[djmcmath]

My wife and I are buying an old Bungalow -- built in 1927. It's got these great high ceilings on the main floor, like 12 feet high. The upstairs, unfortunately, is unusably small -- because of the super-high ceiling on the main floor, the upstairs is all scrunched up into the roof line.

So in an alcohol-induced state of wild creativity, one of us suggested moving the floor. Tear out the entire upstairs (it's not finished, no great loss), pull up the floors (hard wood, dimensional lumber floor joists, everything), remove the main floor walls, and rebuilt the interior so it makes sense.

Now ... we can't afford to live somewhere else while it'd be happening, so we'd have to live in the garage, or the basement, either of which would be a crazy experience. We've talked it over and think that the stress is worth it. I'm more concerned about the feasibility -- can I build ledger boards into the original outer walls of the house? Will the County Permitting Office have me arrested for Constructing Under the Influence?

Anyone ever do anything like this? Is it just too crazy? Are there resources for people like us?

Thanks,
Dan