One of the two most favorite roof designs, if not the most favorite is the hip roof. Not only
does it add architectural lines to the form of a house, but it also offers more safety
from the elements to walls, windows, and doors, when framed with a compassionate overhang. It
also lends more to the structural integrity of a home with its rafters tying off to all four
corners and walls of the structure.
A hip roof is a little more complicated to frame than a gable roof. Also a ridge board, a
gable roof has only base rafters (all rafters the same length) as its only components. The
components of a hip roof are the ridge board, base rafters, hip rafters, and jack rafters.
The hip roof does not all the time have a ridge board. If the construction is a quadrate with all four
walls being the same length, there will be no ridge and the roof will look like a pyramid.
When cutting the common, hip and jack rafters, their lengths can be carefully by using a
calculator or a rafter table book like "The Full length Rafter Framer". The length of the
ridge can be carefully by subtracting the width of the construction from its length. For
example, if the construction is 30 x 24, the ridge will be 6 feet in length. If the ridge board
is 1 1/2" thick (which is regularly the case), then 1 1/2" needs to be added to the ridge
length. This is because all base rafters are shortened half the thickness of the ridge or
3/4". This allows the top of the base rafters to line up with the top of the ridge at each
end.
Carpentry Framing
When framing a hip roof, all the time start with the base rafters. This will place the ridge in
its permissible location. This part of the roof is framed like a gable roof, but the similarity
ends there.
Start by nailing base rafters on one side of the ridge at each end. Now raise the ridge
and nail two rafters on the other side of the ridge opposite the first two rafters. Once
this is done, push the ridge up so the birdsmouth cuts pull in tight to the walls on each
side of the building. These rafters can now be nailed to the wall in their corresponding
locations in relation to the ridge. Now nail the two base rafters to the center of the end
walls and to the ends of the ridge board. This will lock the ridge in its exact location.
The rest of the base rafters can be nailed to the wall and ridge board.
The next parts to be installed are the four hip rafters. These are nailed on the face
corners of the structure walls and in the intersection made by the end and first base
rafter where they meet at the ridge. With the hips and base rafters in place, its easy to
see why this makes for such a strong and solid roof.
With the hip rafters in place the jack rafters can be installed. Before nailing on the first
jack rafter, a string must be run from the plumb cut on the hip rafter to just above the
birdsmouth. This can be done by driving a nail in the center of the hip at the above mentioned
locations. Tie the string to one nail, pull it tight, and get it to the other nail. This
is to ensure the hip rafter stays right during the jack rafter installation. As the jacks
are nailed on, the string should be kept at the center of the hip. To help keep the hip
rafter straight, the jack rafters should be nailed on in pairs, first one side of the hip,
then its mate on the other. This process is prolonged all the way down the the hip rafter
till all jack rafters are installed on both sides of the hip. Take off the string and repeat
this course on the remaining three hip rafters to faultless the framing of the roof.
Collar ties and fascia boards will need to be installed before the roof can be sheathed, but
these are the basic steps to framing a hip roof.
One of the two most favorite roof designs, if not the most favorite is the hip roof. Not only
does it add architectural lines to the form of a house, but it also offers more safety
from the elements to walls, windows, and doors, when framed with a compassionate overhang. It
also lends more to the structural integrity of a home with its rafters tying off to all four
corners and walls of the structure.
A hip roof is a little more complicated to frame than a gable roof. Also a ridge board, a
gable roof has only base rafters (all rafters the same length) as its only components. The
components of a hip roof are the ridge board, base rafters, hip rafters, and jack rafters.
The hip roof does not all the time have a ridge board. If the construction is a quadrate with all four
walls being the same length, there will be no ridge and the roof will look like a pyramid.
When cutting the common, hip and jack rafters, their lengths can be carefully by using a
calculator or a rafter table book like "The Full length Rafter Framer". The length of the
ridge can be carefully by subtracting the width of the construction from its length. For
example, if the construction is 30 x 24, the ridge will be 6 feet in length. If the ridge board
is 1 1/2" thick (which is regularly the case), then 1 1/2" needs to be added to the ridge
length. This is because all base rafters are shortened half the thickness of the ridge or
3/4". This allows the top of the base rafters to line up with the top of the ridge at each
end.
Carpentry Framing
When framing a hip roof, all the time start with the base rafters. This will place the ridge in
its permissible location. This part of the roof is framed like a gable roof, but the similarity
ends there.
Start by nailing base rafters on one side of the ridge at each end. Now raise the ridge
and nail two rafters on the other side of the ridge opposite the first two rafters. Once
this is done, push the ridge up so the birdsmouth cuts pull in tight to the walls on each
side of the building. These rafters can now be nailed to the wall in their corresponding
locations in relation to the ridge. Now nail the two base rafters to the center of the end
walls and to the ends of the ridge board. This will lock the ridge in its exact location.
The rest of the base rafters can be nailed to the wall and ridge board.
The next parts to be installed are the four hip rafters. These are nailed on the face
corners of the structure walls and in the intersection made by the end and first base
rafter where they meet at the ridge. With the hips and base rafters in place, its easy to
see why this makes for such a strong and solid roof.
With the hip rafters in place the jack rafters can be installed. Before nailing on the first
jack rafter, a string must be run from the plumb cut on the hip rafter to just above the
birdsmouth. This can be done by driving a nail in the center of the hip at the above mentioned
locations. Tie the string to one nail, pull it tight, and get it to the other nail. This
is to ensure the hip rafter stays right during the jack rafter installation. As the jacks
are nailed on, the string should be kept at the center of the hip. To help keep the hip
rafter straight, the jack rafters should be nailed on in pairs, first one side of the hip,
then its mate on the other. This process is prolonged all the way down the the hip rafter
till all jack rafters are installed on both sides of the hip. Take off the string and repeat
this course on the remaining three hip rafters to faultless the framing of the roof.
Collar ties and fascia boards will need to be installed before the roof can be sheathed, but
these are the basic steps to framing a hip roof.
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