I have a few questions regarding some of the joinery in the design of my home as it currently stands.
At the back pictured on the left I had decided to run a plate atop the posts tieing the bents together so that I could have my rafter tails over hang in a step lap joint cut in the plate. (note that that the attached is an older drawing and the posts at the leanto and back have been lengthened above the tie beam by a foot or two.) But I don't believe I can provide a timber long enough to run the full 39' length of the house so I'm wondering what the most appropriate type of joinery would be in this situtation. should I do a scarf joint at the posts, that is also mortised in order to sit atop a tenoned post?
Another question I have has to do with the roof at the post where the leanto connects at the front(right of drawing) I'd like to be able to make a break in the rafters at this post and wondered if the joinery that I took from Tedd Benson's book where a birds mouth is cut into the rafter/plate for the top half of the roof and the lean to part of the roof is tenoned and pops into a mortise on the post adjacent to it might work. But as my posts extend above the tie in my bents I was wondering if I could forget about a connecting plate and use this style joinery on the post above the tie as suggested in my sketchup DWG attached.
I don't know if its odd to have a connecting plate on only one side or not? Anyway please feel free to make suggestions.
