maybe i should do 10 up front, 12 den, and 10 in the back? the architect just charged us an extra 600 for the last few changes, so maybe changing this isn't worth it. i hope that he wouldn't charge us that much because all this time he's had 11 listed in the room finishes, so i thought the whole downstairs was 11 until i looked at the ceiling framing page and noticed the 11 up front and 12 in the back. i was glad that he listened to my request of the family room being 12, but i really didn't want the kitchen and breakfast 12 as well.

anyway, changing it won't be worth it if he's going to charge me 600 for the change and if it's not going to save much on materials and labor.

If your kitchen is 12', what are you doing with your cabs? If they are going to the ceiling, man, that will be high!! We have 10' ceilings, and that seems high to me. I would need a rolling ladder! I can see a family room with 12' ceilings, but a kitchen and breakfast room might seem a tad cavernous with ceilings that high. What height doors and cased openings will you have?

If your second floor joists (or plate line and trusses or rafters where you have no upper floor) are set at 12' (or whatever height) and you decide you want lower ceilings, then dropped furring will have to be installed at the desired height.

Unless this was included in the original construction bid, there will be additional materials and labor, thus an extra expense to you. Check with your builder.

Good luck with your project.

Probably better to ask the builder and designer these questions because without access to the plans it is hard to give you a meaningful answer.

I'm afraid to ask the architect about it just yet because he'll slap me with a bill. The builder is annoyed with me right now, so I figured I'd annoy y'all about this instead;). I'm just tryi g to figure out if it will save money to switch to 10 in those areas or cost more. The builder will probably tell me that it's a wash.

Cabinets aren't going to go to ceiling either way.

Here are the ceiling plans

Virgil, as always, thanks for your insight. So the cost savings in Sheetrock by lowering ceilings by 2 feet in these areas will be offset by the cost of furrings, most likely??

Here's a better picture with labels on the rooms. It's the mud, laundry, kitchen, and breakfast that i think will be better with 10 foot ceilings rather than 12.

What happens between the rooms with the different ceiling heights? Fairly conventional door openings or larger openings?

A one-foot height difference in transition, I think is going to feel strange, walking from room to room, because it is enough to feel a difference but not enough of a difference to seem like good, intentional design. I think it will be just enough to throw things off. Door heights and window placement that feels right in one room will feel a bit off in the next.

I lived two buildings with varied ceiling height (8, 14, 12, 10, 8--as you ascended from English basement through parlor floors to maid's rooms). It was all very well thought out and window size and placement and door height varied with each ceiling height keeping it all in correct proportions.

I think you need to consider the ceiling height of the entire level as a piece, not as "I like it in this room but not in that room". You can vary it on the same level, of course, but it should vary in some kind of systematic way and in such a way that the high ceiling and the lower ceilings complement each other.

Sounds like you already have a builder but no contract amount? Is this cost plus? Anyway, I don't think you'll save money by furring down. Make this decision for architectural reasons.

Wow, those will be some ceilings. I have never been in a house with ceilings higher than 9 feet, only places of business. Would you consider doing 10 feet everywhere for cost savings or perhaps just a cathedral in the back room that has no floor above?

If you have read any of Susan Suzanka's books (Not so small house ones) she actually tries to discourage very tall ceilings. She also has some interesting ideas about incorporating changes in ceiling height (although I think her ideas for doing the latter are not inexpensive). It might be worth reading what she has to say on the subject. Your library must have her books.

Good luck with your planning. It will be beautiful.

bmh, if you are thinking about lowering ceiling heights as a cost-saving measure, you should consider that:

--Studs lengths tend to be pre-cut for the common plate heights;
--Gyp board panels are manufactured in several common modular sizes

The more labor that is required to erect the necessary 2X furring for ceilings of various heights and the more labor required to cut and fit gyp board elements, the more expensive it becomes.

For example, gyp board is common in 4 X 8 (and longer) panels. Two horizontal panels make a wall for an 8' ceiling and three horizontal panels make a wall for a 12' ceiling. Any other ceiling height means cutting a panel (more labor to cut, install, mud and finish) and more expense.

I agree with an earlier comment to do what you feel is best for the design, and not for hoped-for cost reductions. If you need these, perhaps it's best to look at other options as well.

Have you bid this project or are you getting the drawings and specs prepared for bidding? If you already have bids, you need to discuss options with your builder since he already has made his cost estimate based on the drawings.

Good luck with your project.

Hi bmh4796, I also think you should talk with your builder. If cost-wise it is a "wash" you will know that and can rest assured that you are not paying extra for getting things the way you want. I hope the builder is not "annoyed" at you for asking questions -- part of his/her job is to answer those questions for you! In a custom build, your builder will be the best one to help you identify areas where you can save $$.

In my very limited experience, best to do this up front and as early as possible. Unfortunately, after a certain point, every change will have a cost -- for example, the money we "saved" by eliminating a bunch of windows from our garage was offset by the framing costs and architectural/engineering fees for changing the shape of the roof.

Good luck, looks like you will have lots of wonderful spaces, especially that back porch!

thanks everyone. i am a big fan of bobby mcalpine, and i like the way the ceiling varies in his homes. there's a grand super high ceiling in one room then just off that room is a nice cozy room. so it's not only about saving money. i would actually prefer the kitchen and breakfast to be lower. i don't think it looks or feels weird. in the house we are in now, we have 9 throughout except for the den and dining which are 12. the windows are fine. in the new house, they will be 7'6" so they will work in 11 and 12feet ceilings. the rooms that I want to change to 10 feet won't have any to the floor type of windows. they will be above countertop windows, so it should look fine. all of the rooms connect via a series of cased openings except for the breakfast and kitchen - they are open to each other

we did get a bid, but he went off the room finishes list where they were all listed as 11. i pointed out that the ceiling frame page had 11 up front and 12 in the back. i asked it that would be ok and he said, yea, it's fine.

i'll ask him about changing the kitchen, breakfast, laundry, and mudroom to 9 or 10 and see what he says.