Framing nightmare

[Mike Locurcio]

Here's the deal: pulling up floorboards in a walk-up attic revealed joists running perpendicular to the gabled ends of this colonial. If you stand outside the house, there is a noticeable bow in the center of the structure. There are two opposing dormers in the roof. Each joist has a cripple staggered down the center of the house toe-nailed to the next joist, effectively linking each one. Two lengths of aircraft cable were threaded through all the joists via drilled holes and terminated outside the fascia shingle at 9" square steel plates. There are two turnbuckles in this cable, and tightening them reduced the bow in the center to a point. The cripples may have limited the effect of this remedy. Short of tearing it down and starting over, I don't think there's much else to be done, and at any rate, I'm looking for more of a historical perspective on this. The house was first deeded in the twenties. Oh, and one more little quirk- the second floor ceiling height is 6' 1". Comments?

[Jim Luttrall]

got any picutures? Sounds interesting.

[A.D. Miller]

Here's the deal: pulling up floorboards in a walk-up attic revealed joists running perpendicular to the gabled ends of this colonial. If you stand outside the house, there is a noticeable bow in the center of the structure. There are two opposing dormers in the roof. Each joist has a cripple staggered down the center of the house toe-nailed to the next joist, effectively linking each one. Two lengths of aircraft cable were threaded through all the joists via drilled holes and terminated outside the fascia shingle at 9" square steel plates. There are two turnbuckles in this cable, and tightening them reduced the bow in the center to a point. The cripples may have limited the effect of this remedy. Short of tearing it down and starting over, I don't think there's much else to be done, and at any rate, I'm looking for more of a historical perspective on this. The house was first deeded in the twenties. Oh, and one more little quirk- the second floor ceiling height is 6' 1". Comments?

Mike: Besides demolition and proper reconstruction you could consider:

1. Flying buttresses.

2. Support via hot air balloons.

But, either of those will still leave you with a non-compliant ceiling height, unless of course, you are Napoleonic or Lilliputian in stature.:D

[Raymond Wand]

It doesn't sound out of the norm for the age of the house. At some point the owner may have realized the walls were falling out and had the cables installed this could account for the bow in the roof. Again from my experience with homes this age it is common to see the roof ridge bowed, as to the severity that would be an onsite call. It is also common to see the floors sloping inward to the stair case, again due to modified framing over the years, settlement, building materials and methods for the period.

[Mike Locurcio]

I prefer the buttresses to the balloons cuz they'rer a one-shot deal and you don't have to keep the jets fired up for the hot air. They might stretch the ceiling height over time though, I guess.