Add Openness With a High, Sloping Ceiling

Changing a room’s ceiling to a high, sloped one would totally change the appearance and ambiance of the room.

These panels have a strong plywood skin on each side of thick, rigid foam insulation with built-in ventilation channels. This will give you a sloped ceiling at the same pitch as the roof. sirtravelalot/Shutterstock

Dear James: I like the openness of a high ceiling. Is it possible to remove some roof trusses to convert part of the ceiling to a high, sloped one or would it be too weak?—Gail V.

Dear Gail: Changing a room’s ceiling to a high, sloped one would totally change the appearance and ambiance of the room. It would require more than just removing some of the roof trusses from the attic and finishing the ceiling on an angle with drywall. You are correct in questioning the strength of the roof with the trusses removed. Without other structural changes, it would not be very strong and would not meet building codes.