Attaching new ceiling joists over the stairwel
 

Further to my (now resolved, thanks) query about joist hangers earlier
this week, this project has thrown up another query for which I'd be
grateful for some advice.

Basically, I'm infilling the stairwell to reclaim the space for the
upstairs room (but not using ropes like the guy who posted about this
yesterday!) I've fitted new joist sections perpendicular to the stairs,
and maintaining 2m headroom, I want a suspended ceiling up the stairway
(ie running parallel to the stairway, 2m above it). This will form a
large bulkhead in the room above (partly inside a new cupboard, partly
exposed).

What I'm not sure about is how to set up the three joists which will run
up the stairs, supporting the new suspended ceiling, ie at the point
where they contact my new joists.

ASCII art option (a) shows how I'd like it to look, using 3x2 timber for
the angled joists, giving a neat ceiling angle below. However, I feel
the angled joists ought to be supported underneath by the new floor
joists to give them adequate strength, as in option (b) or maybe (c).
But with that option I lose some space in the bedroom as the stairway
ceiling will be higher than it needs to be; furthermore, I don't like
the ceiling profile this gives.

What to do? I suppose option (d) would work, but that would require
stonking great angled joists about 8" thick, which is surely overkill.

Is there be a method of attaching the angled joists as in option (a) in
a safe and secure way, which will keep the BCO happy (they will see it
in due course). Is there some form of timber-timber joist hanger that
would do? One reason I'm concerned about the strength of the angled
joists is that the angled area in the upstairs room could be construed
as being 'floor' rather than 'wall' or 'ceiling'...

Thanks for any pointers (and thanks for reading this far!)

David


(a)


\
\ ___
\ | |
\ \| |
\ | J | "J" is the newly inserted
\ | | joist, perpedicular
\|___| to the stairway
(in cross-section)




(b)

\ \
\ \
\ \
\ \
\_____\
| |
| |
| J |
| |
|___|


(c)

\
\
\
\
\
\ \
\ _\_
\ | |
\| |
| J |
| |
|___|


(d)

\
\
\
\
\
\
_\
\ | |
\ | |
\ | J |
\ | |
\|___|

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
..

Is there be a method of attaching the angled joists as in option (a) in
a safe and secure way, which will keep the BCO happy (they will see it
in due course). Is there some form of timber-timber joist hanger that
would do? One reason I'm concerned about the strength of the angled
joists is that the angled area in the upstairs room could be construed
as being 'floor' rather than 'wall' or 'ceiling'...

Is the joist exposed on the other side ?
If not couldn't you countersink several holes in the angled joist and then
pass coach bolts through both joists to implement you option a ? Might need
3*3 instead though. Or better still a 7*3 laid on it's side.

Mike wrote:
"Lobster" wrote in message
...

Is there be a method of attaching the angled joists as in option (a) in
a safe and secure way, which will keep the BCO happy (they will see it
in due course). Is there some form of timber-timber joist hanger that
would do? One reason I'm concerned about the strength of the angled
joists is that the angled area in the upstairs room could be construed
as being 'floor' rather than 'wall' or 'ceiling'...

Is the joist exposed on the other side ?

Yes

If not couldn't you countersink several holes in the angled joist and then
pass coach bolts through both joists to implement you option a ? Might need
3*3 instead though.

Sounds a good idea. Maybe lengths of studding would be better (so as to
be able to bolt them on from both ends?

Or better still a 7*3 laid on it's side.

Wow - why so wide?! 2 or 3 of those and I'd virtually have a solid
block of 3" timber running up the stairs!

Thanks
David

In article , "Lobster"
says...
Further to my (now resolved, thanks) query about joist hangers earlier
this week, this project has thrown up another query for which I'd be
grateful for some advice.

snip stuff

Why not use regular joist hangers?


\
\ ___
\ \ | |
\ /| |
\/ | |
|_| |
|___|

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
Mike wrote:
"Lobster" wrote in message
...

Is there be a method of attaching the angled joists as in option (a) in
a safe and secure way, which will keep the BCO happy (they will see it
in due course). Is there some form of timber-timber joist hanger that
would do? One reason I'm concerned about the strength of the angled
joists is that the angled area in the upstairs room could be construed
as being 'floor' rather than 'wall' or 'ceiling'...

Is the joist exposed on the other side ?

Yes

If not couldn't you countersink several holes in the angled joist and
then
pass coach bolts through both joists to implement you option a ? Might
need
3*3 instead though.

Sounds a good idea. Maybe lengths of studding would be better (so as to
be able to bolt them on from both ends?

I think your BCO will trust coach bolts more.



Or better still a 7*3 laid on it's side.

Wow - why so wide?! 2 or 3 of those and I'd virtually have a solid
block of 3" timber running up the stairs!

I was thinking of one each side. And 7*3 is actually one of the standard
sizes for structural timber from which smaller sizes are often cut. But
smaller would be fine.

Mike wrote:

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
Sounds a good idea. Maybe lengths of studding would be better (so as to
be able to bolt them on from both ends?

I think your BCO will trust coach bolts more.

Really? OK, I just thought bolts with a large, visible nut on either
side of the joists sounded more secure.

I think I may well go for your 7*3 idea, at least for the wall side of
the stairs (where I've altready used the masonry-timber joist hangers,
because the metal sides of the joist hangers cover the timber joist as
far as a couple of inches in (ie, just where a coach bolt would want to
go!). So a wider angled joist would let me put a bolt through just past
the end of the joist hanger.

Thanks
David

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
Mike wrote:

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
Sounds a good idea. Maybe lengths of studding would be better (so as to
be able to bolt them on from both ends?

I think your BCO will trust coach bolts more.

Really? OK, I just thought bolts with a large, visible nut on either
side of the joists sounded more secure.

I think I may well go for your 7*3 idea, at least for the wall side of
the stairs

There's also 2.5" wide which I think will still present enough 'edge' to get
the coach bolt in and not flex to much.