Use 2x4 to span?

[Richard]

Here's a pic although when I took it I wasn't planning on asking the question so the pic isn't well framed for my question.

Room is about 14 1/2' wide, 19' long to the near wall with wires and on the left side, about 21' to the wall near the air handler. Ceiling height to the joists is right at 9'

for simplicity, we'll say that the wife wants half the room to have a full height ceiling (above the cameras head) and the other half (the part in view), to be low enough to cover the ducting (forgetting about the extension along the wall). We are only talking left/right here.

So, the next stipulation she's given me , she does not want ANY further intrusion into the room than is 100% necessary. If I can get away with a hanging joist in between the two ducts (flush with them) for screwing drywall to, then she wants me to do that and NOT put any 2x4's UNDER the square duct.

The right side wall pic is also a bad one but the wall is part block and part studs. By the time we look at a line from the end of the ducts we are working next to the block wall.

Ok... so with that as a background, I'll need some form of "beam" from the block wall to the wall next to the ducts however, she does not want this to extend BELOW the ducts. I know that creates a bit of a problem as I was going to possibly take a 2x4x16, cut it down to about 14 1/2 and simply use it as a single connection between the two places. Now that I'm not allowed to have a 2x4 beneith the ductwork I'm a bit confused on how to frame it in.

To add insult to my injury... I'm not even sure that 2x4 would be the best thing to do. My tendency's are to use the size bigger if I can so I'd be happy using a 2x6 or heck...even a 2x10. I KNOW it's not going to be load bearing in the traditional sense but there WILL be drywall hung from it and second, I'll have some wall shaking speakers in here and I don't want things to vibrate more than necessary.

So, how might the local braintrust string a header from wall to wall OR would you string it in sections?

Perhaps take a 2x4 from the right block wall up TO the ductwork as one section, then try to hang some anchor points in between the two ducts and along the left wall and use those as the other section (with the drywall covering them all as single sheet)

I love typing these questions out... for me, it's clear as a bell yet having read these things before, I'm realizing it might be clear as mud after all this typing!!

Oh...and on pic 2 with the doors, what I'd LOVE to do is use that header as my support for the 2x4's (or 6's??) however as I recall, doing so will encroach into her room a bit so if I use the header, I'll need to add some kind of riser under it to gain that three quarters of an inch in height back

It would be a lot easier if she just 'let' me go ahead and frame something across the room that travels UNDER the duct so I'd have a continuous surface.

 

[MrJimi]

This is not the answer you want but ask her how to do it. She may have a good plan already for you, my wife does this to me all the time. And listen to her and if it's still not clear, just ask her to show you on paper = problem solved

 

[dooleysm]

I think I would tell her that local code calls for at least 4 inches of clearance around duct work. Any less and the house will not be up to code and won't pass inspection.

 

[RonMar]

I think you can get away with a hanging joice between the ducts, but I think it will still have to come down 4' below the ductwork. You will need a ledger over against the wall/cinderblock to attach the drywall to and it dosn't look like there is room to tuck it up behind/alongside that duct along the wall. That is still conciderably higher than the top of the door shown in the background under the ductwork. For a clean look, I might be tempted to make it all a hanging ceiling and one height all the way across. I guess it depends on what you have planned for the space.

 

[mahlers]

You can get away with using 2x4s to hang the drywall from, but you'll need to rigidly support it at 4' intervals or so (for example, cut 2x4 hangers that attach the drywall mounts to the joists above). You need to do that because unsupported 2x4s will sag over time and might break altogether if you get a water leak. If it were me, I'd go with RonMar's suggestion to do a hanging ceiling all the way across. You can get some nice hanging aluminum framed acoustic tile that would look good and help to keep that basement area sounding 'warm'. It also makes it easy to get into all that wiring, ducting, and plumbing later on if you need to.

 

[tommu56]

Richard

I would suggest you insulate duct work if it is for air conditioning if you get any condensation on duct work it will drip on drywall dry wall + moisture = mold and I'm sure you don't want moldy drywall or would it be wetwall?

tom

 

[bearhawk]

Could you box the duct area with furniture grade 1/2 " plywood, then you could paint or stain it. Then have a drywall ceiling the rest of the way.

Mount plywood vertical along outside of ducts, drop some 2x4's vertically between the ducts to support bottom. Small ledger along the wall.

Maybe that melamine stuff, but I think it would be too heavy.

Jim

 

[Richard]

Some interesting thoughts, thank you all.

Mr. Jimi, I've tried your gameplan!!! (and it hasnt worked for me yet!)

Doolysm, hmmm?.

RonMar, there is just BARELY room for something to sneak up between the duct and the block. The 2x4 would be on its side and that´s about it. Point being, I've asked the wife just HOW am I supposed to jam it up there so its flush with the bottom of the duct and STILL get access to it to glue, screw, nail, tape, other so it stays put? Thus far, her answer has been akin to I'm sure you can figure it out As for the hanging ceiling (suspended or simple straight edge all the way across?) We're planning on straight edge all the way across. Had mentioned a dropped/suspended ceiling to her and that didnt fly.

Mahlers, I personally like the idea of access to the wires/plumbing overhead. I ALSO have been trying to tell her we will need to do some sound treatments to this room and if we did a suspended ceiling type setup, we could HIDE some of them

Tommu56, the duct is the cold air return. Do they do that as a matter of practice? I wouldn't have thought it would have any issues since it would be room temp? As for mold, you are right on there! I've not only put mold resistant drywall in bathroom, we're sealing these walls to help keep the moisture in control to what ever degree we can.

Bearhawk, interesting idea there too. My guess is she won't like the idea but I'm going to show her this thread so she can see the ideas herself.

Edit: boy this thing got butchered when I hit copy/past from Word. I'm going to TRY to salvage it. I think I fixed all the "wingdings" that were showing.

 

[tommu56]

Richard
mdf plywood would be cheaper than furniture grade it has a paper like drywall has on it and paints up great frame it up with that and it would be fine it dosent sag.

tom

 

[MarkV]

To me it looks like the two ducts are going to be too wide to span sheetrock without some support. I would box under the duct work with ｽ inch ply to attach the sheetrock to. If the ceiling being an additional ｽ inch lower were too much for my wife I would hand her a shovel and tell her to lower the floor.

MarkV