Transfer the measurements to the roof.
How to find a roof joist.
Extend the tape measure out 16 inches.
While many ceiling joists are on 16 inch centers some are on 24 inch centers.
Rafters are evenly spaced so knowing how far apart they are gives you the ability to find the rafters while on the roof.
In this video i go over how to find studs and joists in walls or ceilings.
Measure as precisely as possible down to the 1 4 inch 0 64 cm 1 8 inch 0 32 cm or 1 16 inch 0 16 cm.
Detect by measuring when you ve located the edge of one joist measure back inch to find the joist s center and then measure over 16 inches to find the center of the next joist.
This is the distance between joist centres.
Tap the ceiling lightly with your knuckles.
Start at the same end of the building and measure from the inside wall over to the first measurement.
The full version allows any size.
1 enter joist details 1 1 span and joist spacing.
You do not need a stud finder.
Be careful up there.
Floor joist span use this table to determine the maximum lengths of floor joists based on species of lumber joist spacing and joist size.
If you come up empty try measuring 24 inches from the center of the first joist.
Flat roof joist calculator.
You can do it without a bunch of fancy tools.
Arm yourself with a flashlight and head up to the attic.
For example the width of the building may be 72 75 inches 184 8 cm.
If there s no proper flooring step carefully from.
Place the end of a tape measure against the corner created where the wall meets the ceiling.
This demo version is fixed at 1m clear span.
Roof rafter span use this table to determine the maximum lengths of roof rafters based on species and grade of lumber spacing dimensions load and slope.
Use a pencil to jot the width down somewhere.
How to find a ceiling joist.
Head into the attic to get a good look at the underside of the roof.
This marks the center of the first rafter.