/diy/ - Do It Yourself

>>441142
That exactly.

Anyway op, I drew this up quickly so bear with the roughness.

Numbers in the text below refer to the diagram in the pic. Bear in mind the key in the pic (mostly bear in mind that the red lines denote the structural beam/ truss/ post/ column in question)
Also remember that these diagrams depict a structure that would be repeated along the length of the roof every few feet.

Diagram 1) In Australia we don't usually have living space in the attic, so we have plenty of space to put in really strong trusses like the 'w' shape you see.

2) Some attics are more simple and have a 'king post' though these aren't usually used to span much distance.

3) As you can see, diagram 3 has the same system (the king post) as diagram 2, except with more living space in the roof. Your attic could be like this, with the king posts in the wall, though I think this is unlikely considering the size of the space.

4) I think this could be the most likely in your house, and would appear as it is in diagram 5. Check your attic to see if it had any cross beams like this to confirm it.

What makes me suspicious, though, is that you have that brick wall. I'd normally expect a partition wall in that place to just be timber frame clad with plaster.

I don't think the timber part of the wall already exposed (>>441131) is structural. Walls like that, even non structural ones, normally have horizontal braces (studs) so the one you have there would probably be pretty flimsy.

If you're keen to get something done quickly then bash out that timber part, but I wouldn't touch the brick wall.

But even if you're confident in my advice, still get a contractor in to check it out. It won't cost much and it's better to be safe than sorry. And 'sorry' in this instance means sorry about your roof collapsing.