Pitched roof vaulted ceiling

Discussion in 'Carpenters' Talk' started by Samir Khsib, Jan 18, 2023.

  1. Samir Khsib

    Samir Khsib New Member

    Hi, currently renovating kitchen diner and have a single story kitchen which will be opened up to the dining room in the main house (two stories)

    I’ve started removing plaster to insulate the roof space and noticed the ceiling joists are small flimsy 3x1s which are not securely fastened to the roof joists (there’s only 1 nail on either end), this makes me think they are not structural which means I can take them down and utilise the full ceiling height ??

    the main roof is pitched on 3 sides and has 4x3s at 35 centres and rests on wall plates on the 3 pitched sides. Seems overkill for a 3.5m x 4.5m room

    so the question is can I safely remove ceiling joists and have a vaulted ceiling??
     
  2. GrahamTaylor

    GrahamTaylor Active Member

    The ceiling rafter's job is not primarily to carry the ceiling but to act as third side of a triangle with the weight of the roof on the long sloping side. It is in tension and can look quite flimsy but is still carrying a tensile load (though the 1 nail fixings may tell another story). Removing it will remove the bottom of the triangle so the rafter carrying the roof itself (and a tiled roof can weigh several tons) will slump, pushing the supporting wall sideways ... not a good arrangement.

    The moral is ...... don't mess with it unless you have got professional advice from someone with the technical skills to offer well founded advice and good enough professional indemnity insurance to pay to rebuild your house if they get it wrong! Certainly don't do it based on 'someone on the internet said it would be OK'

    And another thing .... you will need to apply for approval under building regulations
     
  3. Severntrent

    Severntrent Screwfix Select

    If the roof joists span from the wall plate to a ledger board on the house wall then 3 sided trig does not come into it although I must confess the description of what's there confuses me somewhat
     
  4. Rosso

    Rosso Screwfix Select

    Yes, but the OP stated "the main roof is pitched on 3 sides and has 4x3s at 35 centres and rests on wall plates on the 3 pitched sides"
     
  5. Jord86

    Jord86 Screwfix Select

    Sounds like a hip roof constructed possibly by trusses rather than cut on site.
     

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