How to Increase a Roof Pitch

The outside roof pitch on your home can be made more attractive by increasing the pitch of the roof. Increasing the roof pitch also provides a more efficient way for rain and snow to drain more easily off of the roof. Read on to learn more.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

1. Decide how high you want to bring the top ridge of the roof up when you increase your roof pitch. After deciding the height, cut your ridge beam. Your ridge beam is what your rafters tie to at the top pitch of your roof.

2. Determine the length of your rafters. Cut the correct angles to tie in to your ridge beam. This will help brace your ridge beam while cutting the remaining rafters. You'll also put braces on your ridge beam (wind braces). These are V-type braces which sturdy the ridge beam to keep it from shifting end to end when you increase a roof pitch.

3. Cut all of your rafters. They will either go on 16 or 24-inch centers. This will allow you to have less waste on your plywood decking. Repeat the process on both sides of your ridge beam to complete your framing for increasing a roof pitch.

4. Nail ½-inch plywood decking to your rafters using 8-penny framing nails. Space them about every 8 to 10 inches apart. This will keep your plywood from buckling on the seams. Also, it is advisable to use plywood clips for ½-inch plywood. These are used in between your rafters when you join two pieces of plywood together. It makes ½-inch plywood sturdier in between the rafters.