Reinforcing Attic Rafters

Divide this in two and move to the center point of this half of the joist.

Reinforcing attic rafters. Take 2 6x4 as long as your longest stored lumber and cut 2 inch deep grooves in them as wide as your 2x6 is thick every foot or so. Place a ladder or stepladder against the rafters to allow yourself to climb up to them. Step 1 measure the thickness width and length of the rafters in your home and purchase one piece of framing lumber of the same size for every two rafters in your attic. Install these over your existing horizontal 2x6s 2 feet from the roof edge inside and paralel to the roof ends crosswise from your existing 2x6.

The easiest way to straighten rafters is to jack them into position. Keep the spacing 4 feet apart at most. Reinforcing the connections between the rafters and the walls will help prevent your roof from collapsing. Snap a chalk line against the rafters on both sides of the attic to mark the location of the braces.

Step 2 measure the length of a ceiling joist from the midpoint of the garage to the wall of the garage. When using fiberglass insulation the pink stuff the attic roof rafter will need to be at least 16 deep. Move the jack in increments of one inch to allow for the roof to be able to move with it without cracking. In an older home a typical roof rafter can range between 2 4 s to 2 8 s.