So I have this curious problem. I need to move the scuttle hole that I use
to access a section of my attic. The place I want to put it is in a closet
that is 24" deep but there is a joist just about square in the middle of the
closet ceiling. My roof is framed with joists 24" on center and at this
point the span is about 20ft. I have always thought that the bottom
horizontal member was pretty significant in maintaining the integrity of the
rafter "system" and so I am dubious on whether this is a "doable" thing. In
order to make this work, I would need to head off the member on both sides
and remove about 24". I'll be chatting w/the county building guys next
week, but thought I get a head start and see what folks thought.