Though it was stick-framed, it contained various timber-frame components both inside and out. The house was designed to look like a converted barn. In this article, I'll describe how we completed a decorative timber-rafter roof overhang for a new home on the coast of Rhode Island. Now, whenever we sit down to bid a set of plans, one of the first things we do is to circle every element that might lend itself to off-site fabrication. Copy a rafter with decorative rafter tail to the gable fascia location. Generate roof framing with custom rafter tail. The advantages are numerous - including no weather delays and close control over scheduling and quality - and have proven themselves on job after job. Exposed rafters display the custom rafter profile perfectly, but the gable end fasica defaults to a basic board shape. Tackling these tasks off site in the shop simplifies and speeds the entire process. Typically, these are relatively complicated pieces of the building that would ordinarily be built on site but require extensive layout, complicated scaffolding setups, and lots of crew. For several years I've been working with a local custom builder, David Baud, to produce major components for the high-end homes he builds. The rafter tail is typically scrolled and detailed, a major component of the. This structural element is secured to the top of the wall or tie beam, and then projects to support the soffit overhang. I run a specialty millwork shop in Narragansett, R.I. Rafter tails are the exposed exterior portion of a building’s wood structural truss, which projects beyond the perimeter wall of the structure. The bottom course of plywood roof sheathing ties the overhang to the actual framing.

First, the tails were attached to the frieze board then the entire assembly was secured to the frame with a space left for roof ventilation. False rafter tails give the impression of a timber-framed roof structure.

Decorative rafter tails