Square Hip Roofs
Cutting rafters for a completely square hip roof can be done as easily as any
regular pitch
hip roof except for one difference.
Your first common rafter right and left (#1 & #2) must have 3/4" added to it
vertically.
This 3/4" addition together acts as a normal ridge board which you would not have
and allows
the common rafter front and rear to line up
correctly at the top. Otherwise the common rafter
front and rear would appear
to be 3/4" low.
As with any hip rafters remember to deduct your
normal hip drop so everything lines up
smooth. The outer edges of the hip
should be flush with the top of the common rafters to
maintain a smooth flat
roof.
Common rafters (#3 & #4)will be cut the exact same diagonal length but do not
add the 3/4" to them as shown in figure #7 below.
The main problem with most hip roofs is the walls below or header frame may not
be perfectly
square which would make a calculated diagonal hip rafter length
too long or too short. This is
why I always add a measured length and would
always recommend measuring to avoid
cutting your expensive hip material wrong.
Splaying or spreading problems
You can use steel fasteners readily available on the internet or at your building supply by Simpson strong ties or other manufacturers.
I do recommend using ceiling joist or long wind beams which will prevent splaying in most cases or you can contact a local engineer for alternate solutions.
I can figure the common rafter, hip rafters and all
jack rafter Diagonal Lengths for one corner and the other three will be exactly the
same.
You can order these PDF prints online using our
PayPal Account for $22.


All images and designs are owned by Vance Hester Designs and copyrighted 2008-2009. No material may be reproduced or republished for any reason anywhere without written permission.








