- This is the one part of our entire renovation plan that really scared me.
- I have to give full credit for this amazing idea to our awesome home inspector, Adrian.
While Ty & I were in full agreement on creating an open concept main floor, we had a serious difference of opinion when it came to the look. He thought it would look fine to take the walls down and leave bulkheads for structural support and to salvage the cove ceiling molding.
Ty's idea of leaving bulkheads:
Since Ty was the one with the structural background and the muscle behind the job it looked like I was in the losing position on this one, until our home inspection (who overheard our opposing views) came up with the greatest idea, vaulted ceilings!
Apparently something about "full construction attic" and "knee walls" made this a great option for us.
1- support the weight of the roof (including the snow load) once the ceiling is vaulted
2- prevent the walls from spreading once the joists & knee wall are removed
3- create enough depth to have the ceiling spray foamed to a high enough R value
The ways to conquer those objectives are:
1- double up the existing rafters, called "sistering"
2- install collar ties every third rafter
3- sister the existing 2x4 rafters with 2x8s to create added depth
The picture below shows the sistered rafters and doubled collar ties: