Roofs and flat roofs
A purlin is propped mid-span by a rough timber stud. Has the survey designed a repair, or recorded a prop that is already there?
Only recorded the prop that is already there. The survey has not designed a repair for the purlin propped mid-span by a rough timber stud. It can describe the purlin, the stud under it, and that the stud looks rough and informal. Designing a repair would mean specifying a new member, a connection and a route for the load. A home survey does not do that design. The prop is evidence someone already tried to support the purlin. Ask a structural engineer or a competent roofer if you need a proper scheme. Do not treat the stud as a designed repair the survey has approved.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
A purlin carries rafters mid-span. A rough stud underneath is a prop somebody stood there, often a length of timber on a ceiling joist or a wall. Recording it means the surveyor saw that arrangement. It does not mean the stud is adequate, that the joist below can take the load, or that a new beam has been specified. The survey is not a structural design. The useful fact is that a prop is already in place.
Ask a structural engineer, or a roofer working to an engineer's sketch, to look at the purlin and the stud and to say what support is actually needed. Do not knock the stud out on a viewing to see if the purlin moves. Do not ask the survey firm to add a beam size after the visit. Keep their paragraph as the record of a rough prop that is already there. Any repair is a later design.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- What is the rough stud bearing on, if you could see the foot of it?
- Did the purlin look cut, split or sagging as well as propped?
- Are you recording the existing prop rather than specifying a replacement?
What are the typical next steps?
- Read the note as a record of the prop already under the purlin.
- Ask a structural engineer if you need a designed repair.
- Do not remove the rough stud on a viewing.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the stud is tight under the purlin, has the repair been designed?
No. Tight timber shows a prop is taking a bearing. It does not show a designed repair, and the survey did not specify one.
Should you remove the stud so the surveyor can see the sag?
No. Do not take the prop away. It is part of what is holding the purlin. A designer should see it as it stands.