Framing the Ceiling

One of the largest projects we had to do was to drop down a ceiling in the living room. In this room we wanted to have the ceiling flat with recessed lighting. This meant framing in a new ceiling. This was no simple task...
After determining a ceiling height of 8 feet 6 inches, we ran a 2x4 all the way around the perimeter of the walls in the living room and hallway.

Here is Doug marking the studs to be 16 inches on center. This way the drywall on the ceiling will be less likely to sag over time.
We used these handy joist hangers to make the job of placing the 11 foot beams easier.
They go in easy: Tap inplace with hammer...
...and then screw in place.
Always make sure the beams are level. The people doing drywall will thank you. Notice how Doug is skipping the beam that will need to be cut at an angle to fit in with the rafter above. Saving the hard stuff for later.

It's coming along...
And here it is. Two days of hard work (on a ladder most of the time). Can't wait to see it with the drywall and recessed lights!