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remodel framing questions: joists & wall

fourquarter | Posted in General Discussion on June 5, 2007 04:35am

We have an attached garage that we want to convert to living space. Tore off the ceiling, with a little nudge by a roofing problem, and found that the existing ceiling joists were 2×4 with some “modifications”. Some of the joists are sistered together, not actually sistered, but scabbed together. Additionally many of them have a notch cut out of them to accomodate a triple top plate on one side of the room working over to a double top plate on the other side. The room has two spans, most of it is around 10′ then it bumps out to 12′.

I’m wondering how to fix this. Undoubtedly I will not be able to get a single stick in between the rafters as you could, if say, the roof was unsheeted. So I susspect that I will have to make up some sort of Frankenstein type affair. Also, I’m doubting that the 2×4 is adaquate, unsupported, for either of those spans.

Lastly, I have a question regarding wall removal. Our house is “L”-shaped. THe original house was a box then the garage was added on to the end forming the short leg of the “L”. The photo shows the wall that I’d like to remove. I’m wondering if it can be removed and how I would go about sizing a beam to bare the weight on that wall, if there even is any weight on that wall.

I know that they’re probably pretty simple questions for guys that use fat pencils and Mag 66’s, but for a trim guy that uses a mechanical pencil and miter saw they’re bafflers.

Thanks for all the help.

Oh, the wall I want to remove is in red.(Bearing wall or not?)

Thanks again,

K.H.

Reply

Replies

  1. Piffin | Jun 05, 2007 05:09am | #1

    I'm tootired to focus right now to be lear, but I think you are gonna lose some ceiling height in garage room if you want a room above

     

     

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    1. fourquarter | Jun 05, 2007 05:21am | #2

      Thanks for writing, we're not looking to go up, just looking to replace the ceiling we lost to water damage. Once we had the ceiling removed I could see that the joists were just cobbled together after-the-fact, and my guess is too small for that 10'-12' span. I'm looking for advice as to the proper way to replace them, and also to hopefully remove that wall.k.h.

    2. 1muff2muff | Jun 05, 2007 05:28am | #3

      Hard to believe someone would build like that and sleep at nite.

      Looks like a pretty low slope at front of garage, if I'm lookin at that right.

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