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ouimette
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 5 Franklin,Vermont
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2004-06-10          88240

We live in northern Vermont with a lot of snow in the winter.We are building a 14x20 sugar house with a 12/12 pitch and metal roof.can I get away with 2x6 rafter and collar ties? I'm sure the snow would slide off with a steep pitch

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shortmagnum
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 848 Wisconsin
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2004-06-10          88245

With a 12/12 pitch roof the 2x6's should be plenty strong, especially if your rafters will go along the 14' (short) direction. For a normal gable roof the 7' rise and 7' run will require only 10' rafters (plus any overhang you need).

Are my assumptions correct or are you planning a shed type roof or other orientation?

Sounds like a fun project.
Dave ....

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kwschumm
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 5764 NW Oregon
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2004-06-10          88246

We don't generally get what you might call a LOT of snow, but we have had a couple of feet on our 12/12 pitch roof with fiberglass shingles and it does not just slide off. Are you sure 12/12 is steep enough? Maybe the metal roof is slippery enough that it won't be a problem, or a thicker snowfall would slide off but I've never seen it slide off here. ....

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bmlekki
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 185 Upstate, NY
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2004-06-10          88247

The 12/12 with a steel roof will be plenty, Soon as you get about a foot of snow on top it will side off like butter on a hot ear of corn! Then once you start boiling and heat that roof up a couple of inches will also slide!
....

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beagle
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1333 Michigan
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2004-06-10          88256

16/12 is the recommended pitch for shedding accumulated snow. That doesn't mean it won't slide off a 12/12. It depends on the density of the snow that falls. ....

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jimshea
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 3 ma
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2004-07-19          91364

2x6 is plenty with that span. Throw a couple of collar ties in on every other rafter and it will never move or sag ....

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brokenarrow
Join Date: Jan 2004
Posts: 1288 Wisconsin
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2004-07-27          92061

I agree with you, but with it only being 20' long why not go to atleast 2x8? The added cost is nothing compared to the storm of the century that will come after you build?
The more room for insulation down the road the better.
I would figure it out (cost wise) and procede from there. Personelly, if adding $200 to the cost will be a problem, I would wait. The roof is one of the first things you see when looking at your place. my .02 ....

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TomG
Join Date: Feb 2002
Posts: 5406 Upper Ottawa Valley
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2004-07-28          92094

I wouldn't count on the snow sliding off. You might check but I don't imagine that snow-loading codes assume it's going to slide off either.

We have an unheated screen porch at our camp that has a steel roof and 2x6 rafters. It has a minimum pitch for steel roofs without going to low angle roofing. I don't know how that compares to a 12/12. I can say that the snow doesn't necessarily slide off and I rake it several times a winter. I think what happens is that the air on the inside of the porch melts the snow a bit on warm days. If the snow then doesn't slide off then it freezes to the roof. If that happens then it has to wait for an even warmer day and support any additional snow as well--good chance that making sugar would cause it to slide off with a little encourgagement from a rake though.

We have an old 'lean-to' type sugar shed a little larger than that which has stood more than 50-years with 'real 2x4's' for rafters. The walls were getting a bit splayed and the roof sway-backed though. I did some probably over-designed remedial work and it has been fine. ....

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