I don't see those sitting on your top/sill plate..... to me it looks like those are coller ties.

I don't know your snow loads or any seismic issues.... but my NON-ENGENERED guess is that you'd be fine to move that tie up a little.

 

The tie closest to the door isn't sitting on the sill, but the other three are, and they aren't attached to the rafters. They just sit on the sill and hang from the ridge. Never seen this before. I think I'll just remove the lumber that hangs from the ridge, cut the joists a little shorter, move them up a foot or so, and attach them to the rafters.

 

Caller ties are in the top third of the rafters
Rafter ties are what these are and they can be as high as one third from the wall to the peak.
There job is to stop the walls from pushing out as the peak wants to come down.

 

Ah. That makes sense. Thanks for the lesson and the information.

 

No engineer here either.



Joists serve 2 functions; to keep the roof from spreading (flattening out) and to keep the walls from bowing.



Block walls don't bow like framed walls and up one foot would not make any real difference for a collar tie. I tend to over build sometimes so I would be inclined to run one on every set of rafters. If use use 2x stock rated for the span the vertical support would not be needed.


If Neal (retired framer) posts,pay more attention to what he says than what I say.

 

No engineer here either.



Joists serve 2 functions; to keep the roof from spreading (flattening out) and to keep the walls from bowing.



Block walls don't bow like framed walls and up one foot would not make any real difference for a collar tie. I tend to over build sometimes so I would be inclined to run one on every set of rafters. If use use 2x stock rated for the span the vertical support would not be needed.


If Neal (retired framer) posts,pay more attention to what he says than what I say.

The tie is never big enough for the span so it is hung from the peak.
Every four feet is fine but they should have been nailed to the rafters.
I wouldn't trust a block wall to take a side load.

 

Should I retain the piece that hangs from the peak? Or can I remove that and only nail to the rafters?

 

I would replace it and add a 2x4 across the tops of the ties all the way to the gables so things don't flex in the wind.

 

Related question before I start on this: I plan to install an electric garage door opener. I've never had a garage, so this is new to me. I'm guessing the opener needs to be installed level with the top of the door? This would mean I'd need the rafter ties at a minimum height in order to install the motor and have clearance for the belt. Is this correct?

(I noticed the 'building and construction' sub, which is where I should have posted this)

 

As long as the rafter meet the minimum clearance needed for the opener you will be fine. If the rafter are higher up they will just install longer hangers to get the motor unit at the correct height. Higher rafters just means longer hangers.

Some openers can fit into a 2" clearance space.

 

As long as the rafter meet the minimum clearance needed for the opener you will be fine. If the rafter are higher up they will just install hangers to get the motor unit at the correct height. Higher rafters just means longer hangers.

I need to make sure I meet the minimum clearance. If the door is 7ft, the rafter tie would need to be over 7 feet high to allow for the motor/belt? So, maybe around 8 feet would be safe for the rafter ties. I just want to make sure my assumptions are correct.