I was installing a new fan/heater in my bathroom this weekend. This unit is much bigger in all three dimensions than my old fan but I was hoping that I could just enlarge the hole by widening it and lengthening it without "moving" it. Moving it would require a ceiling patch, drywall mud, paint, etc.
The old unit was mounted right to the side of a joist, but unfortunately the new unit is much longer and taller and hits the rafter that slants down above the ceiling. I told my wife that I have to scab a couple of 2x4's onto the side of the joist to move the fan out into the open area between the rafters to clear them. That is going to mean patching part of the existing hole.
I then added, not being serious, but in a completely serious tone, "My other option is to cut structure."
Her response: "Mike Holmes wouldn't like that."
It's no wonder we've been hanging around each other for 35 years. :-)