Any framers still awake?

[bull]

Tonight I'm putting in one of those pull-down attic ladders but in the attic over my garage there's a 2x6 in my way. It looks like a temporary brace to me and I'm wondering if I can remove it without causing any structural damage. It's positioned right about where your head would pop up through the opening and due to the contractors running wires all over the place that's the only feasible place to put the ladder.

In the picture here it's the 2x6 that runs diagonally from the "floor" joists up to the outer wall. Can I take it out? It's held in by two nails against the wall and 2 or 3 toenailed in at the bottom.

[Blown70]

Well I am not a PRO.
However one summer I helped build 3 houses... and did it all not all this specialized contracting.... Roofing, sheet rock, etc.  ( btw I am ALL for the sub contrcting)

Anyway,   we would brace the outer wall rafter up like that to start but once everything was done and the sheeting was on the roof... We took them down?  ALL the houses still have the roof and are not leaning.

I was in my house last year and did not see anything of the sort.... Same rafter design.

TOM

[bull]

Thanks for the input, Tom. I will leave it in for a while, at least while I'm putting the ladder in, but after that and after I insulate and put down some plywood to walk on I'll probably take it of there out if no one here cries foul.

[Silver R/T]

it doesnt serve for anything else but holding that wall there while roof is being covered. Ive seen people add another room in their ceiling like that and they didnt have it just insulate walls and roof and put sheetrock or plywood and you got another room

[NHCharger]

THat's just a temporary support to plumb up the gable truss. We alway leave them in until we run the permanent truss bracing on the webs.

[4402tuff4u]

Believe it or not it does help with lateral wind loads. If you live in hurricane prone area, I would replace it with two braces adjacent to your pull down stairs. You can use the existing one after you cut it down in length and add a second one on the other side of the opening. 

[Afflyer]

Looks to me, that if you remove that 2X6, the house will not fall like a house of cards.  Looks o-kay to me.  I'd get a contractor's opinion though, just to be safe.

Bradley

[bull]

Believe it or not it does help with lateral wind loads. If you live in hurricane prone area, I would replace it with two braces adjacent to your pull down stairs. You can use the existing one after you cut it down in length and add a second one on the other side of the opening.  

Definitely no hurricanes here in Oregon, but we do get a brisk east wind in the winter that can occasionally gust up into the 40 mph range.

[694spdRT]

Is your garage attached to the house or free standing?

[Blown70]

Believe it or not it does help with lateral wind loads. If you live in hurricane prone area, I would replace it with two braces adjacent to your pull down stairs. You can use the existing one after you cut it down in length and add a second one on the other side of the opening.  

Definitely no hurricanes here in Oregon, but we do get a brisk east wind in the winter that can occasionally gust up into the 40 mph range.

Trust me you will be fine removing it.   My house has seen 60 mph gusts and nothing.... Take it down.

Tom

[bull]

Is your garage attached to the house or free standing?

Attached. And the wall runs east/west with the wind.

Not to worry, Tom, it'll be coming out.