Help needed - can I reduce the interior footprint of my roofline...see pictures

[MBHomeImprovement]

Sorry, but I didn't know how to explain this so I took some pictures.

Bought a house last year, just starting some renovations in the bathroom. There's a fairly large boxed in section above the window. Ideally we'd like to alter it so it doesn't look quite so awkward, I.e. We'd be happy to continue the shape which you can see just above the boiler, all the way along. However I don't really know it it'll be possible.

i removed the old boiler cupboard and knocked a hole in the side of the plasterboard to see what was in there. It all looks quite important to me...but I wander if there is any way to adjust it so it won't stick out into the bathroom quite so much? Would really appreciate some advice.

Cheers.

 

[Mw Roofline]

I’m not 100% sure, looks like you could and turn it into a sloping ceiling but you’d have to put a slab of insulation under the rafters so really you would only be shaving off a bit of the square edge.
Maybe others on here can confirm.

 

[Alastairreid]

Agree with Mw looks like it is boxing in the purlin.

 

[^woody^]

It looks like it is doing jack. Rip it down and see what happens

 

[MBHomeImprovement]

Lol, thanks for the info guys....although woody...I can't tell if your being sarcastic or not!

I did a quick sketchup on the PC tonight (please don't take the mick...I like to visualise how stuff works) and it helped me to understand what the structure was like. Probably should have mentioned that the bathroom steps out further than the rest of the house for some reason...don't ask me why. Anyway you can see the structure in the pics.

So clearly the perlin is holding up the roof...but I'm not sure what the coloured parts are doing, apart from bracing the outside wall against spreading....does that sound right? So could that be braced in a different way? I kind of like MW's idea of having a sloping ceiling, but how would that be done in this case?

Thanks again

 

[catlad]

I don't think it can be doing much!
can you shoot a couple of pictures from the outside?

 

[MBHomeImprovement]

Yeah, just took a couple.

 

[Doggit]

Lol, thanks for the info guys....although woody...I can't tell if your being sarcastic or not!

No he's not. It's only by knocking the plasterboard off, that you'll see whats underneath. Once it's off, you can then use the exiting frame to extend it above the boiler, then add some insulation, and then plasterboard it all back up.

Sometimes, you've just got to go for broke rather than pussy footing around.

 

[catlad]

I'm still unsure as to whether it is there to add some
strength to the wall plate.
Do your neighbours have the same arrangement?

 

[MBHomeImprovement]

Hi Catlad. Yeah that was my concern too, although from my (untrained) point of view, it doesn't look like it would be adding much strength...

Neighbours don't have the stepped wall...in fact no other house on the street does as far as I can tell...

 

[Doggit]

There's nothing to stop you cutting out the step, and adding some PIR in between the rafters and making a sloped ceiling, but that might not transfer to the section above the boiler, so remove the plaster board, post some pictures, and we'll work from there.

 

[^woody^]

As the one end of the boxing is not supported, then whatever is in it can't be supporting anything - unless it's some weird cantilever with a sort of trimmer between.

 

[Alastairreid]

Looks like some sort of purlin running wall to wall?

 

[catlad]

Yes Woody its flying at the moment but there was a cupboard in the corner that has been ripped out!
OP is that a purlin or a wall plate in the picture?
can you measure it?

 

[^woody^]

Yes Woody its flying at the moment but there was a cupboard in the corner that has been ripped out!
OP is that a purlin or a wall plate in the picture?
can you measure it?

I can't imagine a cupboard holding up the roof!

The OP's sketchup drawings are likely accurate and show that's it's just a bit of awful boxing to form a horizontal ceiling.