On Wed, 4 Aug 2004 22:28:55 UTC, "G&M" wrote:

Happened to us. The house is quite large, double fronted and
rectangular. 100 years old. The ridge runs along the long axis so the
purlins are very long. The roof had been tiled with cement tiles, and
the surveyor said (I spoke to him) that it would be OK until a few heavy
snowfalls, and the purlins weren't really up to the job of holding the
additional weight.

This was 10 years ago; it cost 150 quid to have some diagonal braces put
in, and the surveyor was happy. Cheaper than opening up the roof and
strengthening the purlins.

Where did these braces go ? Perhaps it's obvious but I can't work out an
arrangement where the loading wouldn't just damage the roof elsewhere.

There's a central supporting wall that runs the length of the house,
vertically below the ridge. The braces are from this wall, at about 45
degrees, to midway up the main timbers which run from the eaves to the
ridge. (which they meet at 90 degrees). One going to one side of the
roof, one to the other. There are about 7 or 8 pairs.

Difficult to draw...

--
Bob Eager
begin a new life...dump Windows!