I am in the process of remoldeling my kitchen myself. It is a small addition on the back of my house approx. 14" x 8". I want to open up the ceiling and put in a skylight to make it feel larger and brighter. Is there any information on the web that can help me determine the proper roof support for this undertaking?
Denis
I'll assume that you meant the room is 14-feet by 8-feet. Whatever you do you'll probably find that the problem is not supporting the roof (at least not directly) but in keeping the walls from collapsing. The ceiling joists in "normal" stick construction tie the opposite walls together as they attempt to spread apart as the roof weight tries to flatten the roof, spreading the angle of the peak. I've seen at least one low-budget conversion such as you describe where they replaced the ceiling joists with a number of relatively thin steel rods placed on approximately 3-foot centers tying the opposite top plates together. This left the appearance of a fully open cathedral ceiling without requiring a lot of structural changes. Personally, I wouldn't want to attempt a modification with this many structural implications without having a good engineer on the job.
John,
Thanks for bringing me back to reality. I will consult a structural engineer before proceeding.
Denis
This post made me remember my Grandfather's house. The ceiling in the living room was vaulted and two very long cast iron rods spanned the room. There are pictures of every grandkid hanging from these rods.
It really was a nice architectural part of the room.
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