9 foot ceilings or Vaulted ceiling?

[fat rat]

We are looking to possibly build and one option is vaulted or 9' ceilings. In sure theres pros and cons for both. Anyone have regrets in there choice?

 

[Mandelon]

Both are a nice upgrade. Classier and richer look than standard 8' ceilings. More volume to heat and cool, more opportunity for spider webs up there... LOL

 

[ONE-A-DAY]

We are looking to possibly build and one option is vaulted or 9' ceilings. In sure theres pros and cons for both. Anyone have regrets in there choice?

Ours are 10 in the whole house and 14 in the great room, its an expensive option but the impact on the wow factor of the house is huge, I guess it really depends on what the height options are going to cost for the upgrades.

 

[DrunkenSailor]

I would do 9 foot ceilings everywhere except the great room and bedrooms. There I would do vaulted if its in the budget.

 

[KENDOG689]

Vaulted is a pain to clean.9' with nice steped drops an lighting in them.Simple and gives a nice look.

 

[SoCalDave]

My vote would be 9 as well.

 

[HB2Havasu]

I want to do 10’ ceilings and 8’ interior doors instead of the standard 9’ ceilings / vaulted ceilings on our next build that we’re getting ready to pull the trigger on soon. It’s a $10k added expense but yeah it’s a WOW factor for sure. Just trying to sell the Mrs on the whole program is the biggest battle, lol.

 

[Done-it-again]

Minimum 9’. It would be best 10’ as it would make the home feel more open and larger than it is.

 

[Yellowboat]

How big are the rooms? 9' look ok in big rooms, but look like shit in small ones. I would rather have vaults in areas that you want more volume and 8' in smaller rooms

 

[fat rat]

I would do 9 foot ceilings everywhere except the great room and bedrooms. There I would do vaulted if its in the budget.

I don't have option as far as I know, but will check with the builder. Good advise.

 

[Deja_Vu]

I would do 9 foot ceilings everywhere except the great room and bedrooms. There I would do vaulted if its in the budget.

Our builder standard was 9' ceilings with 8' doors. 10' ceilings were an extra $1400.
We ended up with vaulted cause the truss manufacturer screwed up. Lol so no extra charge.

 

[JD D05]

I am building a home now and wanted to do 9 foot in the basement with 10 foot on the main with trey's. I ended up doing 9 foot in the basement with vaults on the main, the 10 foot and trey's was not doable I guess with the home we picked.

 

[Done-it-again]

I am building a home now and wanted to do 9 foot in the basement with 10 foot on the main with trey's. I ended up doing 9 foot in the basement with vaults on the main, the 10 foot and trey's was not doable I guess with the home we picked.

What home builder did you pick in Utah? Spent a week up in St George/hurricane area with my parents who are looking to relocate. Lots of builders and some dam nice looking houses.

 

[JD D05]

What home builder did you pick in Utah? Spent a week up in St George/hurricane area with my parents who are looking to relocate. Lots of builders and some dam nice looking houses.

I went with a builder called Eagle Point. Around here you almost have to go with the builder that owns the lots. I got priced out of where I have lived my whole life due to land prices, I wanted a acre and that is between 350 to 500 K where I live now and I can't afford that. So we found an area called Lake Point, problem is there is one development in that area we had to be in with 2 builders owning the lots...If you need a referral or anything let me know, Tree Haven Homes is a very very good custom home builder.

Edit

I don't know of any builders in St George but I have a bunch of friends that live down there that would...St George is a lot more affordable than up in SLC. SLC has an absolute shit load of CA people relocating here and it is driving land prices up. CA folk are selling homes out there and coming here and getting way way way more for the money.

Here is our lot.

 

[spectracular]

we have ten foot ceilings plus trays in most of the home. The great room and foyer are 22 foot. We bought it because of the feeling of added space. Think resale...and how having the extra height will add to a buyers perceived value.

 

[JD D05]

we have ten foot ceilings plus trays in most of the home. The great room and foyer are 22 foot. We bought it because of the feeling of added space. Think resale...and how having the extra height will add to a buyers perceived value.

That is such a great setup.

 

[Done-it-again]

I went with a builder called Eagle Point. Around here you almost have to go with the builder that owns the lots. I got priced out of where I have lived my whole life due to land prices, I wanted a acre and that is between 350 to 500 K where I live now and I can't afford that. So we found an area called Lake Point, problem is there is one development in that area we had to be in with 2 builders owning the lots...If you need a referral or anything let me know, Tree Haven Homes is a very very good custom home builder.

Edit

I don't know of any builders in St George but I have a bunch of friends that live down there that would...St George is a lot more affordable than up in SLC. SLC has an absolute shit load of CA people relocating here and it is driving land prices up. CA folk are selling homes out there and coming here and getting way way way more for the money.

Here is our lot.

View attachment 669632 View attachment 669633

Thanks for the info. House prices have jumped in the st George area to. Parents build with rv garage is pushing 700k. For an optioned out 3300 sq foot home with a 75x 20 something wide rv garage with a lot. Good lots are 125-200k depending where and some lots require pricy tier/grading work. So they are really waying their options.

 

[JD D05]

Thanks for the info. House prices have jumped in the st George area to. Parents build with rv garage is pushing 700k. For an optioned out 3300 sq foot home with a 75x 20 something wide rv garage with a lot. Good lots are 125-200k depending where and some lots require pricy tier/grading work. So they are really waying their options.

I just remembered one of my good friends down there is a builder...He could for sure point you in a good direction. If you want to reach out to him let me know.

 

[Justfishing]

Cathedral ceilings are hard to insulate. They can end up being hot and uncomfortable.

 

[scottchbrite]

We are looking to possibly build and one option is vaulted or 9' ceilings. In sure theres pros and cons for both. Anyone have regrets in there choice?

I’m doing 10’ rooms and hallways with 12’ common area. Looks killer.

 

[OldSchoolBoats]

Was someone talking about high ceilings and spider webs?!!

[emoji23][emoji23]

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

 

[fat rat]

Was someone talking about high ceilings and spider webs?!!

[emoji23][emoji23] View attachment 669663

Sent from my Pixel using Tapatalk

Nice!

 

[Andy01]

Here is our lot.

View attachment 669632 View attachment 669633

Dude I can't wait till that is done! I'll come up with the family for a couple days, maybe in the winter time!!

 

[JD D05]

Dude I can't wait till that is done! I'll come up with the family for a couple days, maybe in the winter time!!

Sounds good to me buddy!!!

 

[KevinR]

Cathedral ceilings are hard to insulate. They can end up being hot and uncomfortable.

Don't I know. Our master bedroom is vaulted and in summer months its hard to be comfortable at sleep time without running our AC flat out all night!

 

[JD D05]

Don't I know. Our master bedroom is vaulted and in summer months its hard to be comfortable at sleep time without running our AC flat out all night!

Add a second small unit for the bedroom.

 

[KevinR]

Might just have to check that out. Thanks!

 

[JD D05]

Might just have to check that out. Thanks!

Yep, in the rental I am in now there is a small secondary unit just for the upstairs. It really helps a lot to have 2.

 

[rvrrun]

10 foot with a recess, otherwise the surfboard looks silly up there.

 

[Justfishing]

Don't I know. Our master bedroom is vaulted and in summer months its hard to be comfortable at sleep time without running our AC flat out all night!

I would have rigid Insulation installed on the outside of the roof. Sound crazy? It's not. Inadequate levels of insulation in a limited space, thermal bridging and radiant heat transfer are the downfall of cathedral ceilings.

Rigid Insulation is good at blocking radiant heat. It also stops thermal bridging and beefs up the r value. You can learn more by asking yours questions at Green building advisors.com

You can spend more money on a small unit and electricity or you can get comfort by fixing the problem.

 

[Justfishing]

There are several diagrams in here .

https://buildingscience.com/documents/reports/rr-0108-unvented-roof-systems/view

 

[JD D05]

I would have rigid Insulation installed on the outside of the roof. Sound crazy? It's not. Inadequate levels of insulation in a limited space, thermal bridging and radiant heat transfer are the downfall of cathedral ceilings.

Rigid Insulation is good at blocking radiant heat. It also stops thermal bridging and beefs up the r value. You can learn more by asking yours questions at Green building advisors.com

You can spend more money on a small unit and electricity or you can get comfort by fixing the problem.

What do you mean on the outside of the roof?

I just saw your diagram...I understand you can make a home way more efficient with proper insulation but more does not always mean it is better or more efficient. I have serious doubts any home that doesn't have enough AC can add insulation to cool it off enough.

 

[HavaToon]

Our current home has 10’ ceilings with 9.5’ trays and 8’ doors. Love it and super easy to heat and cool.

The Havasu house has all vaulted ceilings which looks nice but is much harder to cool. The ac runs a full 2-3 degrees cooler than Phoenix to feel the same level of comfort.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Justfishing]

In the diagrams you will see, from inside to out; drywall, insulation,sheeting, rigid insulation, sheeting again and then the roofing.

You can greatly decrease you heating and cooling needs with innovative building techniques. How far you want to depends on what you are willing to spend. There does come a point when it is not cost efficienct.

There is way more than r value to consider. Good insulation is crap without good air sealing practices. Thermal bridging can reduce whole wall r value by 25%. In hot climates large overhangs can shade windows.

Mandalay homes in Phoenix wanted to offer net zero homes, that is they make as much energy as they consume over the course of a year. A code built home would have required a$60k solar array. Not cost effective. Through better building practices with very high air sealing they can do it with an $8k system. They went from a 16 kw system to a 3kw system . This is a cost effective package. Of course you have to plan the home and not retrofit.

Here is something people don't know. The cathedral ceiling is baking all day. It is giving off a lot of its heat via radiant heat to the occupants in the room. So it's like putting a heat lamp on you and then using the ac to try and get you comfortable . On top of that you have the reverse of the stack effect. Stack effect is hot air rises because it is lighter. But we are pumping cold air into the house, condensing it and making it heavier so it is sinking to the lowest levels and leaking out of the house. The make up air is being sucked in from the top. So the hot humid air is being pulled in to the upper level.