Home Improvement Qs...

[Rick Denney]

Is there any option of just removing the ship-lap? Building false walls in front of bad walls doesn't make those bad walls any better. If the shiplap is curling, you may have a latent problem of moisture control. Wood swells when wet, and one side being wetter than the other will make it warp and cup.

And if your chimney is moving with respect to the house, that must be resolve at the foundation level before you do anything else. Otherwise, all your efforts will be temporary, and result in more destruction of stuff when you finally do have to repair the cause of that relative movement.

Rick "fix the problem" Denney

[scottw]

Is there any option of just removing the ship-lap? Building false walls in front of bad walls doesn't make those bad walls any better. If the shiplap is curling, you may have a latent problem of moisture control. Wood swells when wet, and one side being wetter than the other will make it warp and cup.

And if your chimney is moving with respect to the house, that must be resolve at the foundation level before you do anything else. Otherwise, all your efforts will be temporary, and result in more destruction of stuff when you finally do have to repair the cause of that relative movement.

Rick "fix the problem" Denney

It's always good advice to fix the problem. Wade doesn't describe a problem that sounds serious [to the TNFJ]. The problem with wood is that, if you do not back-prime it, it will certainly curl due to the latent moisture in any exterior wall penetrating the wood, but only the back is affected. The front has very little moisture and is protected [usually] by paint, so you get that cupping. If Wade sees evidence of rotting wood, carpenter ants, or smells rot, then, certainly, strip off the shiplap and find the root of the problem.

[Donn]

Personally, I'd sort of hate to lose a foot off a 9 foot ceiling, just for the sake of leaving the ceiling boards in place, so ... there must be some pretty good reason for it.

[scottw]

Personally, I'd sort of hate to lose a foot off a 9 foot ceiling, just for the sake of leaving the ceiling boards in place, so ... there must be some pretty good reason for it.

Yep. Not wanting 2300 sq. ft. of nine foot ceilings be marred with the one room with an 8' ceiling. No reason, and I would have to address extending the three HVAC vents, which is not in the budget. I have enough adjustability to do the 1.5" of a flat 2x4 drop with sheetrock.

I love all this commentary, though. It is always fun to see who on here is knowledgable at different things, and most of the comments are educational and interesting.

Okay, if you want to do just 2x4's on the flat as furring [or better yet, 1x3's?], just make sure you use good exterior-grade screws, not drywall screws, and make damn sure you firmly attach these furring strips to joists and not just shiplap boards--drywall over your head crashes down very hard. Strongly suggest 16" centers and not 24". Shim as needed to make the ceiling flat. I would also suggest adding fillers at the ends around the perimeter for good nailing of drywall.
I understand not wanting to give away 9' ceilings, but extending the HVAC will cost very little, if that is the prime consideration. Gaining good insulation value should also factor into your decision--it will pay for itself very quickly.
Just for curiousity, what is the dimension of the room? I assume the joists run the narrower width?

[scottw]

The skinnier the shim, the better is the idea (and yeah, this takes up time - and is annoying...) to pre-drill a hole in the shim where the screw will go through the shim. Shims less than an inch thick (particularly if they are only a few inches long) are more likely to crack and (possibly) eventually fall away.

...no carpenter...only someone who has built some stuff from time-to-time, flipped a couple of properties, and mounted some cabinets

Tip: before sliding a shim [buy undercourse shingles, not the pre-packaged pine ones, btw--much cheaper, they are cedar, much handier] into place, put a bit of yellow carpenter's glue or gun adhesive on both sides of it. This will keep it in place forever. I have never pre-drilled a shim, though: I'll put it on my bucket list! If you need something quite thick, use plywood scraps, not lumber; plywood will not crack and split.

[scottw]

Attn---Mrs. bloke: 98 degrees is too hot (and 400 feet away from air-conditioning and cold water is too far away) for an old fat man to be building sheds! Please let him rest!