The Hipped Roof

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Technical Bulletin

A Professional Corporation FROM SPEIGHT, MARSHALL & FRANCIS, P.C.


Structural Engineering - Special Inspections
January 2005
Bulletin No. XXVI

Introduction:
In Part 1 of this technical bulletin series we discussed the conventionally framed gable roof and its
basic structural requirements, while in Part 2 we discussed problems and solutions of the gabled roof
when not properly designed or constructed. In this technical bulletin, we will discuss a common
variation of the “A” framed roof, the hipped roof.
On a simple hipped roof, the roof slopes upwards
to the ridge from all four sides. However on a
simple gable-style roof, the roof slope is only on
two opposing sides, and the ends of the roof are
closed off with a triangular gable wall. We
frequently encounter hipped roofs that are
constructed as self-supporting assemblies (i.e. no
interior support). While this is possible for modest
hipped roofs, there are certain structural
requirements to make a hipped roof self-supporting. In the following bulletin we will discuss the
mechanisms required to make a hipped roof self-supporting and show why it is generally better to
provide support at the hip rafters.

The Folded Plate Mechanism for Hipped Roofs Up to 15 Feet:


The simplest hipped roof is a pyramid shape. A small pyramid-shaped roof can be constructed out of
basic wood framing and can be supported on walls or posts without any mechanism to resist thrust.
The "folded plate" of the four connected, non-co-planar diaphragms prevents the roof from changing
shape. The size of pyramid constructed in this fashion is limited by the ability of the plywood
diaphragms; in particular, the ability of the
connection between the diaphragms at the hip
rafters to resist the 'tear apart' forces at the
corners. It is difficult to get a strong connection
between the plywood diaphragms and the hip
rafters; therefore, this 'folded plate" mechanism is
limited to small hipped roofs, about15 feet
maximum total span.
Technical Bulletin from Speight, Marshall & Francis, P.C. January 2005

The Tension Ring Mechanism for Hipped Roofs up to 30 Feet:


Another mechanism available to construct a self-
supporting pyramid is to provide a "tension ring" around
the perimeter and design the hip rafters as compression
struts/beams. In this case, the basic frame consisting of
hip rafters and the 'perimeter ring' is statically
determinant. The rafters and sheathing are simply
cladding applied to this frame. Using typical wood
framing methods and materials, "tension ring" pyramids
can be constructed spanning up to 30 feet. Transforming the simple pyramid to a hipped roof with a
rectangular plan complicates matters a little but the structural mechanism is essentially the same.

Typical Supported Hipped Roofs:


While it is possible to design and construct unsupported hipped roofs of modest proportions (such as
a 25' by 50' ranch), the detailing for such a roof is elaborate. The connections between the hip
rafters and the bearing at the corners are critical. The International Residential Code (IRC) does not
address the requirements for such a roof and instead requires that hip (and valley) rafters be
supported at the ridge by a "brace to a bearing partition" (paragraph R802.3). Essentially a post must
be provided from the intersection of the hip rafters and the ridge to a supporting element below.
The problem is that this roof feature seldom coincides with a supporting structure (bearing partition)
below. One solution often employed by framers is a 'strong back'. This is usually nothing more than
a 2x laid flat, installed on top of the ceiling joist to distribute the reaction from the post onto several
ceiling joist. This solution does not comply with code and is inadequate. The load from the post is
substantial, (as much as 5,000 lbs for a 30 foot hip), and the 'strong back' and ceiling joists usually
have not been adequately sized to support the full reaction without excessive deflection and/or
sustaining structural damage.
A better solution is to extend the post down to a
ceiling beam designed to support the reaction
from the hips. We found that a typical 25' to
30' hipped roof post should be constructed of
three-2x4's nailed together (if the intersection of
the hip rafters is no more than 6'-6" above the
ceiling or four-2x6's if this intersection is less
than 11' high). The post should be supported
on a ceiling beam designed to support the reaction from the post. Typically beams constructed of
three plys of the next size 2x from that used for the ceiling joist will work (i.e. if the ceiling joists are
2x8's the beam should be three-2x10's). Each end of this ceiling beam should bear fully on adequate
supports. If an unsupported hipped roof is desired such as with a cathedral ceiling, special design of
that roof is required by a Structural Engineer employing one of the mechanisms described in this
Technical Bulletin.

SPEIGHT, MARSHALL & FRANCIS, P.C.


2125 McComas Way, Suite 103 a-team@smandf.com
Virginia Beach, Virginia 23456 (757) 427-1020
(757) 427-5919

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