Accomplished roof framers rely on a variety of tools, techniques, and trade secrets to get roof framing done right, from calculators and framing squares to string lines, templates, and over size saws.

Written by the pros who actually do the work, these articles will help you to:

• Design and build different types of dormers.
• Lay out and cut valley rafters with compound angles.
• Frame hips, valleys, eyebrows, and gable overhangs.
• Save time by using production techniques.
• Work safely and efficiently with roof trusses.

From the Introduction
As a carpenter I came of age in the Midwest, where shallow roof pitches were as common as cornfields. When I finally got the chance to frame a steep roof, I got to frame it twice.

The first time, my fellow carpenters and I gave in to the lure of Friday quitting time - the promise of paychecks, cold beers, and two days off - and we failed to brace the roof properly. A big storm blew in that weekend and folded up the roof like someone snapping shut a set of Venetian blinds. It was a somber crew that assembled around the splintered mess on Monday morning.

Roofs are the most complicated and dangerous part of house framing. Geometry makes them complicated and height makes them dangerous. But roof framing is also pretty exciting. With the roof complete, you can stand back for the first time and see the building as the designer imagined it. And of course, framing a roof opens an umbrella over the house, protecting its vulnerable parts from the weather. It's no wonder that finishing a roof frame is a traditional point of celebration. The "topping-out" ceremony is usually marked by nailing an evergreen bough to the highest part of the frame.

You won't find any advice on "topping-out" in this book. But you will find advice to help you deal with the complexities and dangers of roof framing. Written by builders from all over the country, the articles in this book were originally published in Fine Homebuilding magazine. If I had read these articles 20 years ago, that roof might never have blown over.

-Kevin Ireton
Editor-in-Chief, Fine Homebuilding Magazine

Table of Contents
Introduction— Part 1: HIP AND GABLE ROOFS: A Different Approach to Rafter Layout, Framing a Gable Roof, Framing a Hip Roof, Ceiling Joists for a Hip Roof, Framing a Dutch Roof, Joining Unequally Pitched Roofs, Simplified Valley Framing; Part 2: DORMERS AND BAYS: Framing a Bay Window with Irregular Hips, Shed-Dormer Retrofit, Raising an Eyebrow, Framing a Bay-Window Roof, Framing an Elegant Dormer, A Gable-Dormer Retrofit, Part 3: TRUSSES: Raising Roof Trusses, Building Hip and Valley Roofs with Trusses; Credits; Index.