We want to finish our garage (drywall, insulation, and carpet tiles) so we can use it as overflow living space but still have it able to function as a garage when we want to move. Currently, there is a 15' X 18' ceiling that is just exposed joists, and the garage door tracks and motor (as well as some fluorescent lights) are installed on the joists. The joists look to be about 4' apart. We want to install a drywall ceiling and then blow-in insulation above that. Right now, we are thinking we need to add studs running parallel to the joists (in order to have more places to attach the drywall), and other info we've been able to find online says that we need to just butt the drywall up against the hardware for the garage door, since we shouldn't attempt to disconnect the hardware, drywall over the joists, and then reattach the hardware to the joists. Also, there are two beams at a 45 degree angle (parallel to the floor, see last picture) that we would need to remove in order to install the drywall on the joists. Would the drywall serve the same purpose as those beams, and so would it be okay to remove them? ANY advice is greatly appreciated! I was also hoping someone could expound on the text below (found on an Internet search): Truss Lift If you are applying drywall to a ceiling that is directly under truss framing for a roof, be aware of the phenomenon called Truss Lift. A roof truss is a framework that is assembled in a factory using pressed-on gang nail plates and the truss assemblies are installed on the walls on the building site. The bottom chord of the truss becomes the ceiling joist. The truss will expand/contract differently than you would expect of non-truss framing, and this seasonal event will cause the bottom chord to rise and fall in the center portion of the chord. An interior wall - one near the center of the truss - cannot be fastened solidly to the bottom chord or structural damage will occur. More importantly to you, the drywall joint between an interior wall and the ceiling will crack if it is fastened in the usual manner, and this crack can be as much as 1/2". What you need to do is fasten the ceiling drywall normally except for about 2' out from the interior wall. This portion of the drywall will "float". The corner joint between the ceiling and wall drywall can be taped and filled in the usual manner and it will flex enough to keep from cracking. This seasonal rise and fall of the ceiling is usually not obvious if the ceiling drywall floats properly. Since the truss rests on the exterior walls, nothing special needs to be done at that point; fasten the drywall as usual.

Greetings. New to the forum. I’d be grateful for any input. The problem is cracked drywall joints, walls and ceilings, in a basement renovation. I’ve read around the forums and spoken with a few experienced friends, but can’t decide on the cause. I started with an empty basement in a 20 year old house on concrete slab. Basement is half below grade. Walls are 9’ high, wood studs on 16”, ½” drywall vertically. Ceilings are 2x10 joists on 16”. 12.5’ span. ½” drywall right on the joists, long seams perpendicular to the joists. Mesh tape and low-dust compound throughout. Paper-lined metal corners. An HVAC/plumbing bulkhead runs the length of the room. Most of the mudding/taping was done over a year ago, then the project sat. I finished up the mud about a month ago. I installed electrical, primed, baseboards, tile/carpet, and was about to paint when the cracks started opening. The first one ran up from a door frame. Rookie mistake, I butted a sheet of drywall against the door frame. Figuring that was what caused it, I sanded out the entire joint, and redid it with paper tape and setting compound. That’s held for a few weeks. Now most of the joints have cracked. None of the butt joints, only the long, machined joints. None go below 4’ on the walls, but all go right to the ceiling. Ceiling cracks are wall-to-wall. They ‘seem’ to be making their way around the room in the order that I did the mudding / taping. I’ve got a few partial theories, but I’m hoping for some more experienced input on my situation before I start repairs... Thanks for reading. Many thanks for input. Endless gratitude if you come and deal with it for me. ;)