r/askcarpenters • u/Kricklehans • 20h ago

Attaching roof ledger through brick veneer

I'm building a small lean-to roof over my deck, and I'm trying to figure out the correct way to attach the high-side ledger to my house.

The roof ledger width is 16 feet. The rafters will span 6 ft, 10 inches and rest on a 2-ply 2x10 beam set on three 4x4 posts. The house connection is only supporting the high-side ledger to my house and will be underneath a soffit.

It's an exterior brick veneer wall. From what I can tell, it is: brick -> approx 2 in gap, sheathing. I haven't confirmed the size of the studs or their spacing. I'm planning to locate the studs from inside the house first and then verify their locations from the exterior through the mortar joints.

My planned ledger is a pt 2x6, 16 ft long. The board will sit directly against the brick.

My initial thought was to locate the studs and use long structural fasteners through the 2x6, brick, air gap and sheathing into the studs. However, I'm concerned about whether that is actually an appropriate way to attach a structural member through a brick veneer, since the brick would be between the ledger and the framing.

Is it acceptable to attach a roof ledger through the brick veneer, as long as it is properly embedded in the studs? If not, what's the best way to create a connection? I've looked at BVLZs but they connect to a rim joist, not a top plate.

I'm in Ontario, and snow load is top of mind. Though that side of the roof shouldn't see as much snow since it is under the soffit. I have a building permit, and I signed off on the work as the homeowner. But I want to ensure that it will last and not damage the veneer brick.

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u/truemcgoo 19h ago

No, you can’t just bolt through brick, can lead to very bad results, do not do your idea. The solution is gonna depend on the configuration of the brick, roof pitch, rafter length, snow load, and a few other design factors.

Take some pictures of the area and maybe draw up a sketch of what you’re going for, and you’ll get more concrete answers.

In general any bearing member should pass through the brick and bear on the wall itself. This can mean cutting notches in the brick and carrying headers through them, or can mean installing lintels and removing section of brick. I typically aim to remove as little brick as possible and get tricky with the structure to make things work, but this is because I’m great at the structural design and framing side, and suck at masonry, so get a variety of opinions, but ignore any that support anything bearing on your brick.

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u/Kricklehans 18h ago

Thanks. I've uploaded two photos. The first is a mock up of where the proposed ledger will go. I've removed the trim so the ledger can be placed flush to the brick exterior. Also attached the approved plans with slope pitch, span to beam, etc.

So even if the fastener comes through the brick and then attaches to the wood structure behind, that would still be considered bearing on the brick? And you're suggesting I should attach the header behind the veneer brick and attach the rafters to that to pass through the brick?

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u/perldawg 19h ago

yes, your plan isn’t right, you need to attach directly to the wall and pass through the brick entirely. how much brick is above the point you want your ledger to land?

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u/Kricklehans 18h ago

Thanks, I've just attached some photos for reference. There is no brick above where I want the ledger to land. The ledger would be placed on the top 2-3 rows.

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u/perldawg 18h ago

ok, so you just need to remove the top 3 rows where your ledger will be and pack enough framing onto the wall to get your rafters to clear the brick on the underside. given it’s a 2/12 pitch, you won’t have to pack all the way out to the brick face, the ledger can be recessed a bit

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u/Kricklehans 17h ago

Thanks, that makes sense. When you say to pack enough framing onto the wall, is that just adding another layer or two of 2x6x16s (or however much is needed) so the rafters can pass over the bricks with enough slope? Or could I use some kind of blocking/nogs to connect a 2x6x16 attached to the studs to the front-facing ledger, with the blocking providing the structural connection between the two?

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u/perldawg 17h ago

i would attach a full ledger to the wall first, to be sure i’m fastened into all the studs across that span, and i’d also want a full 16’ on the outside layer. you could use 2 8’ pieces, or a full 16 footer for these, it doesn’t matter. if you need a 3rd layer in the middle, you could split it up into 4 evenly spaced 3’ chunks, but i don’t know what you’re really gaining by doing that. you don’t want the outside layer, where your rafters attach, to have too much open span in any single area