# hanging ceiling above the joists?....



## LawnGuyLandSparky (Nov 18, 2007)

Yea just find the ceiling raising lever in the center hall closet and pull on it. (It may be difficult if you have a lot of stuff stored in the attic.)


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## mben (Mar 30, 2008)

*ha ha*

Very funny. . I mean this seriously. I am an RN by profession, not a builder. This site is for advice, not seeing which of you can crack the funniest jokes at us, right? Reading over some of the others' posts, I'm thinking it's the latter...

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you didn't comprehend the question.... Try to understand this time. We would like a higher ceiling, but don't want to mess with the joists or the trusses that were originally built, so could you please tell me, if there is a way to place the ceiling above the joists-where the joists are exposed, and part of the truss is exposed? I think it's a valid question, but maybe I'm wrong. If not, please inform me politely. Thanks, Monica

If you're incapable of that, then maybe when you're in the hospital recovering from a heart attack, and you ask me if you're going to live, I'll laugh at you and joke with my fellow nurses that if we just stick another suppository in your ass, your ticker would work better. Grow up


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## jogr (Jul 24, 2007)

Yes, if you want exposed joists all you have to do is remove the attic insulation, remove the drywall, reroute any electric wires that are running through the exposed joists, attach new drywall on top of the joists, put insulation on top of drywall. 

Ckeck with your building department for what permits are needed.


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## mben (Mar 30, 2008)

*thanks*

Thanks for your mature and professional answer. My concern is with insulation..... Does doing this always create a problem where the wall meets the rafters? Is there a way to address this, if it posses a problem?


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## jogr (Jul 24, 2007)

mben said:


> Does doing this always create a problem where the wall meets the rafters? Is there a way to address this, if it posses a problem?


 
You'll need to use something to keep an air channel from your soffit vents to your attic open (many varieties of cardboard or foam chutes are available at home centers) and then you'll want to fill around these channels with insulation and extend your drywall from the wall up the bottom face of the rafter to the new height of your drywall ceiling on the joists.


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## LawnGuyLandSparky (Nov 18, 2007)

mben said:


> Very funny. . I mean this seriously. I am an RN by profession, not a builder. This site is for advice, not seeing which of you can crack the funniest jokes at us, right? Reading over some of the others' posts, I'm thinking it's the latter...
> 
> I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that you didn't comprehend the question.... Try to understand this time. We would like a higher ceiling, but don't want to mess with the joists or the trusses that were originally built, so could you please tell me, if there is a way to place the ceiling above the joists-where the joists are exposed, and part of the truss is exposed? I think it's a valid question, but maybe I'm wrong. If not, please inform me politely. Thanks, Monica


Forgive the wisecrack, but what you're proposing is just, IMO, downright ludicrious. You do realize that you won't end up with "higher ceilings" but rather a web of exposed 2 -bys? Further, the sheetrock that encapsulates your home's "bones" affords a degree of fire resistance, and that no insurer would touch this structure with a 10-foot rider.

Further, houses have been built and designed with particular "standards" that have progressed over the years. Everything made for homes and construction methods and codes and materials are designed around these particulars. What you propose changes everything about your insulation, venting, fire resistance, electrical, heating/ventilation, and all this to "gain" what, 6" of ceiling height? 



> If you're incapable of that, then maybe when you're in the hospital recovering from a heart attack, and you ask me if you're going to live, I'll laugh at you and joke with my fellow nurses that if we just stick another suppository in your ass, your ticker would work better. Grow up


Well I'd better watch my P's and Qs then... because your idea is practically giving me a heart attack! :jester:


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## Leah Frances (Jan 13, 2008)

mben - don't worry about the haters. Part of the fun of DIY is doing something for yourself regardless of what other people think. But, listen to Jogr, and get your permits.

Have fun.


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## jogr (Jul 24, 2007)

Please understand that I'm not advocating this. It would be a tremendous amount of work for virtually no gain and would probably cause your property value to decrease. I'm just saying how it would need to be done.

And I don't think LawnGuy is being a hater at all. He added a bit of harmless humor in his first post and his second post appears to be sincere feedback intended to help the OP. In fact, it was pretty kind considering the OPs threats to his lower alimentary tract.LOL


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## mben (Mar 30, 2008)

*thanks, and mini-lecture*

Thanks JOGR, and LEAH. We've been through the ringer with our architect, neighbors, and the city. All I'll say, is, "Solar Exemptions", "Neighborhood Covenants", "City Council FAR changes", and LOTS of money already spent.... all during our planning/design process. I won't bore you with details... 

I was hoping your website could help me gain some insight into what has been done out there to creatively achieve different looks. Eventually, I did get an actual answer, and thanks for that. Obviously, what I initailly proposed wasn't a good idea.... We are now entertaining the idea of having the entire roof taken off over a 22X24 space, and replaced with rafters or trusses to achieve a higher cieling. 

Now, a lecture: 

Lawnboy's second response was somewhat more appropriate. I don't mind an honest answer. Telling me it's a bad idea is acceptable, but belittling and cracking jokes AS an answer is unprofessional and rude. I am a fan of HUMOR, but not of sarcasm and denogration as an answer to a serious question. I have a good hunch lawnboy wasn't planning on following up with a normal response, either. In reading other posts on your site, it seems this is pretty commonplace, and I'm not the only one to find it irritating and asinine. In fact, frequently, the answers offered become a battle of sarcastic wit among you all while simultaneously poking fun at the HO, instead of an informational forum. If you want to show off to your cyberbuddies at how ridiculous you can make the HO look, do that on your own time, not at our expense. The internet is not an excuse to give yourself liberty to be a jerk, just beause you are safely alone in your room, and not confronting an actual person. 

There, I said that, and now I'm over it.... BTW-the lower GI tract comment was an ANALogy, not a threat.


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## mben (Mar 30, 2008)

*thanks, and mini-lecture*

Thanks JOGR, and LEAH. We've been through the ringer with our architect, neighbors, and the city. All I'll say, is, "Solar Exemptions", "Neighborhood Covenants", "City Council FAR changes", and LOTS of money already spent.... all during our planning/design process. I won't bore you with details... 

I was hoping your website could help me gain some insight into what has been done out there to creatively achieve different looks. Eventually, I did get an actual answer, and thanks for that. Obviously, what I initailly proposed wasn't a good idea.... We are now entertaining the idea of having the entire roof taken off over a 22X24 space, and replaced with rafters or trusses to achieve a higher cieling. 

Now, a lecture: 

Lawnboy's second response was somewhat more appropriate. I don't mind an honest answer. Telling me it's a bad idea is acceptable, but belittling and cracking jokes AS an answer is unprofessional and rude. I am a fan of HUMOR, but not of sarcasm and denogration as an answer to a serious question. I have a good hunch lawnboy wasn't planning on following up with a normal response, either. In reading other posts on your site, it seems this is pretty commonplace, and I'm not the only one to find it irritating and asinine. In fact, frequently, the answers offered become a battle of sarcastic wit among you all while simultaneously poking fun at the HO, instead of an informational forum. If you want to show off to your cyberbuddies at how ridiculous you can make the HO look, do that on your own time, not at our expense. The internet is not an excuse to give yourself liberty to be a jerk, just beause you are safely alone in your room, and not confronting an actual person. 

There, I said that, and now I'm over it.... BTW-the lower GI tract comment was an ANALogy, not a threat.


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## Clutchcargo (Mar 31, 2007)

You have both collar ties and and joists? I wonder if you could take out the existing ceiling and drywall the collar ties.
FWIW, I chuckled at the idea of a lever in the closet. If nothing else, LawnGuy bumped your thread to the top and got a few more eyes on it.

Edit: No that won't work, you wouldn't be able to get insulation in there with only 2x6s as rafters. You might be able to put a faux cathedral ceiling in, which would be an angled ceiling giving the appearance that it is the underside of the roof but it really be just a raised ceiling.


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## Clutchcargo (Mar 31, 2007)

Another idea is to tray the ceiling. Cut the center section out of the current ceiling joists off leaving about two feet on each end from the wall. Put a full length joist on top of two cut ends. Does that make sense?


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## mben (Mar 30, 2008)

*collar ties...*

Yes, we do have collar ties, but we also have some diagonal pieces extending down from mid-rafter and angling in and attaching near the center of to the joists. I'll see about this suggestion. Thanks for taking interest. Mben


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## LawnGuyLandSparky (Nov 18, 2007)

mben said:


> Now, a lecture:
> 
> Lawnboy's second response was somewhat more appropriate. I don't mind an honest answer. Telling me it's a bad idea is acceptable, but belittling and cracking jokes AS an answer is unprofessional and rude. I am a fan of HUMOR, but not of sarcasm and denogration as an answer to a serious question. I have a good hunch lawnboy wasn't planning on following up with a normal response, either. In reading other posts on your site, it seems this is pretty commonplace, and I'm not the only one to find it irritating and asinine. In fact, frequently, the answers offered become a battle of sarcastic wit among you all while simultaneously poking fun at the HO, instead of an informational forum. If you want to show off to your cyberbuddies at how ridiculous you can make the HO look, do that on your own time, not at our expense. The internet is not an excuse to give yourself liberty to be a jerk, just beause you are safely alone in your room, and not confronting an actual person.
> 
> There, I said that, and now I'm over it.... BTW-the lower GI tract comment was an ANALogy, not a threat.


Honey... read your lecture again. "Your expense?" What expense is that exactly? Financial? Time? Pride? Ego? 

Forums are free. I've spent more time here than you. And nobody knows who you are so, your ego couldn't be bruised.

Grow a thicker skin and suck it up. This is why they didn't allow women in construction.


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## mben (Mar 30, 2008)

None of this has anything to do with women in construction, that's totally inappropriate.

In the context in which I used the word 'expense', it means: 'an embarrassment that results from some action or gain'. So, the word was appropriately used. 

More TIME SPENT on any forum, and the fact that FORUMS ARE FREE doesn't excuse a person for being rude. Obviously. 

No ego here to bruise, and my skin is about as thick as I want it to be, thanks.


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## clasact (Oct 21, 2006)

you ideal is a bit off for alot of the reasons stated plus imo I dont think it will look to good with the rafters just sitting out in the open as for a new roof I am haveing a complete roof put on a 46x23 living room now the cost is 12,000 dollars but that is just for the roof{trusses,shingels,labor,and so on}I will be doing all the finish work {reinsulating,ceiling,paint etc....}.Also I am not defending anyone here cause if you would see some of things I have done to this house you might wonder just how tight my screws are but at first read it is kind of funny to think you were serious about this


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## mben (Mar 30, 2008)

Well, I am into creative alternative ideas that will work.... Some of the best things I have seen have been 'out of the box'. I saw a picture in a mag of the ceiling joists exposed and v board placed over it. It was a modern home, and it actually looked great! The ceiling was 8 feet high, using 1X8's, and spaced 2 feet apart, all just like ours. It could add character and dimension to the ceiling. We have no wiring or ducting up there, so it could work. I wish I was more handy with the computer, I would scan and post this photo. However it's a big chance to take, not knowing for sure if it will look nice, it may just be smarter to remove the roof and start over...

Speaking of that, Thanks for the cost info-that actually REALLY helps. We are looking at rafters or trusses. Big difference in cost? We are also looking at a clerestory down the center, so that would definately mean using rafters, right? And several skylights would also be in the space. The 24X22 ft space is over a living room/entry and a kitchen. 

Thanks a head of time for any advice, input. Very much appreciated.


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## clasact (Oct 21, 2006)

I am sorry I did not include this before but now that you mention the extras..... Mine also covers the same areas and the first plan was to come off the roof above the one thats getting replaced so the upper kithen would then be a loft but when weadded in the cost of lvl beams and supports it ran the cost to some where around 30 thousand.Two more points if you go that route you will probibly need an architec so you know what your load points are for the builderand also consider your area I live in NW Pa.so I am getting the amish to do the work they are very skilled but work cheepppppppppppp


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