Snapped Roof Rafter Repair – Fixing a Broken Tree Trunk Beam

In this video, we repair a snapped roof rafter in an old stone house — and not just any rafter… this one was made from a full tree trunk.

Many traditional roofs in this area were built using whole pine trunks rather than modern sawn timber. Over time, the added weight of dirt-packed leveling and roof tiles can put enormous stress on these beams. In this case, one finally snapped.

Rather than removing the entire roof in bad winter weather, we carried out a structural repair by:

• Temporarily supporting the roof with acro props
• Jacking the rafter back into position
• Designing a custom support post
• Cutting a 120mm angled profile to match the round tree trunk
• Installing a permanent structural support

This repair stabilises the roof and buys time for a future full restoration.

Working on old buildings is never straightforward — especially when beams are literal tree trunks — but with careful planning, we achieved a solid, long-term solution.

Support us on Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/Finca_Life

Buy us a coffee - https://www.buymeacoffee.com/FincaLife

Finca Life merchandise: https://finca-life-shop.fourthwall.com/

We would love you to join us on our journey, living off grid, renovating our 150 year old abandoned Finca in southern Spain, using traditional building techniques and living a more self sufficient life with our rescue animals. Please consider subscribing to the channel to receive notifications of our future videos - best of all, it's free!