Greetings from North Carolina.
I’m about to order materials for building my house (me: owner/builder). My wife and I decided to have 10′ ceilings (downstairs and 9′ up) after my sister (who designs cabinets) said that if she had it to do all over again on her house that she would do 10′ [because “it looks fabulous!”]. We too like the look of 10′ ceilings.
Does anyone have any words of wisdom for us? e.g. will we hate the heating bills?[well we are putting in a high efficiency wood burning fireplace; 2×6 exterior walls; insulated headers; “foil” house wrap; insulated (rather than vented) crawlspace; passive solar with south facing living rooms].
We are thinking that the 10′ height will help with air conditioning in the summer, which is a bigger concern here in NC.
Any opinions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Roger <><
Replies
Go with your likes and instincts. Of course it will cost more to heat and cool, but extra insulation will help manage your desires in conjunction with your budget.
blue
Just because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
Thanks for the encouragement.
Regards,
Roger <><
The relevance of that height will partially depend on the other dimensions of the rooms. If the rooms are small, the 10' will look exaggerated. If they're big enough, the scale will be "fabulous" as Sis said.
You may need to do things like taller doors (or transoms) and higher windows to keep the top two feet from being lost in space. And consider some shorter areas, such as a foyer or hallway, so that you get the added grandeur of moving from a shorter space into a more wide-open space...it'd really open up the larger rooms.
ps. Just up the mountain in Asheville. Lots of Tar Heels here. Welcome.
Clouds right on the money. I'm remodeling some rooms in a 1795 home, and the add-ons over the years seemed to get smaller, cupboards, entrance ways, even too narrow of a staircase to the new 2nd floor. The 10' 5" ceiling seems overbearing in some areas, but at the same time...what a home.
GB2
I prefer 9' and 10' ceilings. A friend of ours builds houses in Spokane,WA and they are the high end homes. He won in the street of dreams a few years ago. He had taller ceilings with 8' doors that were all 3-0 or thereabouts. Man did that make the house seem bigger and "richer". It was a great house. All the doors were solid fir and just beautiful.
If it was me, I would go with the 10' ceilings.
Roger,
I built a custom home with 10' 1st floor and 8' second floor I think it came out really nice, however I will note that the staircase is a very long single run, if I did this again I would have done a landing and a second staircase. I attached some photo's, I hope this helps
Nick Kruger
Marigold Homes LLC
Fort Lupton, CO
Higher ceilings will tend to make a room seem larger. It's a good way to increase perceived space without actually increasing square footage.
My own home is really very modest, but because it has 13' ceilings and lots of big windows [a former school], it feels huge--lofty.
As everyone else has said, you do want to consider lower ceilings in very small rooms and transitional spaces--foyers and passages. This can be done deliberately--creating a sense of compression will enhance the sense of expansion as one moves into a room. Ever notice that in a lot of the great old buildings you pass through a very low, dark foyer of some sort before entering a grand entrance hall?
If you go with a 10' ceiling and you have a room that is small you can always lower the ceiling in that room. The job I'm on now the first floor is 10' and I put a Tray ceiling in the dining room which is nice. I came down from the bottom of the I-joist 16" and then 16" level and 4" up and started the tray which had a 12" projection and the ceiling still looks nice and tall.
All the 10' precuts were nice and even no variations in the length. The good thing about having a 10' ceiling is the look and also you can always lower it. I would go with it if I were you.
Here's a picture of the tray but it's not to clear.
Framer,
Thanks for the pic. the wife really likes the tray. We'll do that in the dining room and master bedroom. Soffits above kitchen cabinets bumped out to take can lights for working surfaces.
Roger,
We've gotten into the habit of framing details like Joe's pic because our roofs are stick framed. It is great when a prospective customer walks into a house and sees those kinds of details.
Another great thing about the higher ceilings is that you have more room above the windows (in some cases) so you can run multiple layers of trim. I've seen some large built up crown molding that really makes the room seem grand.
Here are some pics of ceilings we've framed because we had the room to.
http://pic9.picturetrail.com/VOL293/2163851/4215098/54405187.jpg
http://pic9.picturetrail.com/VOL293/2163851/6234797/81818964.jpg
http://pic9.picturetrail.com/VOL293/2163851/4215098/54404554.jpg
http://pic9.picturetrail.com/VOL293/2163851/6234797/81818959.jpg
http://pic9.picturetrail.com/VOL293/2163851/6234797/81818969.jpg
http://pic9.picturetrail.com/VOL293/2163851/4215098/54404543.jpg
http://pic9.picturetrail.com/VOL293/2163851/6234797/81818967.jpg
http://pic9.picturetrail.com/VOL293/2163851/4215098/54404022.jpg
http://pic9.picturetrail.com/VOL293/2163851/5088968/64828173.jpg
http://pic9.picturetrail.com/VOL293/2163851/5088968/64828189.jpg
Tim, I was planning a lighting project like you show, but couldnt figure out what kind of lights to use? how do you get them with no gaps?? I really like that look, just not sure how to go about it...Thanks Frank...We were the winners, cause we didnt know we could fail....
Waylon...
Are you talking about the cove ceiling? The cove had a flat area at the top. http://pic9.picturetrail.com/VOL293/2163851/4215098/54404543.jpg
I'm not sure how to answer your question. The electrician did that.
I hope I'm helping you :-) If I'm not, just ask again :-)
no was talking about the lighting itself, i dont see any gaps or seams in the light... looks really cool though. great job on the ceiling, beautiful work. I dont see too many like that...
do you have any idea what kind of lights they used?
Thanks Frank...We were the winners, cause we didnt know we could fail....
Waylon...
Mr. Cloud is rigth!Height must be proporcional with other dimensions!Good look in the New Home!Cuddle is important.
R. D. 10ft cielings or taller might want to consider Radiant Floor Heat.
Before you make your decision, please review your existing plans for the house you are building. I've seen, on more than one occasion, people opt for higher ceilings at the time of construction. On one occasion it created a home that was taller than local code allowed. On a couple other occasions, it made the staircases not work. That extra two or three treads can make a big difference at the top or bottom of the staircase. If the staircase ends perpendicular to a hallway, it can mean having to crunch all the rooms on the other side of the hallway to satisfy hallway code. If it terminated perpendicular and somewhat close to an exterior wall on the low end, it can mean you now need a landing to change the direction of the staircase.
Just trying to give you a heads up.
Hello Diesel,
I have done the planning for the steps. My original question was to do a final sanity check to see if I was going overboard. From the sounds of all the comments, I'm convinced now that I will greatly enjoy the 10' heght (thanks ALL!).
As for the stairs: I have a 12'x16' entry foyer that is open to above. The steps go up for about 8 steps, turn left via a winding landing (3 or 4 steps) then go up to a landing adjacent to the upstairs hall. So I think I have this covered, but I don't think I'll get the more gradual "7/11" stair steps that I'd prefer (probably "8/10").
Trim ideas:
Solid walnut trim in formal areas and solid cherry in informal areas. (upstaris and laundry room/closets will be some "junk" wood like oak or hickory or poplar)
Formal areas will have 8" baseboard, raised panel wainscoting (or raised panel paneling to the ceiling) [I have a lot of walnut trees on my property and a saw mill].
Door and window trim will be federal style (plinth bottom, 4" beaded side casing, and 6 or 8" "header" with crown).
Informal areas will only have baseboard and chair rail (and federal style window trim throughout). Possibly some painted crown.
Interior door openings will be 8' (or 6'8" with transoms)
exterior patio doors will be 8'
windows will be taller and set at the same hieght as the transoms;
front door will be 6'8" with transom and side lites (trim details will be scaled up to a grander proportion).
Thanks for all the great ideas and encouragement!
Roger <><
Any spare walnut can be shipped to me, freight collect.
Roger, sounds like it will be an absolutely beautiful house! Please post back with progress and finish shots.
I don't think you'll ever regret going with the higher ceilings. Most of the nicer older homes here in G'boro were built with 10' or higher ceilings. My house is relatively modest ( but almost 200 years old ) and with 9' 6" ceilings the interior has a very nice feel. I also agree about having some spaces with lower ceilings. Our back hall is only 7'6" ceiling because it is under the landing for the stairs. It's also dark because it has no windows. This gives a great feel to passing thru this space and then into the kitchen with 9'6" ceilings big windows and transoms over the exterior doors.
10' height will help with air conditioning in the summer
That is a traditional detail in that neck of the woods, as I remember, as are 12' ceilings, too. Whether it really helps a modern house with a/c is another, long, technical, discussion altogether.
Cloud & Framer both said what I would, that the rooms will dictate the "correct" ceiling height. Most hallways and closets do not benefit from a high ceiling; I'll drop the ceiling in those areas if given the oppertunity. Ok, so there is a "look" that a tall hall can have, with glass transoms, but it can be hard to achieve in a modern house. The drop ceiling gives a wonderful area to run utilities to the room in--which can be its own benefit. It's down to the style you want--it is your house after all.
The recommendation to notice heights & proportions in space you know you like is a very good one. The converse is also true. You just have to see one "master suite" with a "toilet room" that's 3 x 8 x 10' just the one time to know it's "wrong" <g>.
You just have to see one "master suite" with a "toilet room" that's 3 x 8 x 10' just the one time to know it's "wrong" <g>.
Whats wrong, you don't like taking a dump in a shaft ;)jt8
Never attribute to malice what can be adequately explained by stupidity. -- Nick Diamos
you don't like taking a dump in a shaft
No, it's the trying to get the scaffolding in there to paint through the poorly-placed 2-0 door . . . Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Read recently that over 30% of new homes in US are being built with ceilings > 8ft.
Hydronic heat helps matters when you have high ceilings. Scorched air will collect at ceiling.
For passive solar, you would want a lot of thermal mass where the sun hits.
Roger, don't shy away from 10' ceilings.
I have 10' ceilings in my downstairs, it gives a very nice sense of volume to the rooms.
A couple of points...
I have radiant floor heat. That takes care of any potential thermal stratification problems that might occur with forced air. Still, a good HVAC guy can make forced air work.
Nick posted pics of his kitchen cabinets. I built my cabinets myself and was able to incorporated the empty space that Nick has above his cabinets as extra storage space in mine. I simply built another run of cabinets, up and above the standard uppers. These "soffit cabinets" are used for seasonal storage and they're about 22" high and vary from 22" to maybe 30" deep. One section of soffit cabinets overhang the standard upper wall cabinets by several inches and halogen pucks were installed there for added countertop illumination.
It all looks prettty nice.
The stairway? Nick mentioned adding a landing to break up the long run, that's a good idea. I have a straight run of 11 risers that leads to a platform. From that platform, one wing stairway of 5 more risers goes 90-degrees left to the kids' bedroom wing of the house, and another stairway of 5 risers goes 90-degrees right to the master bedroom side of the house. It breaks thing up visually and it keeps kids from going absolutely nuts on a long run of stairs.
It's a largerr scale overall, so think sabout how large everything elsa may have to be. Maybe taller 7-0 doors instead of 6-8's, or maybe doors with transoms. Maybe larger built-up crown instead of standard 3-1/2" crown. Taller windows.
The list goes on...
I think Diesel hit your 'sticky'point. If you've already got the plans and framer lined up,then throw in larger walls, the steps will need to be looked at. The framer will need to know how high you want the windows,higher or the same.
I didn't do it....the buck does NOT stop here.
My place is 9' throughout, with 12" cornices. I love it that way. It dates from 1926, and they used those cornices to avoid notching or boring the plates to get black pipe electrical conduit from the stud bays to the joist bays, and to make runs perpendicular to the joists. Drilling and sawing were all done by hand in those days.
Back when it was a rental, I had a tenant who was 6'-8". He loved the high ceilings, but not the 6'-8" doors. Go with bigger doors, put the shower heads up high, and who knows -- you may get top dollar from a tall person when you sell it. ;-)
-- J.S.
Tim, I always like your work and your pictures.You've got a lot of nice stuff to be proud of.Alan
Thank you for the comment. The last couple of years have been really fun for us. We've gotten to try new things and put to use the tricks and techniques that are all over forums like these. If it wasn't for these forums, I would still be "trial and erroring" arches.
What I want to do next is a a chandelier dome. I'm just waiting :-)
You're more than welcome. We all learn a lot here.(What is a chandelier dome?)Alan
Alanj,
I found this pic over at the finish carpentry gallery at JLC forums. It is of a chandelier (sp?) dome. I think it's pretty cool. http://forums.jlconline.com/photos/albums/userpics/10531/stair%20dome%202%7E0.jpg
Re: Chandelier domeVERY,VERY cool
Were the #1 member of the 104 5/8 "stud fan club, along with 54" wide drywall, Ez on the budget, its not 10' but its also not 8'. Bet the money you save will pay for the 42" upper cabinets in the kitchen & then some! If you got deep pockets go for it! If you do go with 10' walls hope you go with 8' doors ($$$) or it will look cheap! Going to be a lot of cutting with the 10' walls.
Hey Roger:
The home I built a home for my wife and I that has 10' ceilings. Well - actually it is a one story home with 10' ceilings in the main living area and two 9' high wings for the sleeping areas, which includes the bathrooms. "Main living area" includes foyer, living room, dining room, kitchen, breakfast room and family room.
We love the look and feel of the high ceilings. When we go in a house with 8' ceilings, it feels cramped.
Since this not a totally "bousua" (sp?) home I was a bit concerned that the 10' ceilings might seem like a bit much, so I did some different things to the ceilings to "bring them down a bit", while still retain the volume ceiling. We don't have any vaulted type ceilings because the architecture is more traditional.
Attached are some quick - not so good pics. It was still dark this morning when I took them with my cheap camera.
Pic 0 - used tall windows through out. Looks good from the outside too. The windows on the back have transoms above.
Pic 1 - Living room has a trey ceiling with 2+3 piece cornice molding.
Pic 2 - Foyer has picture mold with area above painted trim color to give the effect of very wide cornice molding.
Pic 3 - Dining room has trey ceiling with 2+2 piece cornice molding.
Pic 4 - Kitchen has crown on top of 42" wall cabinets. Burned out light bulb is an unadvertised feature :-)
Pic 5 & 6 - Family room has coffered ceiling with 2+2 piece cornice molding. The few doors that are in that part of the house are 7'.
IMO, you need to scale up the size of your moldings to go with the room height. For a traditional styled home, I think ours are fairly minimal taking that into consideration. For example the crown is ~4.5" (I think) and the base is ~6" speed base. The walnut, etc molding sounds really cool and obviously you are building a home with a cost of upwards to a million. Ours is more modest than that.
A neighbor built a house with 11' ceilings. He used tall doors, but I felt the few small rooms (bathrooms) looked/felt ridiculous with the doors nearly as high as the room width, and the ceiling height 1.5 times the room width.
BTW - I live in Raleigh.
Edited 1/22/2005 8:16 am ET by DIRISHINME
Dirishinme, I like the looks of your house. Great attention to detail. I love the proportions on the windows flanking the fireplace; looks like something straight out of France.
It took me a while, but I think you meant bourgeois?
Funny you should say "looks like something straight out of France"
I always tell people that my DW has the place decorated up like a french whorehouse! :-) Matt
Does that ever get you in trouble when DW asks "how do you know"?
Jon Blakemore
Dirishnme, thanks for that "Fun with Ceilings" tour. Everything looks splendid and I agree with Mike...the proportions are great.
blueJust because you can, doesn't mean you should!
Warning! Be cautious when taking any framing advice from me. There are some in here who think I'm a hackmeister...they might be right! Of course, they might be wrong too!
Matt
NIce details and proportions on your home.Looks very warm and inviting. My friend the trimmer wll get some new ideas from this link. Thanks for taking the time to post the pictures.
Greg in blustery Connecticut
High ceilings are nice, but 2' wider doors are even better.....
So you are advocating 4.5 - 5' wide doors? Are those for horozontally challenged people ;-) or is that so you can park your ATV in the living room?
Matt
No, just lived in houses where 2 more inches on the doors would have made the whole house feel much bigger......2'6" instead of 2'4" on the bathroom doors & so on....
My last house, a Cape in Silver Spring, Md. had a 6' 10' tall entry door....PITA when I went to get a new storm door since everything out there is either 6'8" or 7' 0", but it gave some extra heft to the door....same principle as the wider doors....
This is wat you wrote: "but 2' wider doors are even better"
Now I understand what you ment.
Thaks,Matt
I've read all 44 posts, and they are all great replies. We have 9' ceilings in our home, and love them. They make our house look just wonderful, and some custom plastering work, as well, that makes it look special.
A great, inexpensive source for you to get some ideas on ceiling height are the Taunton books by Sarah (or is it Susan) Susanka. She has the "Not So Big House", and two other sequel books. She advocates, as others have in these replies, changing ceiling heights to denote use changes. Her last book, in particular, (I think it's called "Desigining the Not So Big House", shows rooms that have "headbands" at 8' to show off the additional height of a 10' ceiling, and how to add accessories to make a 10' ceiling seem cozier in a room, like a dining room, where an intimate atmosphere might be more comfortable. Or, where to place windows to get the most light or change the atmosphere, etc.
The books aren't expensive, might be available at your library, and would be of great interest to you and your wife, I believe, not just for making the most of your ceiling height, but also adding little details that will make it more beautiful and comfortable. And, no, I do not work for Taunton Press! They are great books, though, as they explain not what you like in good design, but why you like it, and how to improve your designs to make your house more enjoyable to live in.
>> ... Sarah (or is it Susan) Susanka.Used to be Susan. She changed to Sarah some years ago.