OT: Roof framing, alteration Options

[thomasotten]

I have an existing roof on my house that is pitched and creates a cathedral type ceiling underneath. I am considering increasing the pitch of this roof, for ascthetic reasons mostly, but also to add insulation to the roof, which I don't thick is adequetly insulated. There is no attic space right now, so I cant' be sure of the insulation, although it gets hot in summer time. I want the final roof to be 12/12, and to do this, I would need to raise the ridge by about 2'. From the ridge, I would then run rafters down to the bottom of the roof fascia. Instead of raising each rafter up and causing a mess, I am considering building a structure over the exsiting roof, and then sheathing over. That way I don't disturb the ceiling. I was thinking of also doing this in phases, keeping the existing shingles on as a I go. What do you think?

[jd74914]

Don't do it; do it once and do it right. While you may (structurally) be able to get away with adding a second tier on top of the original roof its not the greatest idea. Granted, unlike where I live you probably don't need to account for snow/ice loading, but such building is still alot more load on the existing structure.

You also really don't want to hide any current structural problems or amplify any deficiencies.

At least in my area it is highly unlikely that you would ever get a permit to modify a structure in that way.

With all of the repair you would need to do after such extensive work just pulling the old roof off and installing a new one may be comparable in price. It'll certainly be worth more when you go to sell your house. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)