Snow load ? on 1956 hip roof ranch

Ok I have a 1956 ranch,2 x 6 rafters 16" centers… hipped 5 or 6/12 pitch ?

the rafters are nice, no knots etc…question is I roof rake about half way up…but there is alot of snow above where I rake,probably 2ft or more deep…

I doubt the previous owner ever shoveled it off…all the houses here are the same age and built the same…no one shovels theirs off…mine seems to drift due to the hips…every other house is hipped, others are gabled

So…do I worry ?

If your house survived 60 years of snow the way it was and you say the rafters look fine I see no reason to worry about it now.

I’d wear a hard hat inside, just to be safe.

1x decking on 16 centers…
It doesn’t get much stronger than that.
You could park a truck up there.

what does that mean " 1x decking" ??

Is a hip roof as strong as a gabled roof for load ?

I do think i need to do something about my car port roof…they built it out of 2 x 4 rafters 16" centers…its a low slope lean to roof that comes off the side of my garage…they toe nailed the rafters into a ledger board,didnt use hangers…

I keep it shoveled off but wonder if I should try to sister 2 x 6’s to every other rafter or brace it ??

[quote=“cvcman”]what does that mean " 1x decking" ??

Is a hip roof as strong as a gabled roof for load ?

I do think i need to do something about my car port roof…they built it out of 2 x 4 rafters 16" centers…its a low slope lean to roof that comes off the side of my garage…they toe nailed the rafters into a ledger board,didnt use hangers…

I keep it shoveled off but wonder if I should try to sister 2 x 6’s to every other rafter or brace it ??[/quote]

Most likely, a 1956 vintage house has 1x6 or 8 in. boards as sheathing instead of plywood. you can retrofit hangers onto the rafters. What is the span of those 2x4 rafters?.

my deck is 5 ply fir plywood as all the houses here are…

the span of the 2x4’s on the car port are just under 10ft

Under 10’ should be OK, 5ply plywood is good stuff.

keep in mind they are 2 x 4 16 o/c not done with hangers, toe nailed…low slope roof…we get lots of snow…Syracuse NY…would sistering 2 x6’s with deck screws do much ?

You can call up your local building inspector and find out what the snow
load is. Here in Eugene Oregon it is 25#psf but yours is probably larger.

According to a load table I have, a 2x4 can handle your roof, but barely.
And that is with strong lumber such as Southern Pine or Doug Fir.

Yes, you can add material to a rafter or a beam to strengthen it. It is called a Flitch beam.
If you do this make real sure you use a lot of nails or screws, bolts would be better. On
your situation 2x4’s will work fine.

2 x 4 can handle HOW much snow…2ft ? 4ft ? again its a low slope

My information came from “The Architects Studio Companion” and it is just approximate without mentioning how much of a snow load.

Give a structural engineer in your area a call and tell him you have a low slope roof with 2x4 rafters spanning 10’. He can probably tell you without calculations whether you are all right or not.

If it was me, I’d be concerned about 4’ of snow.

would sistering 2 x 6 or another 2 x 4 be the correct fix ?