Repair or replace a roof brace

[bepto]

Hi, One of the braces 4x2" timber in my loft has had a chunk cut out of it (see pics)

Don't know if this is supporting anything or not, house is 60's council built and I have been told they were experimenting with roof structuring back then.

Does this piece of timber need replacing/Repairing?

 

[pete50]

I would put another brace in alongside that one leaving the cut one in place. To be honest I would be worried about the coiled wire in your second picture if that is mains voltage bearing cable. Having said that I am not a builder or an electrician.

 

[bepto]

Its old telephone extension cable.

 

[Mottie]

Sorry to jump on this post but my loft looks the same setup as that. I have two of these cross struts in my loft and they’re a pain to climb over. Can I remove them or are they performing some kind of essential strengthening job?

 

[bepto]

There are 3 in mine - to be honest they don't look as though they do much, I think there is just one nail holding the top end up.

 

[John D v2.0]

They are almost certainly not just there to use up some spare wood.
From the looks of the angle of the strut, they are probably just needed for tying the top ends of the struts together as with such a low pitch the struts won't really do anything otherwise

 

[Doggit]

In theory, that purlin in sufficient to support the rafters, and the vertical braces aren't on the purlins, so they're a bit superfluous. The brace with the notch is the one supporting the purlin, so needs to be strengthened. You could get a couple of 3mm plates about half a metre each and put them either side with a couple of bolts either end, or just sister another piece of wood alongside it. The cross beam looks as though it might have been an afterthought though.

 

[John D v2.0]

The vertical ties will be holding the ceiling up rather than the rafters.

 

[Doggit]

They shouldn't need to on that span; but you're right that they aren't holding up the rafters.