I am beginning the design for our basement remodel. The first question I have is about options for the ceiling. I'd prefer to have drywall on the ceiling instead of a drop-ceiling. I've attached a few pictures of the HVAC ductwork that sits below the first floor joists. It's a pretty wide section of HVAC, so a soffit would take up half the ceiling and look pretty strange. I'd like to avoid the soffit and make the whole ceiling the height just below the ductwork, leaving about 7'11" of clearance.
1) If I want to put drywall on a level plane below the ductwork (about 12 inches below the first floor joists), how would I go about framing to have attachment points for the ceiling drywall?
1) If I want to put drywall on a level plane below the ductwork (about 12 inches below the first floor joists), how would I go about framing to have attachment points for the ceiling drywall?