance. That is a HUGE help. I see you are also from NJ, small world.
How do I also figure out the lengths of the rafters where they fall on the 5/12 existing roof? I would also have to lay out the valley on that side of the roof.

 

I think hes talking about an overlay.

 

I'm not really following exactly what you're doing here, - - but the height of your ridge would be exactly how it sounds, - - 5" of heigth for every 12" of length, - - so if for instance, - - your ridge is perpendicular to the 18' wall, - - that would be '9' (half of the 18) X the 5", - - so it would be 45" high.

If the ridge is running perpendicular to your 22' wall, - - it would be '11' (half of the 22) X 5", - - which would be 55" inches high (above your top plate) . . .

 

Quick and easy. . . .

If you need a quick way to figure your roof try my calculator I just finished it :jester:

http://www.josephfusco.org/Roof_Framing_Calculator_V1.html

 

Bastard hip, - - err, - - I mean, - - hip bastard . . . :laughing: J/K Joe

Nice . . . :thumbsup:

 

Here is a very crude pictue of how I plan to have the addition look like. I literally cut and pasted this picture with my house and another house.
My current house ends on the right side where the stone on the right side of the front door ends. This is not to scale, but you can get the idea of what I am trying to accomplish. As you can see the new gable roof is not going to end on the left side of the new top plate. I am extending the new gable roof over to the existing roof to make a more dramatic look.

 

Here is a picture of my existing house.

 

The span I am talking about is the distance from the outside right top plate of the new addition to the spot on the the existing roof, just above the window.
I chose that spot because there is a similar ranch house like mine in my neighborhood that has this similar roof line. This is why I am having difficulty figuring out the rafter layout. It is not just as simple as figuring out the addition span which would be 18', that is the addition width. I am trying to make the house look bigger by framing the reverse gable over the existing roof. Hopefully the pictures will shop what I am taking about.

 

Can I still use 2/8 roof rafters? That is a long span? It will be almost 16'.
Would I also need to add any additionla support under my existing roof where the new roof lands on it. The existing roof is framed in 2x6 roof rafters.

 

I don't think 2x8 can be used for 16' spans at 2' on center. As for supporting the existing roof. What would you support the rafters too the ceiling joists? that in effect would be building trusses. By doing that a engineer would have to be consulted because you are using the cj's to distribute the load which could cause drywall cracking in the future.

Personally if it were me I would go with trusses and have a girder built to catch the opposing side from the new wall. A package could be designed were you dont' even have to tear off the other roof. Of couse some over framing woud have to be done probably with 2x6's
In these parts trusses are cheaper than stick framing.

 

My rafters are 16" on center.

 

Joe Carola, Can I ask you a few questions? Can you e-mail me msnudden@optonline.net
Thanks, Mike

 

roof

If you dont know how to frame a roof you should consider finding a job and gaining more experince

 

I don't see anything wrong with Joe's calcs. or his method.

And not to be picky, but the Pythagorean theorem is a²+b²=c²

 

Sounds like to me he is in over his head!:no:

 

Oh my god, How the F**k can u americans do roofing geometry in inches, and all them fractions..... NIGHTMARE. Get with the program, use millimetres its the future, more accurate my opinion

 

Oh my god, How the F**k can u americans do roofing geometry in inches, and all them fractions..... NIGHTMARE. Get with the program, use millimetres its the future, more accurate my opinion

We're "scary" like that.

 

we measure our dicks in inches, not mm's.

silly boy, accuracy comes from the person running the show.

 

we measure our dicks in inches, not mm's.

silly boy, accuracy comes from the person running the show.

Well put Framerman, one big dick can easily oversee four or five little pricks and get the job done right:thumbsup:

 

it's funny how difficult it is to explain something so simple over the computer or in a classroom setting. Yet if most of us were on site, a scrap piece of wood, a worn out construction master, and few minutes later everything would make sense and those who are eagar to learn something would know exactly what is going to happen.
If everything is preped right and material is on site then it should only take two days for a good crew to blow that roof out. huh....

 

I worked in Breck. It took 2 days to shovel the snow and then it snowed a bunch more.. :laughing:

 

Finished Family room pic

Here is a picture of the finished family room on the right side of the house. It was actually done 2 years ago and I have another project I am about to start and saw the thread was still around. It was a great experience and I could not have been able to frame the roof system without Joe Carola's advice.
Thanks again Joe.

 

Here is a picture of the finished family room on the right side of the house. It was actually done 2 years ago and I have another project I am about to start and saw the thread was still around. It was a great experience and I could not have been able to frame the roof system without Joe Carola's advice.
Thanks again Joe.

It looks Great!!

I'm glad I could help. It was nice meeting you that day. Good luck on the next one.

 

Here's a pic from the rear. The new addition is to the left.

 

What the is a reversed gable?

 

a little practice and he will get it , as for our method of math , i think the rest of the world should convert to our system