1.   Can I take down the collar ties, those boards connecting each set of rafters?

2.   If you feel that collar ties will spoil the aesthetics, then live with the cracks.

3.   If you really want to remove the collar ties, you have to consult an architect or engineer to determine if they can be removed and how.

4.   Incidentally, we discovered that the beams that kept our cathedral ceilings from pushing the walls apart are collar ties.

5.   So, consider installing collar ties to connect the two slopes of the cathedral ceiling.

6.   That way you keep the collar ties and ceiling joists, but get the increased headroom you need.

7.   The collar ties are part of the house structure, and keep the roof rafters from spreading, so they should be left.

8.   Then there are the collar ties, boards connecting each set of rafters in the attic, a few feet down from the ridge.

9.   That load internally has broken a number of the roof structural members, collar ties and hip rafters.