Could it be done correctly…most likely. You should absolutely consult with a structural engineer to make sure that joist can be modified in that area.

Nope

I wouldn’t.

https://buildingadvisor.com/notching-and-boring-joists/

No.

Your floor joist is sitting atop your wall, which is supporting the weight of your floor above. Adding the supports shown in blue will not provide much support to the joist where you cut it. You risk having some serious sag in the floor above, or structural failure at worst.

Unfortunately, I don't think there is much you can do in this instance.

If the blue represents the new supports & the black is what you are cutting out, you have an issue. The supports won't support what you are cutting out. It MIGHT be doable if you can add joist parallel to the cut one but any time you adjust the actual support structure, you need some professional advice from an engineering direction.

I'm also confused by how placing a projector that high will angle the image correctly. Yes, I know they have electronic keystone correction.

No

https://structuretech.com/notching-boring-dimensional-lumber-joists/

Tldr, if you’re even able to (unlikely) it can only be up to a 4” notch.

Given the screen in the wall in the bottom half of the picture I’m guessing it’s a short-throw projector, which get mounted directly above the screen and project mostly down rather than the more traditional kind that get mounted away from the screen and project forward towards the screen.

They’re just trying to avoid moving the top of the screen down to provide space for the projector.

Nope, that's the entire end of the joist, which is supported by that wall.

You could probably notch an opening in the wall and mount projected on opposite side of wall and light goes through opening.

Yeah - this isn’t a “wing it” kind of DIY job.

Definitely doable, but I’m not going to give you structural advice…. Double up both joist on both sides cut out the middle add some hangers and a new beam to support the middle joist….

JFC don’t do that lol

I’d look for alternatives, modifying the house support structure isn’t something to take lightly. For example, can you hang the projector just below the floor joist?

It's prob cheaper and easier to just buy a smaller/different spec projector since doing this right would involve at least 1-2k to have an engineer make sure it works plus another 1k for labor and parts . Easy 2-3k for the whole project and a good projector is only 1-2k.

Just buy a ceiling mount that lets it hang down a bit so it's below the joists

it is possible if you hire a professional to review the changes to the foor framing and design a new load path, but that is a lot of work just to mount a projector. i'd find a new way to do it.

Is there a smaller projector out there?

Contact a Structural Engineer.....$500 visit could save you thousands in structural damage repairs by compromosing a joist, near a structural wall.....seen it dozens of times over the years....always expensive to fix!!!!

Nope

There is a chart showing the size of.joist and the size of notch permitted.

4" is definitely not listed there for this floor system.

Those look like 2x10 to me.

That can easily be done. Sounds like you have zero experience. Call a carpenter. He can sister each joist on either side of the joist that you want cut out. Then he will head the joist off with hangers etc. I don’t know if the prize is worth the price though.

Totally right this is the way it’s done when framing, make sure you add hangers on the small pieces.

tl:dr get a narrower projector.

will cost less than what you are thinking of doing, and will not result in your house falling down.

I’ve never seen a projector mounted in a ceiling, other than lifts to conceal when not using.

How many inches of throw do you think you will gain by doing this? I can’t imagine much, if any.

And how does this get you the height you need? Most modern projectors can project from just up any position at all, ceiling, wall, table, etc…?

Don't do it. You can get a lens to put in front of the projector to change the output size. I don't know where to get them, but I have seen them in use on home theaters

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.

Are you willing to put columns on either side of the projector? If so, you could try running a single cross brace where you have blue lines, put columns on either side, then tie the cut end into that.

That could cause severe damage to the house without a structural engineer and probably a very expensive contractor. Are you finishing the ceiling as part of this project? If so, it might be short-sited to do this for a extreme short throw projector. If not, I would consider whatever you have temporary since you might want to redo the space in the future to be “finished”.

I would recommend either putting the short throw on a small cabinet underneath the screen, getting a slightly smaller screen, or looking at a standard throw projector swap. All of those would be cheaper than hiring a structural engineer to facilitate moving ceiling joists.

No, as others have said. Here's another reason why not. Up in a mostly enclosed box, your projector might not have proper ventilation and might overheat.

Would consult a se but yes it’s probably going to be headed off with sisters each side

Lol

Open air cinema!

Terrible idea. Get a mount and mount it. There will be settings to adjust focus, keystone etc.(even if you have to mount upside down).

Don't mess with load bearing joists for a pet project.

Don't touch anything structural, especially doing it yourself. You can have someone come out and figure out a way to resupport around that joist, but at that point you'll be spending enough money where you may as well just buy a laser TV. Those are much higher quality than a projector anyhow.

In fact this would be a great way to justify buying one to your SO.

No fam, you dont remove structural elements. You figure out a way to put the projector lower and deal with it.

BETWEEN your floor joists is far wiser.

I fully understand that this may not be a reasonable option.

Unless you have a huge room, I'd never build a home theater around a projector these days. I'd ditch the projector, even a medium quality LCD will provide better results than most home theater projectors. 86" LCDs are affordable and while you may sacrifice some size the viewing experience is going to be better.

If you stick with the projector don't notch the floor joist, lower the projector and screen if necessary.

This is how I’d do it. Where the shortened joist is And you have blue sketched in that blue should be a continuous piece with joist hangers at either and and at the middle to connect the shortened joist. Then I’d also drive some screws through the ends just because I have a box full in the garage.

But this is in no way professional advice and if you’re concerned have someone do calcs for you.

So to do this properly you will need to head out the joists which means where your blue marks are you would run a double floor joist from joist to joist and “heading” off the joist you want to notch you would then do the same thing on the other side creating your desired space for your projector. Everything would need joist hangers. I will add the fact that you are asking this question means that you should get someone who knows what they are doing to at the very least come look at this because I can tell you the proper way to frame this but there can be any number of reasons you shouldn’t do this and I have a single picture to go off.

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

You would have to sister the floor joists on either side for the full run and then box frame it, so I wouldn't recommend that.

Hilarious. You absolutely can and it’s carpentry 101. /r/DIY, you should be ashamed of yourselves for lying to OP.

OP, this is structural work and you should fully educate yourself on what can go wrong before attempting this but it’s not a big deal. Shore up the joist with a vertical 2x4 to prevent sag when you cut the joist and use hangers on the new header (joist than runs perpendicular). Sistering the adjacent joists is an option but not every case, that’s the only thing that would cost a bit.

https://codes.iccsafe.org/s/IRC2015/chapter-5-floors/IRC2015-Pt03-Ch05-SecR502.10

how does putting the projector higher up increase your picture size? why not just put it right below the joists so you get a more straight on picture? and presumably your projector is right above a couch anyway so is the additional 6 inches really going to save you anything at all?

You can frame a floor opening, yes. However, your plan to brace the cut joist is not appropriate.

https://www.jlconline.com/how-to/framing/field-guide-to-common-framing-errors_o

Basically, the joist that you want to cut will be mounted to the header joists, which will be mounted to the adjacent, uncut joists.

This is something you definitely want to permit and get inspected.

Please don’t do that. If you absolutely need the projector to go there, call a structural engineer. This will likely cost anywhere from $1k-6k. If you notch that joist, you will have a saggy floor; it’s just a matter of when it will happen.

Can you source a thinner profile projector?

Absolutely not, don’t ever touch structural wood

You would be better off buying a projector that would fit between the joists than the trouble of making what you have fit. And, if it fits but it’s slightly off center, know that any good projector can adjust for an off set mounting location.

Go ahead and cut the floor joist. There’s plenty of other joists holding it all together. It’ll be fine.

LOL

Cheaper and easier overall to just get an ultrashort throw projector if you want an image larger than an 85" oled TV

Build a soffit. You can make it look intentional

I have an ultra short throw projector, so every little bit of height helps.

Yea i know right, all the ppl in this thread panicking. This is an easy and common problem that carpenters face every day while dealing with joists interfering with plumbing etc.

Call a professional, yes what you want can be done and not all that expensive. Would take me about 20 mins to do what you need. But, I am a professional.

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.

Yeah, I was trying to move it up by about 10" for a better viewing experience.

Technical answer is yes…. Should you, probably not.

Unless you are hiding an engineering degree that you haven’t disclosed, you should find a professional to look at it.

That said, you can remove that joist, as long as there is enough support on the neighboring joists to appropriately handle the load. This may include strengthening the neighboring joists, or moving them.

Exactly!!

This will work great if you want the people upstairs to be able to watch what your projecting too.

Exactly right, I am trying to accommodate another piece of furniture that is below the screen.

A smaller projector would be cheapest in the long run.

2-3k is less than my projector costs ;)

Eh, I can vent the projector no problem.

Sure, but as I said, the projector is wider than floor joists are.

It is an ultra short throw projector. Every little bit of movement makes a HUGE difference.

The projector is right in front of the screen, not above a couch.

i see, that changes things. but no i would not cut out floor joists without consulting a structural engineer. you may just have to sacrifice the depth of the projector or look into a normal throw projector

I’ve seen dumb questions on here… this one though, tops the list. Bet OP still does it.

Already have an ultra short throw, that is what I am trying to accommodate.

I almost want to say I can’t believe this is the only reasonable comment among 20 clueless “you need to consult a structural engineer”s, but at this point I’m not surprised that so many people with no idea what they’re talking about still think they need to say something. This is a problem that can be fixed for probably under $100 in material and an hour of work if you’re being generous (excluding time spent moving existing furniture and such out of the way).

I think I would sister the first and third joist and head off the second. Not too big of a job depending on stuff we can’t see. Pretty common job. I get the impression the OP is willing to spend the money to do this.

Everyone is saying no, however this can be done if you do it right.

You’ll have to support that joist from below with a few 2x4’s before you do anything, having one on a bottle jack would also likely be a good idea.

What you need to do here is cut the offending joist to the desired location and add in a doubled up 2x6 (or 2x8 whatever matches the current joists) spanning the gap between both adjoining joists to act as a header.

In this case you’ll need to use joist hangers on the end of the cut joist and the ends of the new header beam. Probably easier to see a picture so it’ll look pretty similar to the photos in this link.

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.

Structural engineer here: noooooooooooooooooooooooooo

And you can't put it on the floor under the screen? That's typical for an UST

Yep, this would be the solution, typical for adding any penetration through a floor or roor that is too wide to fit between joists/rafters.

Trying to also accommodate a piece of furniture that my wife wants.

Obviously replacing the furniture is easier, but sometimes that is harder to get through to a spouse;)

If that's your center channel speaker, which is centered to the screen. Just mount the projector in the space between the joists slightly recessed where the ceiling will be. I wouldn't touch that joist at all

The center channel is moving (being replaced). The projector won't fit between the joists.

I’ve done that with engineering approval. Depending on the width of the projector I’ve sistered joists next to the one cut and headered each end of the joist cut to the sistered joist. Depending on subfloor thickness and span rating and dead and live load above would determine the max span in the cut

We do stuff like this for toilets all the time, but the blue joists would run through, be doubled, and hang off the joists on the sides, then you would hang the trimmed joist off the hanger.

You would also probably want to block off between joists above the wall which will help the joist that continues beyond the wall to stay upright and help take the weight of whatever is above the wall.

Make sure that there is no structure above the piece of the joist you are taking out.

Re-route that electrical wire to the other side of the joist so that it doesn’t get in the way of the hanger and header.

If that sounds beyond your ability the get a professional to do it. And since they will cost as much as a new projector, then just buy a new projector that throws the distance that you need it to.

Before any of that: read your projectors manual in case you’re missing something that will allow you to adjust the projection to the space you have.

You can almost always get the desired size and height with a good projector ideally-mounted and with the correct lens

Might be worth it then. Check craigslist for engineering options if you want to go cheaper but there is possible trade off with time or quality. Do a google search if you are good to pay closer to the 3k total and chances are it will go faster and be a better design. Make sure to only pay 50% max up front or they might take forever to finish.

I've worked in construction for 20+ years and have had to get engineered fixes to reframe around HVAC and/or plumbing in similar situations.

You're best bet is to double up your existing floor joists to the right and left of the intended joist to be cut. These need to run full length from one bearing point to the other. Buy yourself some 3 inch and 1-1/2 inch wide joist hangers from a nearby home improvement store, 4 of the 3 inch wide and 2 of the 1-1/2 wide hangers. Looks like 2x10 joists so make sure the hangers are at least 8 inches tall. Temporarily support the joist to be cut with a 2x4 down to the floor. Cut your intended joist as needed to create the pocket for the projector. Place a 2 ply 2x10 (or 2x8, it needs to be the same height as existing joist) across each end of the cut joist in-between the exciting joists so that everything is perpendicular and square. Temporarily attach with screws or nails. Attach one 3 inch wide hanger to each existing doubled up joist with 2-1/2 inch joist hanger nails or joist hanger screw. Do not use any other kind of nail or screw with these hangers. Finally attach the 1-1/2 inch wide hangers around the joist that was cut to the side of the new 2 ply joist header, again using joist hanger nails or joist hanger screws.

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Relax. Either answer the question or move on. Everyone’s already heard every possible snide comment here.

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I think you know what you’re doing.

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.

There are more wrong answers here than right for sure.

Don't

Jesus the structural engineers must have a smile on their face when people want to call them for every little project. I’m an engineer, but not licensed for structural. Sure wish I was. This is an easy fix and one that in the past was done by a carpenter. No need to over think this.

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.

I’m in cali not licensed for structural but you can stamp off as civil. Don’t practice anymore but these little ones were my fav side gigs. A little calc package with my stamp and leave me out of the other bs. the structural liability for this is low since it’s just gravity.

What projector is it and what is the screen size you are aiming for?

I would only do it after an engineer bought off in it and I’ll add an electrical sub panel without getting a permit so it isn’t like I’m mr rule follower

Quick way to condemn your own home.

Put down the YouTube DIY’s . That’s enough internet for you for today.

No, get an ultra short throw instead. It’s cheaper than it would cost you to fix the problem you would create

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

The joist are structurally important, why risk it to install a projector you’re probably going to use about a dozen times.

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.

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.

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.

Too many to read through. Yes it can be done. You will have to sister in another joist full length on both sides of the one you want to cut. Maybe even triple it depending on the span.
Next, where your wanting to cut out, you will need to double up both sides. That way your box is strong enough. Will need to also incorporate joist hangers on this too. Now, by moving the projector up those few inches and then literally putting a wall in front of it, is that going to do you any good?

Samsung Premiere, and 120"

Glad you know my watching habits!

I use the projector almost daily, so not sure why you think I will only use it about a dozen times going forward.

Thanks, lifting the projector 8" would raise the picture up the 8" that I need.

Ask This Old House discussed this issue in a video a few years ago.

https://youtu.be/xebdRIZEJTc

2 words….structural engineer

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!

Ok. Also, under where the sistered up joists are, put at least 2 if not 3 two X into the wall underneath to act as a post. That will help with the extra weight transfer.

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In many places an opening that narrow would not even require sistering.

I built a shed in the spring with a friend and solo renoed my master bathroom (took it down to the studs and redid some plumbing). That's not including the projects I did with my dad growing up which includes taking the unfinished 2nd floor of our garage and turning it into a studio apartment. So I wouldn't say that I have 0 experience....

Skill wise this would be super easy, I just wanted to make sure that what I wanted to do isn't super crazy.

Don't do it.

Any time

What do you mean by laser tv? A quick Google search makes me think you are just talking about a laser ultra short throw projector, which is what I have.

Double headers and metal hangers. Support the cut joist while you are doing it. It’s a pretty basic framing job.

I'm sorry, that is what I meant. So few people aware of them that any time I read projector I just assume they are talking about LED or LCD projectors. My bad. However if that's what you have, why not build a box to protect it and either set it on the floor or mount it to the wall really low, or within a console that will protect it? Iis it just that you don't want to give up floor space?

I have a console that is under the screen that has a built in electric fireplace in it. Unfortunately, the console sits too high for me to get a 120" picture with the ceiling height that I have.

I may have to end up getting (or building) a different console though.

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.

Nice gig.

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

One option you might consider is that some short throw projectors can also be mounted below the screen projecting up. If yours has that option you could potentially put it behind the furniture.

Then it seems like you got this!👍

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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Yeah, that is how I have it now. The problem is that it has to be so low to the ground to get the size that I want that it is very inconvenient. I would have to either make something or get something custom made for it to be an ideal height.

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.)

Best part is u/mec2012 sending me a private message to say I was being mean to them. Buddy either answer the question or move on.

Good point.

Don't do it! You'll have to reinforce that section and you'll have jack posts in the way.

OP are you not finishing the ceiling off?

What’s on the floor above it? And how long is the span. You could probably do it if you if you hanger a header in-between the two joists, where you have the blue drawn, and hanger the joist you are notching into the header, and same thing on the other side of the notch. Or better yet. Add a joist on each side of the joist you want to notch to where the projector would fit and then hanger in between those two joists. There is a lot of other information I’d need before saying to go for it. Also you might make a floor squeak above it, depending on what you do.

Don't listen to these naysayers. All you need is a chainsaw and some sandpaper and you're good.

This is in the basement, above it is the utility wall that takes things like plumbing, HVAC, and electrical to the 2nd floor.

From other comments, it seems like the appropriate way here is to sister up the side joists and then create a box where I need to remove the joist.

I might even add some blocking between the joists for further support.

I am. What does that have to do with this though?

I guess I don't understand the vision of burying the projector inside the ceiling - is it a short-throw?

Got to love people downvoting out of spite. Grats bud - get some help setting it up right and this room is gonna be a BANGER!
:D

It is

Why not go the other way and embed it into a floor unit like a table or TV stand etc? I've seen a few people do it with a glass top and it looks slick as hell and won't compromise your floor.

I was trying to work around a piece of furniture that is already on the floor there, but when going over reno plans an hour or so ago, my wife informed me that I don't have to work around that piece.

At this point I will likely custom build a cabinet for the projector.

I got to wondering. Just how tall/thick is this projector? And just how close MUST it be to the wall? And how high is the ceiling and how far away will you sit?

Is there any chance it won't obstruct your view even if it is mounted to the ceiling without screwing around with joists? How does the manufacturer recommend mounting it?