I live somewhere that ceiling fans are seldom used so I don't know if this would work..but I put a Fantech bathroom fan in my new bath that would suck the fuzz off a peach. It is a very strong motor hidden in the attic space (so it is virtually silent) and it has two fan outlets connected by ductwork, one in the shower and one over the tub. It is a very small grill around a halogen can light (small, maybe 2"? light). It is not noticeable as a fan and if I turn it on, I can feel air being sucked under the bathroom door, a LOT of air. I don't know if air circulation by sucking instead of blowing would work for your purposes, but it would definitely move the hot air off the ceiling. The light and fan operate independently. This is my model and I see they have an add-on so you can have 3 outlets. I chose the halogen because it could be dimmed and was a smaller bulb I think. The premium is rated for a higher cfm. Maybe you could talk to the company and see if they have experience with this kind of application. It is SOOO quiet! Here is a link that might be useful: Fantech

If you're unsure as to whether the box is ceiling fan rated or not, I'd suggest replacing it. I believe the main difference is that it's beefier. I believe the ears are thicker and they take 10-32 screws. Normal junction boxes have 8-32 screws. I would use the fan box support that spielbass suggested to mount the box. Use the screws provided with the box to mount the fan bracket to the box. The box is designed for that purpose and will hold the weight. Using the screws provided will give you a good bond between the bracket and the box (along with the ground wiring). Do not try to screw through the box into wood. This does not assure a good bond between the box and the bracket. Electrical code and manufacurer's instructions are made for a reason. They are there to assure proper funtion and safety. Doing it your way may seem like it works, but can wind up in future malfuntion and or injury.

allison, I have to ask but understand if you'd rather not say: my DH's family is in Alabama, and I would love to know which lake you live near! His grandparents had a lake cottage at Smith Lake for years, and I fell in love w/the area (having lived my entire life in OK and TX, it was the hills and mountains that did it.) And how is this for continuing coincidence: I'm familiar w/your architect! We love his work, but have a more contemporary preference and chose an architect from Dallas instead. Your home is absolutely extraordinary (which I'm sure you've heard before), and I can't thank you enough for sharing the photos. I'm going to show your beams to my trim carpenter (I hate that title - the man is an artist of woodworking), and will ask me another question that I completely understand if you'd rather not answer: where did you purchase your cedar and spruce beams? It's getting harder by the day to find true lumber mills - my grandfather owned one in southern OK for decades, and I wish every day it was still in operation. Again, thank you all for your feedback! pic of the ceiling in question in great room, under construction: Here is a link that might be useful: construction progress from earlier this month

Mtvhike - A “bean wrap” is 3 panels of wood seamed together in the shape of a U. It fits over our existing beam which is narrow and not decorative. The purpose of this wrap was to make the beam look a little heftier and to use wood that will look nice when stained. It does look heftier but isn’t quite wide enough. I think the necessary dimensions were overlooked or not communicated well to the framer who built it. Thanks for all of the suggestions. Getting a new fan is out of the picture we purchased this fan a couple of months ago and really like the size/style. I did consider adding a piece of wood right in the center. I wish I could find an example online. I like the clean simple look and didn’t really want to add too much detail to this beam. We are staining this and so would need to find the same type of wood In thinner sheets if we do that. That does sound like a good solution...but I keep thinking that it’s not my fault that the beam didn’t get made to my requested dimensions and why should I have to settle when we had it made custom to fit the fan? Then I wonder if I’m being too picky.