Cathedral Ceiling Roof Construction

The methods described here can be used to build an insulated cathedral ceiling over a great room a section of sloped roof above a kneewall or any similar section of insulated sloped roof.

Cathedral ceiling roof construction.

If you decide to construct a vaulted ceiling check with your local office regarding building permits and consult with an experienced structural engineer to ensure safety throughout the project. Contributing editor scott mcbride replies. The fresh white living room features a wood plank accent wall that complements with the cathedral ceiling. One solution is to install a properly sized beam just under the peak of the roof where the top of the rafters connect to the ridge board.

Finally traditional fiberglass insulation works well in cathedral ceilings although a 2 inch breathing space between the insulation and the roof sheathing must be included. To avoid these problems in a structure with a cathedral ceiling it helps to understand how a typical roof frame works. The first project is an amazing residence from tahoe donner in california. An attic apartment showcasing a white distressed cathedral ceiling fixed to the stone brick wall along with a wide wood plank flooring topped with a moss green rug.

There are essentially three techniques you can use when building a cathedral ceiling. A plain flat ceiling gable is actually a procession of light trusses usually spaced 16 in. In the second method you install a ridge beam which will bear the load of the rafters as opposed to the usual non load bearing ridge board. A non engineer s answer is this.

The walls of a typical residential home are designed to carry vertical load down wards pressure and are adequate for most residential roof structures a cathedral ceiling has to be supported either by a structural ridge or by sufficient cross beams at or near the wall tops to handle what would otherwise be an outwards or horizontal thrust on the walls at their tops. This type of roof differs from an uninsulated roof over an unconditioned vented attic. Each truss is composed of two opposing rafters and a ceiling joist. Cathedral ceilings are now widely used in architecture and not just when building cathedrals but all sorts of other structures too including residences.

Insulated cathedral ceilings are a relatively recent phenomenon. The rafters are in compression pushing outward on the eaves walls and the ceiling joists are in tension pulling inward on the eaves walls. We re ready to show you some amazing projects that revolve around this particular element.