does 8' vs 9' walls make much difference in cost due to framing?
ilmbg
14 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (21)
sue36
14 years agofayemarie
14 years agoRelated Discussions
8' vs 9' ceilings on a new build?
Comments (13)Well it is often a preference thing but 99% of people probably prefer 9 foot ceilings at least in the open areas. I am a bit of a real estate junky and I also rent vacation homes - many of which are old and have 8 foot ceilings. I am 6'1" so that jades me a bit. We have 11 ft in great room/kitchen, 10 in other downstairs areas and 9 for bedrooms. It is a large house so those proportions work. We have a vacation home with 8 foot bedrooms and that works well - and they are small rooms. That house has 10 ft open great room - and that works well. Higher ceilings allow a much better view and better sun light into a room. Even tall windows can't compensate. The larger the room with 8 foot ceilings, the darker it will be. Some people like dark but most don't. I personally like darker bedrooms so the 8 ft ceilings can work there. We were just at a rental house with 8 foot ceilings in a large room and we couldn't get over how dark it was. Lights on during the day is just a shame. You mention heating. You have a design with a very deep overhang on the south side of the house. That decision will cost far more in heating than an extra foot in wall height. An extra foot in wall height means an extra 12% in wall losses. In my house wall losses are about 20% of heating losses so the extra foot is roughly 2% extra heating. A good southern wall of glass can easily save 50% on heating costs. You have a design of a dark house with that overhang also. You only allow northern light into the open area. Northern windows only hurt in regards to heating. They also give the least sunlight into the house. Add in 8 foot ceilings and it is going to be dark. And for some more completely unsolicited advice - 30 inch deep counters make overhead space harder to reach. And windows at 1 foot above the floor have to be tempered by code and that is roughly double the cost. Code (everywhere?) requires that windows need to be 18 inch above the floor or they must be tempered. Building on a slab yet you are concerned about heating? I am wondering where you are building. Generally, slabs are used in the South where heat is in excess. Where I live in mixed climate, slabs are used in the most basic of construction - typically townhomes. In a colder area, locating ductwork for HVAC is harder to do with a slab. You can do it of course but it is harder. I could ramble on and on about this but that is a different topic....See More9/16th thick with 3 MM Veneer Vs. 3/8th thick with 3 MM Veneer?
Comments (12)Thank you Phila_2009 for letting me know since one store told me that the area under the cabinets may never become the same color since I do not have a lot of light in my home office since my windows are only in the front of my office and are only opened at the top and bottom with the middle covered and really only the area in front of my desk gets natural sunlight. The rest of the room has chrome Fluorescent 300 wattage Torchiere Lamps with no other windows. All the cabinets (supply and file) are a light putty color). In the family room, I know the floor will look wonderful and get a lot of light with the 4 big windows that face the woods (but I usually keep the sheer horizontal blinds closed to let in light and have privacy and the room never gets hot so maybe I do not get a lot of sun there with all the big trees shading the area) and I plan to not have a carpet or rug in that room with just the beige sofa and recliner and glass end tables and coffee table. The Oak TV stand is on wheels so I can move it around. What I am worried about is the four 5-drawer 42" wide file cabinets that will be on the home office floors (my living room and dining room I made into my home office) & three 42" wide 2-drawer file cabinets and two 30" wide two drawer file cabinets in the two room home office that has also a desk, computer desk and a credenza. I also have two supply cabinets in the dining room part blocking another desk for a part-time worker. It is amazing how much furniture I have in the two room home office. Maybe I shouldn't worry and when I move, I will just have to explain to buyers why the floor is two different colors with more of the floor light that was covered than dark that was exposed? I don't plan on moving soon but life is full of surprises and if I meet someone and we want to move to a bigger place, I worry about the color change. For now I do love my townhouse that is the size I need and is in a great beautiful location. The Brazilian Cherry floors go so well with the different woods I have in my home especially the cherry office furniture and the cherry legs on the glass tables in the family room. My kitchen has oak cabinets open to the family room and my stair way has a walnut railing. My walls are all light and so are my blinds....See MorePella Pro-Line (450 series) vs Marvin Integrity Cost difference
Comments (9)Leaps and bounds better quality IMO. The wood interior on the Integrity is largely isolated from moisture due to the fact that it's basically a fiberglass window with a veneer interior. The pella on the other hand is wood clad in its true definition. I've seen 10 year old Integritys that look good as new, while most pro lines are due for replacement around that time frame. Try to get a look at a corner cut of each to see what I'm talking about. Price wise the integrity is probably a little more, but should be in the same ballpark. I've sold and installed both...See MorePro vs homeowner. Counting on the pros vs doing our own due diligence
Comments (20)I see two different issues here. One is people looking at an expensive room on Houzz and thinking they can make their room look like that for pennies. That is unrealistic. If you go with the cheapest labor, you will usually get what you pay for. And if you go with tile from a big box store, it will likely not look like the Ann Sacks that you saw in the picture. The other issue is whether you can/should trust a professional to do their job correctly, or whether you are foolish not to do the research every time you spend big money on a job. Roarah, I don't know why you are blaming yourself for not having researched the tile specifications. You are not a professional tiler. Your GC hired a professional tiler, and he should have known about the potential problems and explained them to you before he laid a single tile. When we renovated our kitchen and two bathrooms seven years ago I knew nothing about tiling, or really any other aspect of renovation. I relied on our GC (who also did the tile work) to help me on the layout, and to tell me what could/couldn't be done. I paid quite a bit of money for the reno (I live in NYC suburbs, so labor costs are high anyway) and I maybe (naively) expected that he know his stuff and he would do a good job for me. Luckily he was a very good GC and a very good tiler. I was quite happy with our job, although of course you always come up with things you would do differently if you were doing them again. I understand that my luck could have gone the other way with a different contractor. I recently reno'd our downstairs level and needed 600 feet of LFT laid to replace existing carpet. When I had the job quoted, I was hoping to find someone cheaper than the original contractor, and I got two other quotes in addition to his from contractors who were highly recommended by friends and neighbors. Original contractor told me about the issues involved with LFT, and warned me that his quote would be high because of all the prep/leveling work involved. Contractor #2 wanted to lay the tile right over the existing carpet (!!??). Contractor #3 told me that he could do whatever layout I wanted with whatever sized grout line and it would come out just *fine* and he could do it very quickly. Ironically, all three quotes were in the same high ballpark price-wise. Anyone with common sense would reject Contractor #2's tile-over-carpet solution, but would it have been crazy to go with Contractor #3 if you didn't know the about the issues with LFT? Once I heard the difference in approach between the original contractor and Contractor #3, I read up on LFT issues because I wanted to see who was right, and ended up rehiring the tried and true contractor. But conceivably, I could have gotten several bids from highly recommended contractors and not have been told about these issues at all. But if you are a regular homeowner who has no interest in reading design forums or tile manuals, shouldn't you be able to hire a tiler without reading up on tile specifications? Assuming you are not looking for a ridiculous bargain basement price for the labor, or not overlooking other glaringly obvious warning signs, I think you should be able to trust that your professional tile layer knows how to lay tile, and if you get screwed, blaming yourself is misplaced blame, IMO....See Morecreek_side
14 years agoilmbg
14 years agocreek_side
14 years agodavids_2007
14 years agosue36
14 years agodumaspup
14 years agorsc2a
14 years agovhehn
14 years agomarthaelena
14 years agodkeo
14 years agocarolyn53562
14 years agocrazyone
14 years agosrercrcr
14 years agoaterw
9 years agodekeoboe
9 years agomillworkman
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoUser
9 years agolast modified: 9 years agoadkdad
5 months ago
Related Stories
INSIDE HOUZZHow Much Does a Remodel Cost, and How Long Does It Take?
The 2016 Houzz & Home survey asked 120,000 Houzzers about their renovation projects. Here’s what they said
Full StoryMOST POPULAR8 Little Remodeling Touches That Make a Big Difference
Make your life easier while making your home nicer, with these design details you'll really appreciate
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESArchitectural Details Make All the Difference
Are you missing an opportunity to enhance your home with brackets, cabinet feet and moldings?
Full StoryMOST POPULARWhen Does a House Become a Home?
Getting settled can take more than arranging all your stuff. Discover how to make a real connection with where you live
Full StoryREMODELING GUIDESBathroom Workbook: How Much Does a Bathroom Remodel Cost?
Learn what features to expect for $3,000 to $100,000-plus, to help you plan your bathroom remodel
Full StoryFUN HOUZZDoes Your Home Have a Hidden Message?
If you have ever left or found a message during a construction project, we want to see it!
Full StoryKITCHEN DESIGNKitchen of the Week: What a Difference Paint Can Make
A bold move gives a generic Portland kitchen personality without a major overhaul
Full StoryDECORATING GUIDESSingle Design Moves That Make All the Difference
One good turn deserves a whole ideabook — check out these exceptional lone moves that make the room
Full StoryBUDGET DECORATING9 Ways to Make Dreamworthy Rooms — in a Weekend
Don't just sigh and shut the door. With a small change or two, you can create designer-style rooms that you'll love spending time in
Full StoryWALL TREATMENTSSource List: 20 Wallpapers That Make the Room
Find out where to get the wallpaper that makes the difference in these popular interiors
Full Story
ilmbgOriginal Author