Why can't you can choose any ceiling height for the family room you want when the floor system for the new master suite is framed? Are you trying to do this without raising the existing roof?

If you add the MBR suite the only height you will be able to maintain in the room below is to the top plate of the existing wall height.

If the lower floor walls are 8ft tall, they will stay 8 feet tall.

Only if you have 9-10 feet walls now can they stay that height.

Seems you both hit my point, Manhattan, you are saying I can not make the lower floor ceiling any higher than what the current wall height is? Currently the walls are 8' and then the ceiling slopes up to a much higher point.

So I am limited at 8' for lower floor?
thx

Yes. You are limited to 8ft ceilings in the first floor if your walls ar framed at that height now.

Unless you wan to go through major expense demolishing them then reframing with longer studs.

>

Hey, I'm not afraid to spend his money!

hehehe

Hmmm..I received other info indicating that i could go to 9 or 10 feet...?

any other thoughts on this??

i do not know how you could go 9 or 10 ft, the walls will be the support structure for suite above. this means they directly support the frame of the floor, so that floor would be at 8ft.

there may be a way to raise it and use support beams, but you would require a structural engineer to tell you if you could or not. do NOT rely on a handyman or even GC to tell you it can be done. if not supported properly, you could wake up one night with you bed in the family room floor!

Just went through this. 8' is what you will end up with unless the outside wall of the structure is taller.

We tried to work it so I could at least have 9' in the middle for a cove area and that would have taken more engineering than I was willing to pay for. It's all about spreading the weight to those outside and inside supporting walls.

Have you had an engineer in yet?

Gloria

Thanks for your input!

I'm not so sure why the wall height can't be increased by building a knee wall on top of the existing wall. That knee wall might need to be braced back to the floor joists, but it doesn't seem impossible to me. It also doesn't seem like a very advanced structural problem unless you are in a high wind or seismic zone. I think an experience GC would have good ideas on this. The challenge I see is with the difference in floor height above and with making the final roof work with the existing. I assume that you already have 2nd floor space that you are adding to. This higher floor would need steps from the existing floor, so the increase in height needs to be chosen carefully.

Knee wall...maybe that is an option..thanks!

You are getting professional advice from an architect or a structural engineer and not relying on advice from helpful strangers with opinions on the internet, aren't you?

I hope you are just exploring the idea and want to brainstorm options before seeing the professional who will tell you yes or no, and how to do it.

When we remodeled our kitchen we learned that a previous owner had changed a door opening between two rooms by removing the support beam for the header. This was in a place where three roofs met. He also left a live wire - with just a wirenut attached to the end - shoved up into the now unfunctional header. This is where the roof had leaked in the past and the roof rafters also turned out to be rotted almost all the way through. We are lucky the whole thing did not come down on us, or catch fire.

People with some skills who think they can do things themselves, but who have no knowledge of how to do things correctly, scare me. Please get professional advice, in addition to these kind and thoughtful answers from perfect strangers.

Wondering about something like stats99. I have a LR with cathedral ceiling (22-24 foot tall at the peak). Only have 2 bedrooms, don't want to move, and will have a second child next year. Thinking about eliminating the tall cathedral to make 2 upstairs bedrooms above the LR. The LR is 22'x 14' (so 2 BRs each 11 x 14 are possible). We have standard 8' ceilings in the rest of the house. If we do this conversion, I'd want a 9' ceiling in the LR. I assume the LR has an 8' tall plate wall, with another on top of that. The floor/ceiling joist would span the 14' dimension of the room. What I don't understand (and want to know) is why would an 8' lower wall limit the LR ceiling height to 8'? Couldn't one nail additional lumber onto the top plate of the lower stud wall, raising it a foot, then setting floor joist for the upstairs rooms onto it? So, the weight of the new LR ceiling (and floor for the new bedrooms) would be transferred onto the lower 8' wall and foundation. Any help here or am I just temporarily dense?

Open up the wall, remove the top plate and wiring and then sister new taller studs next to the existing studs.

Hi,
I'd be willing to try a balloon framing concept where the new wall studs rested on the existing plate, were tied in with metal gusset plates and plywood sheathing bridging the old/new. The idea of a pony/cripple/knee wall is wrong, but my plan would have the studs running from plate to plate, and the new floor joists supported on a let-in ledger, and bolted/nailed to the sides of each stud. This way the "knee wall" portion that gains you ceiling height is integral to the walls above. Fireblocking and bolts would be the only inconveniences. Bet it would work.
Casey

If there is a building code in effect, any design that did not comply with the rules of simple platform or balloon framing (studs uninterupted between floors) would have to be stamped by an engineer.

Hire an architect, and then LISTEN to what they have to say.

You may or may not need an engineer too, but an Architect will be able to tell you the best way to do things, or will come up with neat ideas you may not have considered...

A knee wall works fine and is easy...I've done it many times. One thing to watch out for is a hinge joint (where the knee wall attaches to the top plate of the wall below). Plywood on the outside must run full length, 8 ft vertically with at least 2 ft on either side of the joint.

There are probably numerous ways to make this happen. The best person to help you design what you want, cost effectively, is a framing contractor. Meet with them, maybe even pay a fee, to have them design it for you. These guys will consider structural elements and ease (read: cost).

Then, to get it actually built, you must have it drawn. And, an engineer must verify the design and stamp it.

The reason that I don't really like for engineers to do my design is that they can overengineer things, which costs more.

Had the archietect in...looks like a "knee wall" will get me at least a 9 foot if not more height ceiling.

Congrats on finding a solution! Juliann Grow has good advice. Need to get some continuity of the wall. Using the plywood sheathing to bridge the joint is a good idea. Need to go well past the joint on the bottom (a few feet) and use lots of connectors. Might also consider bridging the joint with MDO plywood on the inside face with lots of connectors rather than using drywall. It's available in 1/2 inch, finishes just like drywall and will add lots of strength if used inconjunction with the exterior plywood(though it's WAY more expensive). I also like mightyanvils idea of sistering longer studs to the existing ones. There might be obstacles though. Make sure your architect understands the "hinge" issue at the joint (interface of plate and knee-wall). They might suggest that if 4 walls have the knee walls then the whole system braces itself. This would be true for the knee walls, but need to make sure the lower walls are braced too (might be there if well connected to existing structure. Logic tells me that if lower walls worked for the cathedral scenario, then it will work for the knee wall arrangement, but just thinking out loud here).

I am also in the brainstorming process of doing this project:(adding another room above living room with vaulted ceiling).
The living room ceilings are 8ft, I want to increase to 9ft and build above. The room is 21ft L x 17ft W.
Can someone give me a just a rough idea of what they paid or what I should expect the for entire project?