Oh what a feeling… dancing on the ceiling. It’s a lot easier when the ceiling is down on the floor.
But let’s rewind to when our sunroom ceiling still looked like a ceiling. We had been talking about vaulting this space to make it feel more open and airy. We’d gathered inspiration and decided this was a good, relatively low-risk place to try it ourselves since we’d never vaulted a ceiling before.
From the beginning we knew some parts might require a professional. Structural issues like whether removing lower joists could affect the roof’s stability are not something to guess about—“the roof could cave in” is exactly the sort of answer that makes you bring in a pro. Still, we figured we could handle the demolition portion ourselves: tear down the existing ceiling material and insulation, tidy things up, then call in an expert for structural decisions.
I started by switching off the power to the entire house—a solid safety step whenever you’re pulling things apart—and then I got to work prying off the crown molding. Underneath we found what we expected: insulation and wood framing. The ceiling itself turned out to be a moisture-resistant drywall rather than plywood, which surprised me. Once I realized it wasn’t wood, my careful plan of cutting and prying turned into a much simpler “let me pull on this and see what happens.”
The drywall came down quickly. It took about 15 minutes to strip the whole ceiling. That was the easy, oddly satisfying part. I even managed to pull it away around the ceiling fan without removing the fixture; the drywall was flexible enough to slide past the blades. Leaving the fan in place felt smart in case reconstruction takes longer than expected—we can at least stay cool while we figure out the next steps.
Next came the insulation. That took much longer: a few hours spread across several days, and I filled roughly eight large garbage bags. With the insulation and drywall removed, the rafters and joists were exposed. We love the higher rafters and are already thinking about nailing beadboard up there eventually, but the lower joists are in the way of achieving the vaulted look we want.
I’m not an engineer, so I quickly admitted I didn’t know the safest way to proceed with removing those lower joists. A helpful reader shared how they handled a similar project, but every house is different and I didn’t feel comfortable assuming the same method would apply here. While we wait for expert guidance, I tidied up the exposed joists by pulling out leftover drywall nails and removing lingering insulation. Making the exposed wood look less scraggly was useful both for aesthetics and safety—no more half-sunk nails to snag us while we work.
Right now we’re paused, waiting for a pro to stop by and advise on how to move forward. He’s coming soon, and we’re anxious to hear whether lofting this ceiling will require reinforcing beams or other structural work. If this were a renovation show, this would be the bit where the homeowner walks in, freaks out a little about the mess, and admits they don’t have a plan—only to trust the expert to pull everything together. That’s pretty much where we are: excited, a little uneasy, and ready for the doorbell to ring.
While we wait, we’ve been able to check several items off our sunroom to-do list and focus on other indoor projects that don’t involve tearing down more ceilings. Here’s where things stand for this space:
- Ripped up the old carpeting (completed)
- Removed sliding doors and their tracks to open up the wall (completed)
- Converted outlets to outdoor-safe, weatherproof versions with covers (completed)
- Added fresh casing and caulked openings to improve waterproofing (completed)
- Demoed the old ceiling to evaluate lofting possibilities (completed)
- Next steps: remove old beams as advised, reinforce ceiling stability, and install painted beadboard
- Plan to add a hanging ceiling fan or two, and consider recessed lighting or hanging lanterns mounted from posts
- Repaint columns and interior surfaces with exterior-grade paint
- Tile the floors with an outdoor-safe, slip-resistant material
- Choose rugs and furniture, and possibly add outdoor curtains
- Long-term: build an outdoor fireplace or other feature if it fits the design
Until we have a clear next step from the professional, we’ll keep making progress on the other projects. For now, I’m happy we removed the old ceiling material and insulation ourselves—demolition was messy but incredibly rewarding. We’ll report back once the structural plan is set and the real transformation begins.