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Lamacorn t1_ixzw86m wrote

Reply to comment by schribes7762 in Removing part of a floor joist to embed a projector. by mejelic

At least not as a DIY.

An actual structural engineer could probably map the loading out and come up with a plan including metal I beams and all sorts of other expensive stuff… $40k later, OP can recess the projector.

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TragicNut t1_iy04ihs wrote

Speaking as an aerospace engineer, I'd strike out "could probably." It is definitely possible, but it sure won't be cheap.

Edit: far cheaper for OP to just buy a projector with the optics that will give them their desired screen geometry with the projector sanely mounted.

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reesea17 t1_iy07w1e wrote

You’re so off the money here it isn’t even funny. Look up building codes. This can easily be done and for very cheap. Maybe if they don’t have the experience or know how it’s not possible for them to do alone, but this is not a $40k job requiring metal I beams. It just requires the installation of a header joist where the cut will be made.

Use this link to see how it’s done. I’ve done this multiple times myself on projects.

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benjacob30 t1_iy0g49b wrote

I think you know what you’re doing.

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reesea17 t1_iy0gp08 wrote

Thanks. Doesn’t seem others do, but then again, anyone can give advice on Reddit and it’s simply easier to say no when they don’t actually know what they’re talking about.

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benjacob30 t1_iy0kibk wrote

It’s ridiculous. The comments here are so far off from reality. And decent framing carpenter could knock this out in a day and it would have no effect on the structural integrity of the home.

I agree though that it’s not very practical to be installing such a projector.

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Lamacorn t1_iy0tygd wrote

Thanks for sharing the link. Good info.

Though I would still say this is not a DIY job and I would still be good to get an engineer in there to since code assumes everything else is to code…

And price really depends on location.

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reesea17 t1_iy0uojp wrote

You’re welcome. Price does depend on location.

In my opinion, DIY is all in the skill of the individual. YouTube has become an incredible resource in teaching and learning building skills. This job is honestly very simple in the end and only truly requires a hammer, a circular saw (preferably a miter saw), a drill, time, and guts (potentially a sawzall to remove the nails from the sub flooring to the joist top as well, although once cut on both ends it could likely just be pried out).

Sometimes the reason little jobs like this cost so much is because of their simplicity. They’ll charge more for the inconvenience if completing such a quick job. Not saying it’s right. Just what happens.

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Ottoclav t1_iy1ham5 wrote

What OP is trying to accomplish isn’t really that different from boxing out an attic entry or attic pull down ladder well. With the right guidance and tool proficiency, could be a piece of cake.

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Lamacorn t1_iy0vmhg wrote

That’s very true, I’ve definitely done quite a few DIY that most people would not consider DIY. OP just didn’t strike me as a DIYer with much actual construction experience.

The whole project honestly seems kinda weird. If you want a nice movie room where the audio sounds great, you might want to start with a ceiling rather than open joists, but that’s just me. There is a reason movie theater walls have a fabric coating.

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mejelic OP t1_iy15cwh wrote

I have almost $1300 in materials sitting in a home Depot shopping cart that would be everything needed to finish out this portion of my basement. The only reason it hasn't been finished yet is because I have been waiting over a year to get geothermal heating installed which would have required me to rip apart a finished basement to do. Now that that project is complete, I can finish out my basement and have a nice home theater experience.

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Lamacorn t1_iy186oh wrote

Glad to hear I was wrong and mis judged you! Hope it all works out

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mejelic OP t1_iy0zi3x wrote

I agree, the technical skill involved is very low here. I was more concerned in making sure that there WAS a proper way to handle this situation.

I may not have done the drawing 100% right, but I assumed that it would be similar in how I boxed out the hole in the rafters of my shed (per the plans). This is holding a bit more weight than my shed's roof though.

Sistering up the two joists to the left and right makes sense and what I expected was what would be needed. Thanks for the info!

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03223 t1_iy1shic wrote

Agree. No 'problem' to do it. Note that, as shown in diagram, adjacent joists should be doubled to meet code. (If you didn't double them, would it fall down, probably not, but it might me more bouncy walking there than if you did it right.)

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tired_and_fed_up t1_iy0swyr wrote

Thank you for posting this. The framing looks very similar to a window in a load bearing wall.

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CorbuGlasses t1_ixzyvcz wrote

Yea anything is possible with time and money but you need to call a structural engineer

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