I live in an old (120 – 150 yr old) house with very low ceilings. I am considering ways to make the house feel more open and one option is to remove part of the ceiling and floor joists of the second floor above the living room to give it a tall vaulted ceiling and turning the remainder of the second floor into a loft. Given the age of the house I believe it is balloon constructed. This is something early in the planning stages and am looking for advice on if this is doable and what are some concerns or problems this could create.
How to consider when removing part of the second floor to make higher ceilings
framing
Related Solutions
If the ceiling is not structural and is only there to hold up the drywall, you can get away with using 2x4s. 2x4s at 16" on center should easily span 11', while supporting only drywall.
Basically your going to support the ceiling rafters with the walls, so you end up with a structure like this crude MS Paint image.
The basic idea is to build a room inside your room.
If you are planning on using recessed lighting or HVAC ducting in the space, you may want to go with 2x6s for the joists (to allow enough room to install everything).
If the ceiling joists are going to be load bearing (especially if they are supporting the parking surface of your garage), you'll want to consult a structural engineer (and you'll likely end up using I-beams tied into the concrete walls as joists).
Take a look at these Standardized Work Table Plans as it might give you some ideas. Obviously you would not need the lower shelf, but otherwise it would be similiar (but scaled down), and this thing can hold a lot of weight!
(source: eaa1000.av.org)
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Best Answer
You need to hire an engineer for this one. They will tell you how it can be done, which may require adding additional beams, and other reinforcements to keep the remaining joist structure intact and to prevent the exposed walls from bowing out.