Angled Garage Ceiling Support

[buddy213]

My 1955 home has these cross-supports which brace the wall with the ceiling. Living room sits above the garage. I think they are called 'knee brace', or are these rafters? joists? truss?

Also, are they necessary? I realize they are there for a reason, but you never see them on modern garages.

Can't find a good image on the internet. Will update post if someone finds one.

Example pic:

 

[buddy213]

bump. just wondering why the braces are there (the angled ones), and how important they are

 

[Radix2]

Can you take a picture from the outside of the garage doors?

Just looking at the structure from the inside without any concept of the whole really does not give much to go on. Also from the garage door looking in.

It may just be an attempt for some extra support against racking since you are in a seismic area...?

 

[buddy213]

just a generic SF home

Edit: I added this url as an IMG tag but it doesn't seem to be displaying in the forum post
https://ibb.co/kvcAxb

 

[ard]

+1

In a standard garage these would not be necessary. But standard garages dont have living rooms above them... without knowing the whole building, how the second floor diaphragm is stabilized, how it is tied to the foundation, where there are shear panels that keep the upstairs from shaking back and forth....it is hard to make a call

 

[ard]

whoops, composing mine when you posted

I dont see any walls on the front of that building that are big enough to resist racking (ie side to side of the upstairs causing the downstairs to pancake...) Looks like 12 to 18 inches in width, yes?

On a one story garage, those limited shear panels might be OK with specific plywood sheathing, perhaps on insoide and outside.

Hence my guess is that these inside your garage are necessary....