9 years ago I removed the ceiling and some ceiling joists from the front half of my top floor. I have a brick row home with an attic crawl space above that goes up to a point in the middle that is about 5' high.

The roof rafters run front to back and I think they each had a ceiling joist, but I don't remember. I was told the brick walls support the walls and roof and that I could remove the joists.

Now I see a lot of thing shifting, windows, doors, etc. and I wonder if I should have removed the joists or not.

Does anyone happen to know if you need these joists on a brick home and would it just start to have problems now?

If the joist was connecting two roof rafters to create a triangle (two rafters meeting at the peak and the joist connecting the opposite ends bearing on the walls), then the joist was likely acting like a tie beam.
There are two ways for a system like this to work. First, if the ridge beam is supported at each end, then, in a perfect system, the sloped rafter will provide a vertical reaction at the wall. If the ridge beam isn't supported at both ends, then the rafters need that tie beam (your joist) just to remain stable.

The problem is this - even in the first scenario, where the system is structurally stable without the joists, it is still serving a useful function. As I noted above, in a perfect system, the rafter will deliver only a vertical reaction to the wall. A perfect system, in this case, means that the ridge beam is infinitely stiff and will not deflect. That isn't true. As the ridge beam deflects, the rafter moves as a rigid body and pushes the side walls out. It pushes them out because the tie beam (your joist) is no longer there to take that load in tension, thus it pushes out on your wall.

Thanks for such a clear explanation. I was guessing I may have made a mistake.

I wonder if you (or anyone) can tell me the best way to deal with this, since I'm not sure what other causes may be contributing to the house settling but can guess at a couple things. Should I call a structural engineer, architect or contractor? In other words, who can I call to get an exact answer of what is wrong and how to fix it? I tried a home inspector, but he thinks it's all normal settling. I've lived here to long to believe it.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

Is the movement vertical or horizontal. If horizontal, is it parallel to the walls or perpendicular?
The behavior I noted in my first post would result in horizontal movements perpendicular to the wall. If that is not what is happening then there is something else going on.

I would call a local structural engineer.

Who exactly told you that it was ok to remove these joists to begin with? Anyone with qualifications?

Jay, I actually don't remember who told me this 9 years ago. I think a few different contractors. The contractor who removed them was hesitant to do so and had me call a few people to come look and give opinion first, but I don't remember who or if they were qualified. I think he spoke to them more than I did.

Don't know if home inspectors are qualified, but recently, my insurance company's home inspector was out because I thought it was a plumbing leak. He said the joists would have caused problems long before this if they were the problem, but then he said "it's not like it was 1 joist per rafter was it?". A hair went up on my neck, because I think it actually was 1 joist per rafter. He still feels it's just a roof leak. He said if I feel this way, put them back.

I had home inspected 2 years ago so I had this same inspector back last week. He feels it's not the joists but maybe the beam they installed, he thinks, was to support the remaining joists. This I really don't get? I think this joist is only supporting the landing to attic closet but I could be wrong.

I keep doing repairs like replace the roof again, install french drains, had all outer walls pointed, grade back yard, repairs to outsides of chimneys, etc. and after each it seems like my house gets so much worse. Like it is settling in the middle and in the back of my home. My home is really old and never settled like this before. I've been here 17 years. So maybe these repairs I've been doing were just expensive band aides?

structuraleng, I don't know if it would be considered horizontal or vertical? What I see is door & window frames are cracking mostly where they are meet at corners and turning in on 1 side, nail pops and cracks at tape in ceilings, most wood work throughout the house is moving away from what ever it was attached to especially in the stair wells, lots of plaster cracking under the wall paper. Now this week I even see the tiles on walls & counter tops are shifting and cracking the grout at outer edges. Basement walls have cracked where they meet at corners and plaster is cracking under all wall paper on other levels of my house as well as at the corners of walls. Terrace sliding glass door and a sliding closet door in bedroom are getting stuck. Cabinet doors don't close all the way. I have to keep moving furniture for it to be level on floors. Does this match either the horizontal or vertical types of movements?

So it sounds like a structural engineer can tell me if I should put the joists back. Right? If it is something else going on, is he also the one to ask to find it or does he have same limitations as home inspector of problems having to not be hidden? If this is the case, who else do I call? The joists are the only probability that is out in the open.

Thanks again for your time.

The unevenness of things is likely a vertical movement, but the trim pulling away could be horizontal.
This sounds like too much to be caused by removing a joist in the attic. I am a structural engineer and would recommend you have one come out and get his eyes on your situation. He will be far more qualified than a home inspector.

It does sound like there could be settling. Has it been dry in your area for a long time? Do you know the types of soils in your area? Clays retain moisture very well. If it is dry for a long time they can start to lose moisture and shrink considerably, which will cause settlement.

structuraleng, thanks for taking the time to help me again.

Coincidentally, you are standing where I am. It's a little 200 year old historical row home down town. I hope if it's not in bad taste to ask, but if you work here, could you pm me you number?

I don't know about the soil here but the joists and ridge beams stayed wet at their edges the past 6 years after a tree hit the top fronts of our row homes. They looked fine while wet, but then finally got to dry out this past summer when the last roofer caulked in the entire bedroom ceiling. I couldn't help but laugh 'cause I had just been reading waterproof's posts where he says "you wouldn't see a roofer try and fix a leak from the inside, would ya?". Well, he hasn't met my last roofer.

Anyway, the ridge beam's and joist's ends now stay dry until it rains, so long dry periods, then moist. I don't know if this can do anything to make my house settle. It is definitely leaving slender crack marks each time they dry out.

I don't know if you have time to read my other post from back in fall to the plumber's, but the caulking was in May, the moving back up to the new shower, which may have a leak, was in August. By September or October is when the settling started. I thought it was all from the shower. Or that the shower was at least topping it all off.

Now, although I never had a basement leak, the back sill to home has stayed wet from roof and neighbors yard, etc. The unseen side of same sill is where the rooms above are in dire straights. Really sinking back. No clue why, but kitchen walls are wet, so somethings going on. Wouldn't be from neighbor on that side or from the main roof because this has a different roof. Front sill stays wet a lot, no clue.

So I keep getting told it's all from roof leaks, not plumbing and like an idiot, I keep living here and showering here, probably making it way worse.

Since this has started, it gets bad for few days, then nothing for a couple weeks. So I start to believe them and figure I still just need to find what is wrong.

Well now it all really shifted again since yesterday and today and the real scary part is it sounds like a neighbors house has stuff falling down. He's a nice neighbor, but refuses to do maintenance. Doesn't mind his house is falling apart. But tonight and last night it's loud. My house is making same cracking noises, but not as loud. I'll hear a crack, go and look and 2 vertical lines cracked behind the wall paper. Then I hear a slap on the floor, like maybe the joist or a piece of ceiling fell down. I run upstairs. Nothing anywhere. It's scarring the heck out of me. Now, 2 days ago this was happening, but he was having something repaired. Heard some one drilling and nailing, so maybe a coincidence.

Thanks again.