I am in the process of evaluating a house for possible purchase. While
inspecting it I noticed that the roof was sagging. I crawled into the
attic and noticed that a main support timber had failed and someone
had attempted to brace it. You can see a photo here
http://s216.photobucket.com/albums/cc81/digital686/ This is not the
roof in question but ithe picture depects exactly what I found in the
attic. I plan on having a licensed roofing contractor evaluate the
roof. The house is circa 1955 and built on a slab. I do not see any
cracks in the stucco or drywall, just one small area that is sagging
on the roof above where this timber is. I was just wondering what
could cause this timber to fail?