Can I incorporate a ridge beam and remove ceiling ties for my shed?

[Mark Bolton]

The reality of it is that outbuildings are usually poorly constructed. The top and bottom of the walls will have substandard connections. In many areas you can get 70mph wind gusts just from thunderstorms. Then there is the sad part where in areas with many similar houses for sale, the ones with inspection issues sit unsold.

Be hard to argue that a lot of flying debris in a whomper likely comes from outbuildings.

[John C Bush]

Got any scrap 1/2" plywood? Cut gussets/collar ties to fit gable and vertically wide enough to give you the minimum headroom you want and attach on both sides of the roof rafters. Big issue is snow load
and rafter tie down clips at the top sill plate may help keep the roof on in 7 mph gusts.

[Dexter McLaughlin]

I would go with Wayne"s suggestion. Add collar ties to each pair of rafters and then remove the ceiling joists. Far easier than putting in a ridge beam and you will still gain additional height in the room.

It’s my understanding collar ties are no substitute for ceiling ties though. Would it really be enough to prevent walls from spreading?

[Dexter McLaughlin]

The default responsible internet police response (no offense Bruce) is always as Bruce states however in a small outbuilding situation like this your likely either going to get an engineer that wont respond to your call, laughs in your face, or willingly makes a payment on his wife's Mercedes hosing you for unnecessary work.

The replies above pretty much outline your options. Structural ridge beam (could be as simple as some dimensional lumber spiked together) supported at each end with a post to whatever footing you have available. Your photos look to sho a pretty hefty header at the one end that you could likely land on top of. Other good option as mentioned are collar ties (google). But if your wanting to open it up its probably the same work to just stick a quick ridge in there and have it open to the bottom of the ridge.

Commercially purchased outbuildings that are shipped on a flatbed and drug around peoples property with a mule torqued and twisted all over the place will nearly never have a structural ridge so pretty much anything you do will exceed whats necessary for such a small building. As with anything, if your not comfortable, then by all means consult someone else.

Are you saying collar ties would be a viable substitute for the ceiling ties? It was my understanding collar ties wouldn’t be able to prevent the walls from separating. I see putting collar ties on each rafter to be much simpler than a structural ridge beam, if it does the job.

[Dexter McLaughlin]

snow load?

1-2 months per year some minor snow

[Jim Becker]

Are you saying collar ties would be a viable substitute for the ceiling ties? It was my understanding collar ties wouldn’t be able to prevent the walls from separating. I see putting collar ties on each rafter to be much simpler than a structural ridge beam, if it does the job.

Yes and no relative to collar ties. This is an engineering problem that's specific to a structure. Sometimes you can do it partial where there are collar ties and a few rafters or cables that span the space to keep the walls from being pushed out. Some structures need both or the truss equivalent because of the span. For your small building you "may" be able to open up part of the space with collar ties to facilitate your purpose while leaving the rest as-is. However, I have to be honest that I don't think I'd try that you your building based on the photos without a proper ridge beam, too...that building isn't looking particularly well built to my eyes. But I could be wrong about that. The point of the concern, BTW, is purely on safety. Nobody wants you to get hurt here.

[Charlie Velasquez]

Collar ties are generally limited to no more than the bottom third of the rafters. From your photos that doesn’t look to gain you much height.
Ridge beam still looks like the simplest method to gain height.

[Dexter McLaughlin]

Could I replace the ceiling ties with scissor trusses if I just needed a bit more room? Would it be simpler to just do the structural ridge beam vs this? I’m def considering getting a structural engineer involved since I have a few projects he could consult on around the house, but I’d like to do my research and get an understanding of all the options so I am more prepared to discuss with an expert.

[Bruce King]

Scissor trusses when installed properly will take away from your space.
watch this video, it explains a lot. It is a large area with extra strong components but you will find out that even a smaller building will need components stronger than what most think.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0scGE11HKi4

[Jamie Buxton]

Could I replace the ceiling ties with scissor trusses if I just needed a bit more room? Would it be simpler to just do the structural ridge beam vs this? I’m def considering getting a structural engineer involved since I have a few projects he could consult on around the house, but I’d like to do my research and get an understanding of all the options so I am more prepared to discuss with an expert.

If you change to scissors trusses, you're likely going to have to take the roof off. That's not a huge deal, but if you're going to do that, you might could consider making the walls taller. Then make the roof structure any way you like - trusses or whatever. That gets you the height you want without compromises.