I would like to make a room in the loft of my bungalow but there are three vertical supports from the ridge to the floor. They do seem substantial (about 2"x1"). What are they for. Can they be removed and if so what other support system would be required to replace them and open up the whole loft area.
Any advice welcomed.
Steve
They would probably be supports for the chippys putting the roof trusses up. Instead of someone holding the things, they used bits of handy 2x1, also cut to length, they would give the correct height for install without having to measure all the time.
Easiest way to be certain is to see how much "play" is in the middle of the things in the horizontal direction. If they move freely in and out, they are under no load.
BIG WARNING BELLS
I always shudder when I hear people wanting to do what you state
First of all, the bottom boom of the trusses ( that's the bottom horizontal member ) in your home are probably not designed to carry the load of a floor. Given the shoestrings that most contractor's build by these days, They are not going to waste money on stronger timbers than they have to.
Secondly, every member of a truss is critical. It is either designed to carry a tensile or compressive stress load. Again, if the timber was not necessary the builder would not put it in
The top boom of the truss ( the bit next to the roof tiles) probably relies on the three internal members for both strength and to reduce the slenderness ratio of the member. It is highly unlikely that this will span from eaves to ridge without intermediate supports
I strongly suggest you ask a structural Engineer to call and give advice, you will undoubtedly need one to provide calculations for your building regs application and though they are not cheap, it can prove far cheaper to take professional advice now than to rebuild or rectify your home later !
David
They are roof trusses and used on most modern houses. They are thin timber but get their strength from the shape of the triangles formed. Do not remove bits - the roof will sag or worse. You could reinforce the timber but you would need larger sections and a structural engineer to calculate sizes, forces etc. Older roof have large beams halfway up the sloping (purlins) to take the force. probably a big job but could be done.
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