Ridge Board Shed Roof

Cut to the ridge board to the length of the shed dimension b and mark it 24 inch on center.

Ridge board shed roof.

A stick framed roof uses 2x4 s or 2x6 s or whatever you are framing with but has a ridge board running down the middle ridge line. For 2 x 4 rafters use a 2 x 6 ridge board. Ridge beams are required by code if the roof slope is less than 3 in 12 irc section r802 3. Type of lumber matters.

A ridge board is a non structural member that serves as a prop for opposing rafters to rest against and connect to. Line it up with the top of the truss and nail in place. Leave ridge beam for shed construction page. In part 3 of our roof framing series we cover how to select a ridge board how to layout a ridge board how to mark it so you know where to fasten the raft.

A ridge beam carries the loads of the rafters connected to it and must be both strong enough to carry the weight and well supported at the bearing points at each end to transfer the loads down to the ground. For 2 x 6 rafters use a 2 x 8 ridge board and so on. You may splice two boards together to achieve this length if necessary using a 14 and 1 2 inch block of the same material. If your goal is to only calculate the roof height do not enter any numbers in wall height field and only use building width and roof pitch fields.

A proper beam would have a supporting post at each end. I can t ever recall seeing a saltbox shed built with a ridge beam or even a gambrel roof shed for that matter. It s often just a nice way to bring the rafters together. For more information about roof framing and how understanding the differences between types of shed roof construction visit my guide to shed roof framing.

A ridge board isn t a beam per se. You don t need a ridge beam but you do need a way to keep the walls from spreading. Rafters simply rely on a center ridge beam and the outside walls for support. A ridge board was not always required and the photo above of the attic in a 1920s era house shows a roof framed without one.

While there are benefits to both only rafters vary in the size of lumber that is used. As a reminder please don t forget to add height of rafter thickness of roofing material and ridge vent to the number that you ll get using our calculator. Sometimes the rafter will have a tail and extend out past the wall so that you have a soffit or overhang. You then have rafters running down from this ridge board and resting on the top wall plates.

Remove the spacers in both end wall trusses and put the ridge board in between the 2 gable ends.