Increasing the Strength of Ceiling Joists by Adding Timbers on Top? Information and advice on lofts and loft conversions. Find solutions and post your questions here...

[Andybambi]

Hello,

I am in the process of buying a house and will be looking at converting the attic to a storage/playroom but think I will have to re-enforce the ceiling joist to handle the weight. I understand that this can be done by sistering the joists but was wondering if I could simply increase the depth of the joists? For example, if the joists are 2x5 could I not glue and bolt a 2x3 length of timber on top of it effectively transforming it into a 2x8.

Any advice you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[collectors]

Not in any way that would be economical. You would end up having to run metal plates down either side of each joist & it would not be worth it. You should also make sure you get graded timber for this sort of work.