I'm installing a grandfather clock in my house. Problem: my first floor ceiling is 88" high, and the clock is 94" high. I can't modify the clock, so I'll have to modify my house.
The solution is fairly simple: lower a small area of the floor by 7".
The existing floor is 13/16" x 2 1/2" red oak boards on plank subflooring. The outside blue rectangle shows the edge of the area to be cut and rebuilt (26" x 15"); the inside blue rectangle shows the final footprint of the clock. I've figured out the joists (I'll have to cut a joist and add a doubled header) and the rest of the framing. My final problem is how to finish the edge of the hole.
I'll be cutting the existing flooring in-place, as it would be a can of worms to pull any of it up and then replace it. That means the edges won't be perfect, so I can't just butt new framing boards against the old without leaving ugly gaps. I'd also like to properly define the edge of the hole so that things don't always roll into it. So, I'm thinking to do the equivalent of an overlapping stair nose.
I couldn't find the exact molding I'd need, so I'm planning to cut it from 1" oak stair treads which have a rounded edge and are 12" wide. I'll cut 3" boards from the rounded edge and then shape them further with table saw and sander. There will be a 1/2" x 3/16" tab on the edge of the board to cover the edge of the existing flooring. I'm also thinking to stain the new oak boards to match the cherry wood of the clock; sides of the depression will be 1x pine painted trim white, and the bottom will be the remaining oak tread material finished with polyurethane.
Does this sound like a good plan? Any concerns about that 3/16" thick tab being overly fragile?
EDIT: This question is NOT asking whether it's worth modifying my house to fit this clock. Even if that wasn't clear to me, it would be too opinion-based for this site. Just presume that there's a really good reason for me to do so.
EDIT2: There are good reasons why I'm going into the floor rather than into the ceiling. First, it won't look as good; the focus of the clock is the top, and that will be hidden from view, or at least in a dark nook in the ceiling. Second, I can't tip the clock into place; it must be vertical when the mechanism is installed. That means that there must be room to slide the top case forward and off the clock while it is in place, which means the plaster hole will be substantial. Add the joist modifications and the hole gets even bigger. Final problem: it's a swirl-textured ceiling, so the repairs would be obvious unless I replaced the whole ceiling.