Thread: post to beam connections

I hardly ever see post and beam construction in my market - I'm sure this can't be right, but I don't know what to reference to document my concerns, or how this should have been done . Unfortunately, I also don't have a very good picture, this is the best I've got:

These beams run across the living room, the span to to the center post is around 12 feet on each side, there are 8 or 10 of these beams running across the room. The end bearings of the beams at the exterior walls are not visible, nor are the supports for the posts.

As best I can tell, there is no attachment other than a few nails between the posts and the beams, or between the beams themselves, and as illustrated the first picture some of the beams are rotated.

To make things even a bit more complicated this house was originally flat roofed, and then a hip roof was built above the original roof, and there's a lot of umm.. "interesting" supporting structure present in the attic.

The original roof membrane is still in place and attic, and the underside of the roof at the interior is covered with tongue and groove material, so I can't see what's tying the exterior walls together under the lateral loads now being imposed by the hip roof. (OTOH, the second roof was put on long enough ago so it's undergone at least one tear-off of two layers of shingles, so I doubt it's going to be tumbling down in the living room).

I know the logical call if the clients are concerned about the roof structure to start with the city to see the second roof was designed and permitted, and a structural engineer if it wasn't or is unknown, but in the meantime I'm curious about how the post-and beam connection should have been performed, and to what standard.

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That's not an uncommon western building method. We would usually use lags down through the top of the beam into the post. Apparently, the Timberlock screws are used pretty commonly now instead of lags, but probably not when that was built. Unfortunately, it won't be visible, so you have no way of knowing.

The beams could be resting on the top of the support post with a mortise and tenon joint.

So, how do you report that, especially when there is some rotation of beam(s)?

I would only report what I can see which is the rotation. I would mention there are several methods of properly fastening the joint which are not visible. I would recommend that a framer open and examine the joint.

Darrel Hood
DILIGENT PROPERTY SERVICES
(936)827-7664