Tag: roof

The tie beam in what would have been number 9 needs to be replaced.  Although it is original, it doesn’t match the others and it is much smaller, particularly at the one end.  We weren’t sure if it was original, but the carpenter tells me that it definitely is. It is effectively an old oak tree that has been straightened a bit, but is definitely smaller at one end than the other.  Presumably, the smaller end being the top of the tree.

King post truss in number 9.  The tie beam is the large horizontal beam at the bottom of the truss.

This is the old kitchen (downstairs) and bathroom (upstairs) in number 10. You can just see the king post truss in the top left corner for number 10, and through the upstairs doorway you can see the king post truss for number 9.

We have acquired a reclaimed beam to replace it. The timber came from Ribble Reclamation (http://www.ribble-reclamation.co.uk/) in Preston who had a large range of oak beams in stock.  We believe that this particular piece of oak came from France.

The initial plan was to take the roof apart and lift the king post truss out of the roof and to repair at ground level.  Andy, the carpenter, came up with a better way.

The first step is to install a temporary tie beam above the existing one.  This is simply bolted through the existing frame.  Once this is in place, the existing tie beam can be removed.  The simplest way to do this is to cut it into pieces.  However, the existing tie beam is going to be used as a pattern to make the new tie beam from, so it is much better to keep it in one piece. 

In one case, Andy removed the bricks from underneath each end of the tie beam allowing the beam to drop out of each of the tenon joints.  The beam was then slid out of position with the aid of a rope tied to the telehandler.

Once the old beam is on the ground, the new reclaimed piece of timber is lined up side by side and the slots for the struts and the king post marked out.  The new timber is then cut to length.

Once prepped, the timber is lifted onto the scaffold using the telehandler.  A rope is then tied to the middle of the timber and the other end onto the forks of the telehandler.  This allows the beam to be swung into position (which is not quite as easy as it sounds). Once in position, the wall is bricked up underneath the beam to hold it in place.  The temporary tie beam can then be removed. 

All in all, this took a couple of days to remove the old one, make a new one and install it.

One thing that Andy did say is that in the old days the carpenters would often put a coin in the bottom of the slot for one of the struts.  A sort of good luck charm.  We checked the old truss and there was no sign.  The coin must be in one of the other trusses!

The old tie beam (the one on the right) is used as a pattern for the new tie beam (the one of the left).

The original beam with the slot for the king post (below) and the new beam with a new slot.

Lifting the tie beam into position using the telehandler

Lifting the tie beam over the scaffolding

Tie a rope around it and lift it up in the air

Pushing the timber into position a bit at a time

After all that hard work, the tie beam is finally in place. It matches the tie beams on the other trusses.

The purlins are the pieces of timber that run horizontally from the end walls to the A frame truss that is in the middle of each of the properties.  Each cottage has 8 purlns – 4 each side of the truss.  Therefore, there are 24 in total.  Unfortunately, 6 need to be replaced – 4 were cracked and 2 were replacements (probably sometime in the last 50-60 years, but done poorly).

The first challenge is to find replacement timber.  This can be difficult as the woodwork is going to be exposed when the property is finished so it all needs to (sort of) match.  Given that the existing timbers are a bit “rough and ready”, we needed something similar.  The new timbers came from a reclamation yard in Preston (although the timbers themselves originated from France).

Using the old timbers as a pattern, the new timbers are cut to length and the end spigot cut to match the old.

Then it is a case of getting the new timber in place using the telehandler and fitting the timber.  The carpenter is taking all of this in his stride and we are getting 2 purlins replaced each day.

The next job will be to replace the tie beam (the bottom beam on the king post truss) in the middle cottage.  Fingers crossed and with some fine weather, this could happen towards the end of the week.

Then all the timber will be sandblasted and treated before the roof goes back on.

There are 24 purlins in total in the property. Unfortunately, 6 of them had to be replaced.

In the last two days, the roof of the existing cottages has been removed.  Many of the stone slates were put onto pallets and lifted onto the ground using a telehandler – the remainder have been stacked on the scaffold.  There simply wasn’t enough room on the scaffold for all the slates.  I am amazed how quickly this has been done and all achieved in two days by 3 roofers.

With the roof removed, we can have a good look at the timbers and at first glance, they don’t appear to be too bad.  They are some that will need to be replaced, but we knew this before we started the work.  The architect is due this morning and some decisions will be taken then.

It looks pretty impressive from the outside, but even more impressive from the inside.

Here’s the view from the rear of the property with the roof remvoed.

Inside number 10 without the roof

This is the old kitchen (downstairs) and bathroom (upstairs) in number 10. You can just see the king post truss in the top left corner for number 10, and through the upstairs doorway you can see the king post truss for number 9.

King post truss in number 9