Supporting a Roof From the Weight of Snow

Check the trusses, rafters and beams for signs of wear in your roof. If any of these are damaged, you must replace them. Contact a professional roofer for an estimate as the work can be fairly dangerous and you may need a permit for the project.

Inspect the shingles on your roof. If you notice any that are damaged, replace them immediately. To make this repair, first gently lift the shingle above the damaged shingle by slipping a pry bar under the bottom edge. Once that is done, use the claw end of a hammer to remove the nails that hold the shingle in place. Remove the damaged shingle, mount a new shingle in its place and hammer it in. Apply caulking to the bottom edge of the shingle that you pried up to keep the shingle above the new shingle in place.

Add braces to the interior of the roof in the attic. Place a 2x4 diagonally from the ridge to the hanging beam at a ceiling joist. Secure the 2x4 in place with 4-inch nails driven into the top and bottom of the brace. These braces should form a “W” that may be repeated multiple times over. To do this, mount the left end of the first brace onto the ridge and the right end onto the hanging beam at the ceiling joist. For the second brace, secure the left end to the hanging beam at the ceiling joist and the right end to the ridge. Continue this pattern down the length of the ridge.

Brace the roof by placing 2-by-4s in an “X” formation between each of the rafters. Attach the 2-by-4s so they are as close to the roof as possible, by driving nails diagonally through the brace and into the rafter.