I bought a mountain cabin and I want to remove the 8 foot ceiling to expose the attic for a more open look. There are many beams spanning the room holding up the ceiling. Can these beams be safely removed without sacrificing the structural integrity of the cabin ?

Impossible to guess which if any can be removed without pictures as it is completely dependent on the design and construction of your roof.

I am going to side with a "NO" group if there is one. The beams are there for more than holding up the ceiling. They are there to hold the walls in place and to keep the roof from deciding to collapse. Just my thoughts on it.

Never having built a home, but common sense would say that yes the beams are there for HOLDING UP THE HOUSE AND NOT ONLY THE CEILING.

Draw a diagram of the room with all measurements including width/height/length of the 'beams.' They aren't beams. One or two big ones might be. They are ceiling joists, mainly for attaching 4 x 8 drywall and filling with insulation - but depending on the way the roof is built, they could serve as collar ties, which as their name suggests, help the BEAMS tie the walls together to keep the massive weight of the roof from spreading the walls out sideways.

The beam are most likely supporting joists that are actually supporting the roof. If those beams are load bearing, then you risk the cabin collapsing.

I would not remove anything without checking with a structural engineer.

If the roof structure is a truss, depending on the span, you MAY be able to remove them. If a truss, you can install a strong back and that would also help. First, you need to determine how the roof structure is built.

After rereading your post, those "beams" may just be ornamental if there are "many". Post a picture so we can better understand.


We did

I have a suggestion. Instead of removing the beams, open the ceiling and leave the beams in place. You can cover them to fit with the rest of the cabin, or paint them. It would still open up the space but wouldn't compromise the integrity of the structure.

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Originally Posted by joypulv

Draw a diagram of the room with all measurements including width/height/length of the 'beams.' They aren't beams. One or two big ones might be. They are ceiling joists, mainly for attaching 4 x 8 drywall and filling with insulation - but depending on the way the roof is built, they could serve as collar ties, which as their name suggests, help the BEAMS tie the walls together to keep the massive weight of the roof from spreading the walls out sideways.

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How about down sizing your picture.