loft joists

[billozz]

guys,
can anyone explain why the joists in my loft should be going in different directions most of them go in one directionbut some go at right angles to the rest
thanks
Bill
also some of them have been cut right the way through to allow for wiring to be installed not notched cut right through ever heard of this

 

[^woody^]

You have a hipped roof

And cowboy electricians

 

[billozz]

woody,
thanks for the reply,
not sure what a hip roof is but from what i have read it slopes down on four sides i live in a semi, if i am wrong what is a hip roof and why does it make a difference to the joists
bill

 

[^woody^]

A hipped roof has roof on three sides (in the case of a semi) and a gabled roof has roof front and back and a big triangle of bricks at the side.

Ceiling joists generally follow the lines of the rafters and tie the rafters at the wall connection, so with a hipped roof, some joists go front to back, and some go at right-angles to these towards (and in line with) the roof on the side of the house.

 

[kevnurse]

In deciding what effect the electrician's work will have on your joists you need to know their purpose. A roof joist's primary purpose is to prevent the opposing rafters from spreading apart due to the weight of the tiles, etc. Unlike floor joists they are not there as a foundation for loft flooring. In a hipped roof, a rafter on the "hip" cannot spread outwards because its top end is fixed to the end of the ridge. Therefeore, arguably, no joists are required for those rafters. However, in the absence of those joists, there then wouldn't be anything to fix the ceiling plasterboard to, so all roof joists also meet that secondary need. IMHO an occasional gap in a hip joist will not adversely affect the roof structure. However, the joist, now split in two, will be held in position by the celing board, so I wouldn't stand on any part of that joist. Best to get some steel plates to bridge the gaps.

 

[billozz]

kevnurse,
thanks for the reply, can you advise the best way to repair the damagesteel plates screwed to either side of the joist i assume
Bill

 

[masona]

also some of them have been cut right the way through to allow for wiring to be installed not notched cut right through ever heard of this

Can you take a photo of this?