Carpenter advice.....historic rafter "tails"

[downsizingnow48]

What should OP do next? My experience with building departments on east coast and west coast is that they are generally supportive of homeowners- if they are trying to do the right thing. And especially if you ask your questions before getting into the middle of something and screwing it up. My next step would be to ask the building department their advice. I would not be surprised if they send someone to come out and take a look at the situation and talk it over on the spot.

As someone else said, trying to do this on the cheap and under the radar is not going to end well.

 

[EddieWalker]

What should OP do next? My experience with building departments on east coast and west coast is that they are generally supportive of homeowners- if they are trying to do the right thing. And especially if you ask your questions before getting into the middle of something and screwing it up. My next step would be to ask the building department their advice. I would not be surprised if they send someone to come out and take a look at the situation and talk it over on the spot.

As someone else said, trying to do this on the cheap and under the radar is not going to end well.

You bring up a good point. With every inspector, I try to let them know what I'm dealing with and I ask them for advice. In the end, it has to be how they want it anyway, so the sooner I know what that is, the faster I get paid. Usually if it's not a black and white code issue, they have been very flexible in discussing ideas to achieve what needs to be done.

 

[MossRoad]

I had an electrical inspector that was like that. I pulled the permit to put in a couple new circuits and a new electrical panel, basically replacing the old panel. I did the work, and called the inspector. He came out, checked it out, showed me two things that needed to be changed, and signed it off, telling me he knew I'd make the changes.

 

[California]

Because there's a birdsmouth cut on each rafter, its not so simple to slip a full length new rafter in next to the bad one. This will require raising the decking somehow or removing enough decking to get some slack. Not so hard if you strip the whole side of the house at once, but difficult one rafter at a time.

 

[rScotty]

Because there's a birdsmouth cut on each rafter, its not so simple to slip a full length new rafter in next to the bad one. This will require raising the decking somehow or removing enough decking to get some slack. Not so hard if you strip the whole side of the house at once, but difficult one rafter at a time.

Nice picture! OK. That's a valid objection if there's a birdsmouth cut there. But worst case, lets assume there is.... So How about we don't put the cut in the rafter ....- we leave the rafter full strength, and instead make a slot cut into the top member of the top plate. Now the rafter partner will slide in. We can even add a rafter tie plate for more axial stabiilty and to make up for the slot we cut in the top plate. Home D has galvanized steel simpson nail plates in just about any configuration you can imagine for about two dollars per each.
rScotty

 

[jfh28]

here's another thought but requires researching into what this "historic" designation will allow.......if you can box in the soffit then there may be a way to do all the repair from the outside without dealing with the asbestos shingles and reroof or sistering into the existing roof rafters.......first as you suggested clean out the rot on the decking and add something like bondo to fill up the void......then add a continuous strip of plywood underneath the whole existing overhang deck...this will be the new structural decking and is assuming that the rotted decking is only at the overhang and doesn't go further inside and also assumes the rot on the rafters is only at the overhang......then get custom made steel plate angle brackets that can be lagged into the existing wall studs and fit under the overhang deck tight against the new plywood.......this is now your new structural roof support spaced at the same distance as the existing rafters......box in the overhang to hide it all......this would mean temporarily supporting the overhand because all the existing roof tails would need to be cut flush to the exterior wall so you can install the plywood.......and you would need to hire a structural engineer to come out and look things over to see if it's doable and to also design the steel bracket, welding, attachments and details and run the calculations on the existing wall studs to make sure that they will be able to support this new point load....still not a simple project but could work........Jack

 

[/pine]

Attempting to do any type of repair on the underside is ludicrous if the water leakage issue of the roof/eave is not corrected prior...

 

[Barnbuilder]

Those shingle will have to be replaced. Might as well tear everything off and have a fresh start. Will be a better job and probably about the same amount of time. Get a GC to take care of abatement, dealing with historical society and the inspector. Might need some half round gutters to get that water away. Your weather is similar to here so I know you get plenty of rain.

Is that 2" T&G material for the decking?

 

[MossRoad]

Are you sure those are asbestos shingles and not asphalt shingles?

 

[California]

How about we don't put the cut in the rafter ....- we leave the rafter full strength, and instead make a slot cut into the top member of the top plate. Now the rafter partner will slide in. We can even add a rafter tie plate for more axial stabiilty and to make up for the slot we cut in the top plate. Home D has galvanized steel simpson nail plates

I've been making handcrafted repairs like that in the old farmhouse I described above, for the past 60 years starting from Dad handing me a dull yard-sale handsaw and hard-as-iron recycled lumber.

And continuing unbroken through last week's project: the attic is a simple guest bedroom with outdoor stairs. Entry is a regular door with a screen door outside that, which has plywood panels added over the mesh parts of the screen door to make it a more or less solid door. Somebody failed to latch that outer door recently. I found the door in five pieces. The hinge edge of the door remained attached, its other components had separated and blown down to the deck below.

Two partial days to patch the broken door structure with brass screws, add new plywood, then scab Simpson mending plates onto every intersection of the various members. Careful measurements to match the out-of-square door jambs that the door had been cut down to match. Prime, remount, paint. Good for another 50 years.

Why not buy a replacement door? Odd size. Frankly I'm tired of these hand-built repairs everywhere on a farmhouse that realistically should have been replaced years ago. Hence my advice to the OP to find a different house where someone worked his heart out restoring it instead of starting on this one.

I took the photo below for a different purpose, to illustrate the 3-point forks I made, but it shows the stairs to that attic room. Note the change in pitch of the roof? Originally steep, then the bathroom addition needed the lesser pitch for headspace, then finally the sunporch addition Dad and I built in 1960 needed both a step down into that room and a flatter roof for headroom. Still its exterior door is cut down from standard height to fit under the low roof. And that too-flat lowest pitch has been troublesome since new, each re-roofing has included replacing rotten plywood decking there. Old houses are a PIA. I keep repeating Dad's advice to my own kids - just bulldoze and replace, don't continue to pile patch upon patch. For the OP, find a different cute, already repaired, old house!