Hoping to get some direction and how to complete my vaulted ceiling. I framing my home inside of a metal building so the ceiling wouldn’t be supporting my roof. My area that I’m trying to span is 50×40. I want to span the whole area so the span to the peak would be around 25 ft for each half of the ceiling. I will be attaching my upstairs bedrooms to the that ceiling so my ceilings in my bedrooms will follow that same angle. Is it possible to clear span this large of an area only supporting drywall and insulation? Any advice or ideas would be appreciated!
Thanks
Replies
Hope you mean your bedroom ceilings will be supported (not the whole bedroom)
https://up.codes/s/allowable-ceiling-joist-spans
Solid lumber options depend on species and grade. trying to span the entire space would mean you need a center beam at the peak, and the usual tables do not go that high (meaning you would need alternative materials, like the metal building you are inside) An engineer is going to have to be consulted.
You may want to look at a couple alternatives.
First is breaking it up, with load-bearing walls that decrease the span.
Second is contacting the metal building manufacturer to see if/what kind of ceiling you could hang from the structure.
Spanning a 50x40 area with a vaulted ceiling can be challenging, but it is possible with the right design and structural support. Since you mentioned that the ceiling won't be supporting your roof, you will need to consider the following:
Structural support: You will need to install supporting beams or trusses to help distribute the weight of the ceiling and any additional load from your bedrooms. The size and spacing of the beams or trusses will depend on the design of the ceiling and the type of material used.
Material selection: The type of material you use for the ceiling will also impact its structural integrity. For example, if you use drywall, you will need to ensure that it is thick enough and supported adequately to prevent sagging or collapse.
Professional consultation: It's important to consult with a structural engineer or builder to ensure that your design meets local building codes and safety standards.
Aesthetics: You will want to consider the overall look and feel of your ceiling design to ensure that it complements the rest of your home's interior design.
I added a rough drawing of what I'm trying to do. Would I-joists be an option as well?
Are you including a walkway with railing along the open room? (with second floor bedrooms on the left). Will need railings, at least.
One thing to consider is including a beam on columns running up from that first floor interior wall. Forget the peak, and run rafters from the outside wall to the beam at the top of the walk way. The ceiling over the walk way can be higher than the ceiling over the great room. (longer spans likely will call for deeper/taller joists.)
With intermediate supports, it will be more economical.
The ceiling joists will be longer, but you should be able to find suitable material. Might find that I joist are a better solution than solid lumber.
I don't think that will work. I've designed similar spaces for worship spaces (church buildings) and steel is really the only option (unless you want to get into folded concrete shells and wild stuff like what Felix Candela did) or trusses with diagonal members.
The problem is you can't really connect wood rigid enough such that the rafters act as beam-columns. Even if you did, regular wood won't be strong enough. The side walls will bow out without and tension tie much like a bottom chord truss acts.
I do recall looking at this cool church (was existing and had issues) that had these cool tapered glulam bent frames. At the top of the wall, I recall the depth was like 60" or something like that.
I hope this helps. Good luck.
Edit: I should have mentioned that if you have a big 'ol ridge beam (a 24" deep Glulam sounds good there), it may be possible to to use engineered lumber such as TJIs for the rafters. I'm guessing on the order of 16" deep. The rafters span between the ridge beam and the exterior wall. I've never done that myself though.