Ceiling height

[Carrie12345]

Do you have 8’ or 9’ ceilings? How do you feel about them?
I’m struggling to decide whether or not I really care. My current ceilings are mostly vaulted, so I don’t have any ingrained biases about 8 vs. 9.  In pricing a build, our salesperson is encouraging 9’. The cost difference to build it doesn’t bother me much, but the cost and energy to heat all that extra cubic footage does.  
It would be through a mostly open floor plan, plus one tucked away room.  I’m wondering if the openness would compensate for “low” ceilings. 
 

Also, we would go with 42” cabinets, so wouldn’t a 9’ ceiling put us back to space at the top? I was looking forward to not cleaning that area.

[Laura Corin]

We have 8' ceilings in our early 19th century house.  The rooms are not very large, however - open plan didn't work well before central heating.  Proportion matters however.  Would your salesperson be able to have you walk around show homes with the two heights, particularly looking at how different size rooms feel?

[kristin0713]

My DH really wants 9' ceilings. I don't care either way.  But, I'm 5' 2.75" and he is 6' so maybe that extra foot of height makes a difference for his preference 😄  It's also nice for resale value. It does feel more open and spacious. 

[Carrie12345]

1 hour ago, Laura Corin said:

We have 8' ceilings in our early 19th century house.  The rooms are not very large, however - open plan didn't work well before central heating.  Proportion matters however.  Would your salesperson be able to have you walk around show homes with the two heights, particularly looking at how different size rooms feel?

Unfortunately, both builds that were available yesterday had 8’, though one of the basements was 9’ while the other was 8. Honestly, it DID make a huge difference in the basement, but I feel like that’s because basements feel dungeony to begin with. I AM leaning toward the extra basement foot because of that, since we’d like to use it as flex space eventually.

The 8’s on the main floor didn’t feel terrible. But a few minutes might be a whole lot different than a lifetime, lol. I feel like I’m supposed to care much more than I do.

[PeterPan]

1 hour ago, Carrie12345 said:

Do you have 8’ or 9’ ceilings? How do you feel about them?

We have 10' on the main floor, 8 ½' (because it's a drop ceiling) in the basement. I think 9' would have been more cozy, and I would do 9' main floor, 8' basement for a typical medium house. The suggestion to see it in a house is good also. We put in soffits and trim in the bedrooms to cozy them up, so it's not like it has to all be the same everywhere. That can be decided on the fly once you see it in the room. We were planning cans anyway and once the room was framed in it was obvious we'd want the soffits to cozy. 

1 hour ago, Carrie12345 said:

Also, we would go with 42” cabinets, so wouldn’t a 9’ ceiling put us back to space at the top? I was looking forward to not cleaning that area.

This is a solvable problem. They can do soffits across the top or you can do glass front storage that is lit inside.

Just checked. My uppers are 44" with the molding at the top and they're 18 ¾" from the counter. They're shy of that upper 10' line by 21", meaning with your 42" you'd have another 11-12", depending on how high you mount them. 

Edited March 8, 2021 by PeterPan

[Lecka]

Well — I don’t know at all — but “our salesperson is encouraging it” stuck out to me.  Do you still have a realtor to ask? 

[PeterPan]

8 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

Honestly, it DID make a huge difference in the basement, but I feel like that’s because basements feel dungeony to begin with. I AM leaning toward the extra basement foot because of that, since we’d like to use it as flex space eventually.

The other thing to think through is you might like the *contrast* between the higher upstairs and lower in the basement. It will feel cozy at that point. Does the plan you're looking at have natural light or a walkout? If it does not, then yes the 9' may be wise. Like I said, ours are 8 ½ in the basement, and it's really not cozy. The rooms are large and we have quite a bit of natural light. Because they're trussed to 10', we had room to do a vaulted ceiling even. 

I will say the extra height is nice for pingpong. And it makes it feel open enough that you have no issue inviting down company, etc. So I think that's just a judgment call, how you want it to feel. (cozy vs. spacious) But you need natural light to solve the dungeon thing.

You might look on pinterest for basement pictures that match what you've been thinking you want to do with it in your mind. Then go through the pics you like and figure out whether they had 8' or 9' ceilings. You'll probably notice a pattern.

[Familia]

We have 10 ft ceiling in LR and kitchen.  I detest them.  Too tall for our smaller sq ft home.  I think 9ft is a good blend of spacious, yet easily made more cozy (as per @PeterPan’s suggestions). 

[PeterPan]

20 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

The 8’s on the main floor didn’t feel terrible.

This would be a good reason to hold out to see some 9's. You'll probably have a reaction and know. If you don't strongly prefer the 8', then you might as well go with the 9' you're being recommended, at least for the main floor. 

[Garga]

I think you need to walk through homes with the different height ceilings. 

[PeterPan]

To solve the main floor question, you might look at pictures of masters and see what your eye is attracted to for heights. If you find yourself liking tray ceilings with rope lighting (hint, hint) or chandeliers or pretty light fixtures (hint, hint), you're wanting the 9'. Even 10' or a vault is not too much at that point. But that's going to be a really different look at 8'.

Do you hunt or have taxidermied things you mount? Is the height of your Christmas tree important? With my 8 ½' basement, I can't remember if my tree is 7' or 7 ½'. I think it's 7 ½'. What will the ceiling be in the basement, drop or drywall? Drop eats up a lot of height.

You can live with anything, lol. But if you're getting a choice, then it can fit what you do in the room.

[Selkie]

Definitely personal preference. Ours are 10' on the main floor (except the sunroom, which is taller) and 9' in the basement and upstairs (except the master bedroom, which has a vaulted ceiling). I like a spacious feel with loads of natural light. Plus, we are a tall family, so the extra headroom is good.🙂

[Bambam]

We have 10' ceilings. In houses with lower ceilings, I feel cramped - probably because we've always had high ceilings. All have been relatively new construction (within the past 25 years, this house is 15 years old now).  Heating, on the rare occasions we turn on heat, hasn't been an issue - I don't know if it costs more than if the ceilings were lower though! I'd look at what the majority of new construction is doing in your area. I think it helps if your house fits in with current construction so it doesn't look too dated when time to sell. 

[Lecka]

I think if it’s an expected feature for resell — that is important.  I don’t know if it would be or not, but if it is I think it’s good to do.  
 

 

Edited March 8, 2021 by Lecka

[J-rap]

We recently moved and our new place has what feels like HUGE ceiling heights!  That plus our big windows make the rooms all feel so spacious and airy, and I can't imagine needing anything higher.  But I just measured them, and they're 8 feet.  So I think 8 feet is plenty high!  So maybe it depends on window size and lighting?

The homes I've lived in before this all had lower ceilings. (7 feet maybe?)  Even those felt fine to me!  I guess you just get used to what you have.

[Lori D.]

What is most common/standard in your area? You might consider going with that for ease of resale in the future.

All of the older neighborhoods in our city are ranch style homes: 1-story, no basements or attics, 8'-foot ceilings -- and many having a slight slope that is 8' at the peak and 7'6" at the outer walls. That feels normal and not-cramped to me. But that's what I'm used to. All the newer construction neighborhoods have 9-10' and even 12' ceilings. That feels like wasted space to me.

I think for your decision all comes down to what you're used to/what you like, and what's typical in the neighborhood for re-sale. 😉

Edited March 8, 2021 by Lori D.

[kokotg]

Our 8 foot ceilings don't bother me all. The only time I think about them is when we buy a Christmas tree :). But agree that it's worth thinking about resell and what's considered standard/desirable in your area/price range.

[Pam in CT]

We have 9 1/2 downstairs and 8 1/2 everywhere else except the ("vaulted" down to "head-whacking") slanted attic.  I like it and I also like the contrast between more "formal" sections of the house v cozier family spaces.  It also allows the downstairs windows to be taller and more fancy-feeling proportions.

We *don't* have spiffy crown moldings, but if I were designing a house from a clean sheet of paper I'd put in spiffy crown moldings, particularly if I had 9+ feet to work with. Spiffy crown moldings (and ceiling medallions) are -- in the scheme of things -- a very affordable way to add a LOT of architectural interest to a room.

In our kitchen there are just soffits built down to meet the cabinets, no cleaning.

[Sherry in OH]

We have 8' ceilings in a 1970s ranch.  The height is fine.  We do not have an open floor plan.   My concern with 8' ceilings in an open floor plan would be whether or not the space looked proportional.    

Our last house had a 20' ceiling in the living room while the kitchen and eating area had a 7' ceiling.  The spaces were open to each other.  I always found the juxtaposition of the very high and very low ceilings odd.  The living room was not cozy and its tall ceiling made the other ceilings look and feel even lower than they were.   

We did have a 9' ceiling  in part of the the basement and 8' in the remainder (plumbing was run under the joists).   I liked those heights. The taller ceiling height is good if you envision using the basement as a play area or home gym.  An 8' ceiling might be cozier for a home theater, but also consider the height of projection equipment.  If the basement will be unfinished, definitely go with 9' ceilings.   

Definitely ask to see a house with the higher ceiling then look at the one with the lower ceiling again.  Which one feels more comfortable?  You could also ask if variable ceiling heights are an option.  

[Tanaqui]

Ten foot ceilings, which reads as totally normal to me... but it's a pain when changing the lightbulbs, I can tell you that!

[Garga]

Adding more thoughts: 

I’d still go and see for yourself examples of houses with higher ceilings if you can.

I’d also see what the new construction in the area is doing if you can (resale)

And...where do you live? In the south where it gets hot and you want that awful hot air to rise above your living space?

Or in the north, where it gets cold, and you want all that lovely hot air closer to your heads?

Edited March 8, 2021 by Garga

[Annie G]

We have 9 downstairs and 8 upstairs. The upstairs rooms feel so tiny to me...and the ceiling fans too low. 
Our last house had 10 ft ceilings and I actually thought that was a bit too high. 
 

9 is perfect for me, and I’m pretty short- 5’4”

[Ali in OR]

I think everything built here in the last 30 years has been at least 9' ceilings. You'll see 8' in older ranch-style homes. And 8' does feel "squashed" to me after living in 9' for so long, so for resale value alone, I would not consider building 8'. But if I were buying an older ranch-style home, 8' would feel appropriate; I just think any new build should be the newer norm.

[Carrie12345]

3 hours ago, PeterPan said:

The other thing to think through is you might like the *contrast* between the higher upstairs and lower in the basement. It will feel cozy at that point. Does the plan you're looking at have natural light or a walkout? If it does not, then yes the 9' may be wise. Like I said, ours are 8 ½ in the basement, and it's really not cozy. The rooms are large and we have quite a bit of natural light. Because they're trussed to 10', we had room to do a vaulted ceiling even. 

I will say the extra height is nice for pingpong. And it makes it feel open enough that you have no issue inviting down company, etc. So I think that's just a judgment call, how you want it to feel. (cozy vs. spacious) But you need natural light to solve the dungeon thing.

You might look on pinterest for basement pictures that match what you've been thinking you want to do with it in your mind. Then go through the pics you like and figure out whether they had 8' or 9' ceilings. You'll probably notice a pattern.

We won’t know the basement elevation until we chose a lot. They’re evaluating two for me today that are on the market. Then we’ll know what our natural light possibilities are (or aren’t.)

3 hours ago, PeterPan said:

To solve the main floor question, you might look at pictures of masters and see what your eye is attracted to for heights. If you find yourself liking tray ceilings with rope lighting (hint, hint) or chandeliers or pretty light fixtures (hint, hint), you're wanting the 9'. Even 10' or a vault is not too much at that point. But that's going to be a really different look at 8'.

Do you hunt or have taxidermied things you mount? Is the height of your Christmas tree important? With my 8 ½' basement, I can't remember if my tree is 7' or 7 ½'. I think it's 7 ½'. What will the ceiling be in the basement, drop or drywall? Drop eats up a lot of height.

You can live with anything, lol. But if you're getting a choice, then it can fit what you do in the room.

Christmas tree is a good point! I don’t even know how tall our fake one is since I didn’t have to think about it before. What I will have is at least two ceiling fans, so that’s something to think about!

1 hour ago, Lori D. said:

What is most common/standard in your area? You might consider going with that for ease of resale in the future.

All of the older neighborhoods in our city are ranch style homes: 1-story, no basements or attics, 8'-foot ceilings -- and many having a slight slope that is 8' at the peak and 7'6" at the outer walls. That feels normal and not-cramped to me. But that's what I'm used to. All the newer construction neighborhoods have 9-10' and even 12' ceilings. That feels like wasted space to me.

I think for your decision it all comes down to what you're used to/what you like, and what's typical in the neighborhood for re-sale. 😉

Our area is a mishmosh of small, old cabins to mid-range McMansions. We don’t really have “typical”.

55 minutes ago, Garga said:

Adding more thoughts: 

I’d still go and see for yourself examples of houses with higher ceilings if you can.

I’d also see what the new construction in the area is doing if you can (resale)

And...where do you live? In the south where it gets hot and you want that awful hot air to rise above your living space?

Or in the north, where it gets cold, and you want all that lovely hot air closer to your heads?

North and cold. My February snow and ice might get close to finishing melting this week, but no guarantee. And it snows on some Halloweens. Not sustained negative temps, but definitely LONG freezing temps.

[Lori D.]

1 hour ago, Garga said:

... And...where do you live? In the south where it gets hot and you want that awful hot air to rise above your living space? Or in the north, where it gets cold, and you want all that lovely hot air closer to your heads?

 

41 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

... North and cold. My February snow and ice might get close to finishing melting this week, but no guarantee. And it snows on some Halloweens. Not sustained negative temps, but definitely LONG freezing temps.

Since you are building from scratch, and live in a cold area,  I would be working hard to include radiant floor heating in the budget -- which might help you decide on ceiling height, as that might be where you would shave off on the budget to include the awesomeness of heat that is where your feet and body are. 😄 

Edited March 8, 2021 by Lori D.

[Arcadia]

We used to have 3.3m (about 11 feet) in our living room when living in a hot and humid climate. The ceiling to floor curtains were all custom made and it was difficult to clean the ceiling lamp (luckily it wasn't a chandelier). We have to use the ladder just to change curtains or light bulbs. 
 

My current upstairs neighbors have high ceilings in the living room. Thats kind of typical for top floor units of a condominium complex.

[Sherry in OH]

1 hour ago, Carrie12345 said:

We won’t know the basement elevation until we chose a lot. They’re evaluating two for me today that are on the market. Then we’ll know what our natural light possibilities are (or aren’t.)

Christmas tree is a good point! I don’t even know how tall our fake one is since I didn’t have to think about it before. What I will have is at least two ceiling fans, so that’s something to think about!

Our area is a mishmosh of small, old cabins to mid-range McMansions. We don’t really have “typical”.

North and cold. My February snow and ice might get close to finishing melting this week, but no guarantee. And it snows on some Halloweens. Not sustained negative temps, but definitely LONG freezing temps.

You will have more fan options with a 9' ceiling.  With 8' ceilings you need flush or very short stem fans.  You might also spared the constant need to remind 6' and some inches tall people not to jump, raise their arms, or roughhouse under the fan. 

[prairiewindmomma]

I would worry less about ceiling height and more about wall and roof insulation, and window quality. 🙂 8’ ceilings feel claustrophobic to my dh and dc (most of whom are 6’ plus). It’s also an issue with ceiling fans—especially in rooms with bunks.

Our main floor is 10’ ceilings, upstairs is 9’. 

[cjzimmer1]

My DS (who is over 6") would tell you to get the 9 foot ceiling.  He's scraped his hands more than once on an 8ft ceiling while stretching and not thinking about the ceiling (the main areas of our house have cathedral ceilings so he doesn't normally think about it). And yes in agreement to others that 8ft ceilings, ceiling fans and tall family members are not a good mix. 

[Farrar]

We do. Older home. It's designed to make air flow and cool itself down and honestly, it works pretty well overall. I like it.

Here's something people haven't posted much about though... really tall ceilings in tiny bathrooms are a giant pain. I can't fit a ladder in the downstairs bathroom that will actually reach the ceiling. Like, it's not actually possible. The guys who did some work there had a sort of outdoor ladder and stood there with it to brace it in a funny way. I've never been able to figure out a good solution. 

[Junie]

I'm not sure how high our living room ceiling is, but it is too low for me.  I have a really hard time actually being in the living room.  I maybe spend an hour a week in there.  

I think that the problem is that the living room in my house growing up had a vaulted ceiling.  Now, I feel kind of claustrophobic, especially if I'm trying to watch TV from the sofa on the other side of the room.  I often will sit on the floor to watch TV -- it gives me a little bit of extra space.

[Pam in CT]

re reaching the ceiling in tiny spaces with tall ceilings

4 hours ago, Farrar said:

We do. Older home. It's designed to make air flow and cool itself down and honestly, it works pretty well overall. I like it.

Here's something people haven't posted much about though... really tall ceilings in tiny bathrooms are a giant pain. I can't fit a ladder in the downstairs bathroom that will actually reach the ceiling. Like, it's not actually possible. The guys who did some work there had a sort of outdoor ladder and stood there with it to brace it in a funny way. I've never been able to figure out a good solution. 

I have a foldable 3-step stepstool.  It's adequate for changing the lightbulbs and waving a duster around.  It'd probably be a bit of a challenging if I were trying to paint the ceiling. But at my (ahem) advanced age, I'm willing to pay a painter for that loathesome task, after first delaying it for a few decades....

[Forget-Me-Not]

Our bedrooms are 10’ I think, and our main living area is very high vaulted. I love it, and older houses with lower ceilings definitely feel cramped to me. 

[Soror]

8ft here, that is pretty standard where I live. There is only so much much money to go around when building and there are many things I'd rather spend money on- like hardwood floors and the best insulation I could get. 

[Carrie12345]

Well, I still don’t know which we’ll go with, but I’m gonna have to pick one because it looks like we’re actually going to do this!!! I am dreading living through the experience, but I’m excited about getting the house I’ve been waiting more than 14 years for. Better than that, really.

39 minutes ago, Soror said:

8ft here, that is pretty standard where I live. There is only so much much money to go around when building and there are many things I'd rather spend money on- like hardwood floors and the best insulation I could get. 

That’s a huge part of it. I’m crunching all the numbers and the line has to be drawn somewhere. But, if we can fit it in, I’m still not 100% sure. 

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, Carrie12345 said:

Well, I still don’t know which we’ll go with, but I’m gonna have to pick one because it looks like we’re actually going to do this!!! I am dreading living through the experience, but I’m excited about getting the house I’ve been waiting more than 14 years for. Better than that, really.

That’s a huge part of it. I’m crunching all the numbers and the line has to be drawn somewhere. But, if we can fit it in, I’m still not 100% sure. 

Yay!!!  Congrats!!   It will be worth it when you are done. 

[Ausmumof3]

We have higher ceilings in some parts and I like it.    It is a pain for cobwebs etc but I can imagine with your DH being taller he would appreciate the extra space.

[Soror]

10 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

Well, I still don’t know which we’ll go with, but I’m gonna have to pick one because it looks like we’re actually going to do this!!! I am dreading living through the experience, but I’m excited about getting the house I’ve been waiting more than 14 years for. Better than that, really.

That’s a huge part of it. I’m crunching all the numbers and the line has to be drawn somewhere. But, if we can fit it in, I’m still not 100% sure. 

Congratulations! Best wishes on picking things out. You just have to keep in mind your budget and know that whatever it is you will be going over for something down the road, so wiggle room in there is good.

[PeterPan]

9 hours ago, Ausmumof3 said:

 It is a pain for cobwebs

I use a long swiffer duster. Now I'm saying that, and I have to JUMP to try to get them! That's in the rooms where it's 10' with no soffits or anything. But if she does 9', she can reach them with a swiffer duster, easy peasy.

That's another thing to budget in for a new/bigger/different house, all the cleaning and organization stuff! I enjoy going to Target, Home Depot, etc. to look at the new pretty cleaning tools. If only I liked using them so much. 

[Ausmumof3]

3 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

I use a long swiffer duster. Now I'm saying that, and I have to JUMP to try to get them! That's in the rooms where it's 10' with no soffits or anything. But if she does 9', she can reach them with a swiffer duster, easy peasy.

That's another thing to budget in for a new/bigger/different house, all the cleaning and organization stuff! I enjoy going to Target, Home Depot, etc. to look at the new pretty cleaning tools. If only I liked using them so much. 

I have a little one but I really love vacuuming them if possible.  I also have one section of the house which has some crazy high raked ceilings and there’s no way to clean without scaffolding or something!  The joys of weird architecture 

[Carrie12345]

35 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

I use a long swiffer duster. Now I'm saying that, and I have to JUMP to try to get them! That's in the rooms where it's 10' with no soffits or anything. But if she does 9', she can reach them with a swiffer duster, easy peasy.

That's another thing to budget in for a new/bigger/different house, all the cleaning and organization stuff! I enjoy going to Target, Home Depot, etc. to look at the new pretty cleaning tools. If only I liked using them so much. 

Currently, our main ceiling goes to about 16’ and my bedroom goes to around maybe 14’ :::dramatic pause::: with textured ceilings. 😵 Don’t get me started! I can’t reach the tops of our trapezoid windows or transom windows with my telescoping duster WHILE standing on a chair. And I’m not short.

And the whole organizing thing? I have spent years purging my belongings to (sort of) fit in an 1100sf house (plus shed). I have a list of allowable “more” to add that consists of some furniture, a few new tools, and ALL the organizing stuff my heart could ever want. Because I’ll finally have the space to almost look like a minimalist, lol. Still, that’s gonna be a gradual project. Basement, garage, attic, laundry room, multiple closets ample kitchen cabinets... I feel like a freaking princess!!! 

[DawnM]

10' here in most of the house.   I love it.