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Converting a Flat Ceiling to Cathedral or Vaulted
Cathedral
or vaulted ceilings (Figure 1) as they sometimes called, open up living space and
make rooms appear much bigger. Aesthetically they are usually a
perfect addition to a home.
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Figure 1 - Cathedral or vaulted ceiling with visible horizontal cross
members
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Although it might appear that converting a flat ceiling to a cathedral
ceiling is a simple exercise - just cut away lumber that is not required
and you have a cathedral ceiling.
If only home improvements were that easy!
Your roof, which has been constructed in one of two manners:
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The use of rafters,
that rest on the upper plates of the walls and rafters on
12", 16" or 24" centers that are on an angle that when all
nailed together create a very solid triangle that supports
the weight of the roof and ties the whole house structure
together.
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The use of roof
trusses that contain the lumber segments to attach the
finished ceiling material to your room and a group of
rafters and members that create numerous triangles that tie
all the walls together, as shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2 - Construction of a roof truss
Think about this!
Have you ever known or
heard of a house builder supplying more structural material than is
needed, in order to complete the project and meet code?
It is a highly unlikely
situation!
This means that every piece of lumber that
makes up your current roof
system is there for a purpose and that
purpose is most likely to support the roof and keep the walls
aligned! You cannot just arbitrarily remove pieces of the
roof structural system or pieces of the roof trusses and expect that the
structural integrity of your home will not be affected.
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There are two types of cathedral or vaulted ceiling designs.
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Figure 1 shows a cathedral or vaulted ceiling with the roof
rafter, horizontal cross members, being slightly elevated
and visible, but still in place to create the structural
integrity of a triangle.
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Figure 3 shows a cathedral or vaulted ceiling that does not
have any horizontal cross member support. While many
homeowners believe that this style of ceiling is more
appealing to that of Figure 1, its structural integrity is
very difficult to accomplish.
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Building codes are
continually being changed to make homes more hurricane and earthquake
resistant.
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Figure 3 - Cathedral or vaulted
ceiling without horizontal cross members |
There
are other complexities in transforming your flat ceiling to a
vaulted ceiling.
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Attics usually
contain a large quantity of wires, not only for power but
telephone, computers and media.
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Vent pipes for water
drainage run through attic space.
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Insulation and
proper ventilation can be complex to install. If not
properly ventilated a cathedral ceiling will be prone to
condensation and
condensation can and will create
mold problems.
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In the south many
homes have air conditioning ducts running in the attic.
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Central vacuum systems often
run through attic space.
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Increase in heating
expense (more space to heat).
Radiant heating
is an excellent choice for rooms with cathedral or vaulted
ceilings.
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There is a
noticeable increase in the noise level during rain storms.
The end result is that
any structural changes to your roof should be confirmed by a
structural architect. You will need a building permit and
without drawings that have a stamp from an engineer it is highly
unlikely that a permit will be issued.
To convert your flat
ceiling to a cathedral or vaulted ceiling is going to require a
lot of thought and planning. It is the type of project
that even a very knowledgeable and competent home handyman may
wish to consider hiring a contractor to complete, at least for the rough
carpentry work.
Insulating a cathedral
or vaulted ceiling.
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