Spacing of Studs before drywall

I would beef it up. what ya could do is nail 2x4's flat to the bottom of the rafters going the opposite direction and do them at 16" centers.

Or put 2x4 nailers in between the rafters. If you have a good solid base layer of 5/8" drywall, the risk of sag is lower and you won't need so many.

I'd like to see a picture of these "rafters". They may just be cross ties that are keeping the two walls from spreading apart and not intended to support a ceiling.

While you are taking pics to post also measure the span (wall to wall). That will help us give you specific recommendations of what you need to stick up there. Also check to see if you have 2x8s.

It shouldn't be hard to beef up the ceiling joists assuming you have a way of getting them up into this room. This is one time when a window might be handy in a theater.

Are you texturing the ceiling as well? If so, you really shouldn't have spans between the supports greater than 16" or you run the risk of sag.

Well now I'm just totally confused. You said you were getting ready to drywall but the pictures show the drywall already in place. So I guess If you aren't having any problems just leave it alone.

Also looks like the drywall was glued up as well in addition to nails/screws.

I tried to find any reference to 32 OC joists and found your other post on yahoo answers.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...7005214AARFdGk

I think a call to your local county construction code office is warranted to see if this is acceptable practice in your area. I did a look up of the span allowed for 2x8 SPF lumber for ceilings with no storage above based on 24 inches on center and it is 21 and 1/2 ft.

Your span looks less than 21 feet so maybe that construction can support the weight in total. Since they didn't use any furring or channel running perpendicular to the joists to improve the support I'm guessing that over time (decades) the ceiling will sag.

If you are planning on living in this house to the end of your days I would redo the ceiling. If you are planning on moving in a decade just live with it.

Just an opinion from a INTERNET hack.

It just hit me like a ton of bricks. YOU DON'T HAVE ANY INSULATION UP THERE!

What you have is just plain wrong. If my interpretation of your second photo is correct, you have edges of drywall that are not supported. Bad news...if that's the case it must come out before it goes down. A couple hundred bucks to a structural engineer is likely worth it as well at this point.

As Big pointed out...your energy bills are going to kill your budget without proper insulation up there.

I'd also check out what appears to be light coming in a crack on the far wall. Might be your siding coming loose.

No vapour barrier either....

Shouldn't there be collar ties on the rafters?

You may want to consult an attorney as well. While you cannot easily get recourse from an out of business builder, you could have issues affecting your mortgage and insurance policies. Of equal interest, would be just how the local building authorities were able to provide a certificate of occupancy.

If a construction loan was involved and the bank made final payment to the builder it would seem that a certain degree of criminal fraud was involved and that fleeing one particular state doesn't offer protection, if it involved a federally insured bank.

Not a lawyer, I just stayed at Holiday Inn Express a while back.

I'd find a pit bull attorney and make the builder's life miserable.

Also, some states have a fund to fix issues caused by bad builders. It is paid for out of general contractor licensing fees in North Carolina and called the Homeowner Recovery Fund.

It looks like Florida does have somethign similar. Check the FAQ linked below. http://www.myfloridalicense.com/dbpr/pro/cilb/faq.html

It might be worth looking into, but you may have to exhaust other means of redress first.