gable-end-bracing
By Embick Admin Construction • Renovation • Roofing • • 0 Comments

Gable End Bracing

Your house has a gable end if you have a sloped roof with a vertical wall that forms a triangle under the end of the roof.

Gable end walls and the roof sheathing at the gable end can take a tremendous beating during a hurricane, and if not properly attached and braced, they fail and cause catastrophic damage to your home. However, of all the possible structural retrofits, gable end walls can be the easiest to strengthen and should be a high priority on your retrofit list.

 

Areas of concern:

  • The number one issue with gable ends is the attachment of the roof sheathing at the gable end. If you have re-roofed and re-nailed the rood deck, you have gone a long way towards reducing damage at gable ends. If you have not strengthened the roof sheathing attachment, you can use adhesives to temporarily strengthen the sheathing attachment.
  • Most gable end walls of older houses are weaker than they should be to withstand a hurricane and are poorly connected and braced.

The following actions are recommended to strengthen and properly brace a gable end wall.

  1. Anchor and brace the bottom of the gable end's triangular wall to the ceiling joists or ceiling framing.
  2. Strengthen the gable end wall studs.
  3. Brace the top of the gable end wall by tying it to the rafters or tops of the trusses.
hurricane-strap-retrofit
By Embick Admin Construction • Renovation • Roofing • • 0 Comments

Hurricane Straps

Hurricane Straps

The most important precaution you can take to reduce damage to your home and property is to protect the areas where wind can enter. According to recent wind technology research, it’s important to strengthen the exterior of your house so wind and debris do not tear large openings in it. You can do this by protecting and reinforcing these four critical areas:

  • roof
  • windows
  • doors
  • garage doors

A great time to start securing — or retrofitting — your house is when you are making other improvements or adding an addition. In both cases, your local building code will require that your work conform to certain requirements. And, although you may not need to comply with current code requirements on the rest of your house, this may be a good opportunity to do so. Remember: building codes reflect the lessons experts have learned from past catastrophes. Contact your local building code official to find out what requirements are necessary for your home improvement projects.