Drop outlet
and are an alternative to end-nailing rafters—in fact, they’re
the only option when there’s no fascia. If you’re reroofing, nail
them to the roof sheathing and apply shingles over them. Or,
if the rafter tails are exposed, nail the straps atop the rafters,
and install flashing over the straps to forestall rot.
Elbows
End cap
Hiddenhangers are favored for hanging k-style alu-
minum gutters. they can be inserted into the gutters on the
Strap
ground and, thanks to integral screws, attached to the fascia
Downspout
one-handed. But because they clip inside the gutter chan-
nels—rather than supporting them underneath—these hang-
ers are best used with heavy, 0.032-in. gutter stock, which is
stiffer and less likely to flex or sag than the lighter stock.
Prefabricated gutter pieces facilitate assembly.
brackethangers are usually screwed to fascia boards.
Use the hanger type most appropriate to your eaves detailing.
they range from plain 4-in. brackets that snap over the back
gutter lips to cast-bronze brackets ornamented with mythical
sea creatures. Brackets simplify installation because you can
mount them beforehand—snap a chalkline to align them—and
then set gutters into them.
zzzzzz hidden gutter hanger
Hidden hangers are commonly used with
K-type gutters. They can be prepositioned
in the gutter and quickly screwed or nailed
to the fascia. Because hangers are not visible,
gutter lines are clean.
Exteriors
179
SlOPIng AnD PlACIng guttERS
usually on the uphill side of the house, where
downspouts often require underground drains to
Ideally, gutters should slope down toward down-
carry water beyond the outside house corners.
spouts 1 in. per 16 ft., but this is not always pos-
Next, determine where you want seams,
sible. For starters, this may not look good: Next
which should also be placed inconspicuously.
to a level fascia board, the steeper the slope of the Because gutter stock comes in 10-ft. or 20-ft.
gutter, the more it looks out of whack. As long as
lengths, it might look better to join a 15-ft. length
there is a slight pitch—say, 1⁄2 in. in 20 ft.—with
and a 10-ft. length to achieve a gutter 25 ft. long,
no low spots en route to the downspout, a gutter
rather than tacking a 5-ft. length onto the end of
will drain. If a house settles so that its roof edge
a 20-ft. length, if that joint would be near the
or trim—and its attached gutters—slope away
front door.
from downspouts, either install new gutters with
P R O T I P
Although gutter sections are light enough for
downspouts properly located or reattach gutters
one person to carry, the job is safer and more
so they slope toward existing downspouts.
Although it’s desirable to
predictable with two workers, especially if it’s
Place the front lip of the gutters below the
secure the gutter hangers to the
windy. Snap a light chalkline along the fascia to
roof plane, low enough so the sliding snow won’t
framing, you might not be able
indicate the level of the hanger brackets, and
tear them off yet high enough so the rain runoff
to see the rafter-center marks if
install a bracket at either end of the roof.
won’t overshoot them. The distance below the
you’re holding the gutter section
Alternatively, you can snap a chalkline to indicate
over the fascia. use a builder’s
projected roof plane varies with pitch: For a gen-
the back lip of the gutter. If your gutter hangers
crayon to mark the framing cen-
tly sloped 5-in-12 pitch, place the front lip of the
fit into the gutters, position them before you
ters along the edge of the roofing
gutter 3⁄4 in. below the projected roof plane; for a
carry gutter sections aloft; also, preassemble the
in advance.
steeper 7-in-12 pitch, 1⁄2 in. below the plane; and
end caps, downspout takeoffs, and so on.
for a 12-in-12 pitch, 1⁄4 in. below the plane. The
Once you’ve secured either end of the gutter
front lip of a gutter should always be about 1 in.
and checked its position, add hangers every 32 in.
lower than the back. That way, if the gutter over-
(every other rafter); in snow country, install a
flows, water will spill over the front lip rather
hanger every 16 in. The hangers you choose will
than soaking the fascia and siding behind.
determine exactly how you secure gutters. Most
modular gutter systems can be cut to length
InStAllIng guttERS
with a hacksaw and joined with pop rivets or self-
Measure the length of the roof the gutter will ser-
tapping sheet-metal screws. A disadvantage of
vice, and check the fascia (if any) and roof edge
screws: Their points protrude, snagging leaves
for level. Try to place the downspouts in an
and causing blockages. An advantage: Screws can
inconspicuous place, away from foot traffic. In
be removed to disconnect the sections.
positioning downspouts, the biggest challenge is
Use a hole saw in a cordless drill to
create openings for downspout
outlets. In a pinch, you can also start
holes by hammering an old chisel into
the metal, then use aviation snips to
complete the cutout.
A pop riveter is indispensable for joining gutter sections.
Unlike screws, pop rivets don’t intrude into the gutter or
downspouts and won’t snag leaves and cause clogs.
Predrill pop-rivet holes.
180 Chapter 7
After securing gutters, use screws to
attach the downspouts to the outlets.
Screws allow you to disconnect this
joint later. Have the downspout
brackets handy so you can
immediately secure the downspouts
to the siding.
Don’t try this at home on a windy day. Pros know how to
raise and attach long sections safely, but the rest of us will
do well to have a helper or two.
Consequently, use rivets to join gutter sec-
Begin work by sanding the wood well and
P R O T I P
tions, downspout outlets, and miter strips. And
wiping away grit with a rag dampened with paint
use the shortest screws feasible to join the down-
thinner. Next, apply a water-repellant preserva-
gutters are relatively fragile.
spouts to the gutter outlets. To avoid galvanic
tive, prime, and apply two finish coats of paint. If
Where you must replace a hanger
corrosion, use screws that are the same material
you find rot, your problem is compounded if the
or remove a gutter spike, use
as the gutter; otherwise, use stainless-steel
gutter also doubles as exter
ior trim and abuts
locking pliers to pull the fastener
screws. Because elbows slow water and tend to
sheathing or framing. Short of replacing such
out; don’t risk collapsing the
clog, use as few as possible. Apply gutter caulk
integral gutters, you may be able to prolong their
gutter by attempting to pull
freely to seal the joints, rivet holes, and the like.
life by lining them with flashing tape.
spikes with a claw hammer. And
And where you see holes left by earlier gutter
where you can’t avoid leaning a
hangers, fill them with exterior wood filler or
ladder against gutters, place it
color-matched acrylic latex caulk.
near an internal support such as
a spike and ferrule or a hidden
guttER REPAIRS
hanger.
If gutters are rusty but otherwise intact, use a
wire brush to remove rust. Then rinse well and
allow the gutters to dry. Paint gutters with an
elastomeric roof coating such as GacoFlex®
acrylic latex, which can handle the expansion
and contraction of metal gutters.
You may be able to get a few more years from
metal gutters beginning to rust through by patch-
ing them with a compatible-metal patch. First,
vigorously wire-brush the rusted area until you
uncover solid metal, wipe the area clean with a
rag damped with paint thinner, and prime with
metal primer. After the primer dries, spread
epoxy around the hole, and press the patch into
it. Or simply wire-brush the rusted area clean,
and apply a piece of foil-faced flashing tape,
which is often used to flash skylights, plumbing
pipes, and other roofing elements. Flexible flashing
tape is easily shaped to the contour of a gutter.
Wooden gutters should be inspected every
year for deterioration and repainted every two to
three years. They must be thoroughly dry before
Unless you’re an experienced sheet-metal worker, buy preformed corners (such as this one) as
painting; otherwise, paint will seal in moisture
well as preformed miter strips, and so on. After pop-riveting such connections, caulk them
and promote rot. So it’s best to paint gutters after liberally, including the rivet holes.
a dry spell. Let morning dew evaporate.
Exteriors
181
Structural
8 Carpentry
smaller, dimensions. Although such lighter compo-
This chapter is mostly about wood, the king nents needed to be spaced closer than rough-hewn
of building materials. Built amid virgin forests,
timbers, their reduced weight made it possible for
the first wood houses were fashioned from mas-
three or four people to raise a wall. Balloon fram-
sive ax-hewn timbers that took half a neighbor-
ing was the earliest of milled lumber houses, with
hood to raise. Because iron was scarce, those
long studs running the full height of the wall, from
great post-and-beam frames were joined without
foundation to eave, and is rarely used today. Since
nails. Instead, they were fitted tightly and then
the beginning of the 20th century, platform fram-
fastened with whittled wooden pegs. The technol- ing (also called western framing) has been the
ogy was crude, but the houses survived, in large
most widely used method. Here, each story is
part because of the mass and strength of wood.
capped with a floor platform. Because the studs of
Early in the 19th century came plentiful iron
a platform-framed house run only one story, they
nails and circular-sawn lumber of uniform, if
are shorter and easier to handle.
If there’s room, assembling a wall on
a flat surface and walking it upright
is the way to go. This crew nailed
restraining blocks to the outside of
this second-story platform
beforehand, so the sole plate
couldn’t slide off the deck.
182
Understanding Structure
exploring Your Options
A house must withstand a variety of loads (forces):
the dead load of the building materials, the live
To assess the framing hidden behind finish surfaces, go where it’s exposed: the
loads of the people in the house and their posses-
basement and the attic. Joists often run in the same direction from floor to floor.
sions, and the shear loads from earthquakes, soil
movement, wind, and the like, which exert rack-
generally, a girder (also called a carrying timber or beam) runs the length of the
ing (twisting) forces on a building. There are
house, with joists perpendicular to it. Some houses with crawlspaces may have
other, finer distinctions, including point loads,
framed cripple walls (short walls from the top of a foundation to the bottom of the
where concentrated weights dictate that the
first-floor joists) instead of a girder. main bearing walls often run directly above the
structure be beefed up, and spread loads, in
girder, but any wall that runs parallel to and within 5 ft. of a girder or cripple wall is
which a roof’s weight, say, pushes outward with
probably bearing weight and should be treated accordingly.
enough force to spread walls unless counteracted.
bearing walls down the middle of the house also are likely to be supporting pairs
Loads are transferred downward by framing
of joists for the floors above. That is, most joists are not continuous from exterior
members, primarily by exterior walls sitting atop
wall to exterior wall—they end over bearing walls and are nailed to companion
a perimeter foundation and by interior bearing
joists coming from the opposite direction. This allows the builder to use smaller
walls, often supported by a secondary foundation
lumber—2x6s rather than 2x8s, for example—because they cover a shorter span. if
consisting of a girder, posts, and pads. Generally,
you cut into a bearing wall without adding a header, the joists above will sag.
a girder runs the length of the house and supports
large openings in obvious bearing walls are often spanned by a large beam or a
floor joists running perpendicular to it. Nonbearing
header that supports the joists above. These beams, in turn, are supported at each
walls, as their name denotes, are not intended to
end by posts within the wall that carry the load down to the foundation. These point
bear anything but their own weight. Headers (or
lintels) are bearing beams that carry loads across
loads must be supported at all times. Similarly, large openings in floors (stairwells,
openings in walls. A partition is any interior
for example) should be framed by doubled headers and studs or posts that can bear
dividing wall, bearing or not.
concentrated loads.
Before you decide to demolish old walls or
Finally, it may be wise to leave a wall where it is if pipes, electrical cables, and
frame up new ones, determine what is a bearing
heating ducts run th
rough it. look for them as they emerge in unfinished basements
wall and what is not. This will influence how you
or attics. electrical wiring is easy enough to remove and reroute—but disconnect
frame up, for example, the size of headers,
the power first! However, finding a new home for a 3-in. or 4-in. soil stack or a 4-in.
whether you need shoring, whether you need
by 12-in. heating duct may be more trouble than it’s worth.
additional support below the walls being
removed, and whether you should disturb the
structure at all. Get as much information as you
can before you commit to a plan because there
are always surprises once you start. If you plan to
remove walls, be sure to hire a structural engi-
Handling lumber
P R O T I P
neer to review your plans.
Here are a few lumber handling tips that will
save labor and make the job go quicker.
local building authorities
Framing Wal s
have the final say about altering
Minimize moves. Lumber is heavy. Tell your
the structure of your house. in
Framing walls is arguably the most common car-
lumberyard to load the delivery truck so that the
earthquake country, for example,
pentry task in renovation, and it employs a vari-
lumber you’ll use first—say, floor joists—will be
removing sections of a wall could
ety of layout and assembly techniques. For a
on the top of the load. Clear a level place close to
reduce its shear strength—its
deeper look at carpentry, consult Rob Thallon’s
the work site where the truck can unload. Many
resistance to seismic and wind
Graphic Guide to Frame Construction, Mike
suppliers have boom trucks that can unload lum-
forces. in short, always have a
Guertin and Rick Arnold’s Precision Framing, and ber stacks directly onto a work deck.
structural engineer review your
Larry Haun’s The Very Efficient Carpenter, all pub-
working drawings if you plan to
Sort your lumber. Lumber today is often bowed,
lished by The Taunton Press. Also highly recom-
move walls or create large open-
so eyeball each piece for straightness—and sort it
mended: Joseph Lsitburek’s “The Future of
ings in them. Some building
into like piles. Save the straight stock for kitchen
Framing” in Fine Homebuilding issue #174.
Renovation 4th Edition Page 42