We sort of had some of the same issues. I recommend making sure you know what you want your kitchen cabinet design to look like and then focus on any ceiling treatment. BUT, I say that bc I'm a symmetry nut, it makes me crazy when a coffered ceiling (or any other type) is "off" from the kitchen cabinet layout. For example, what if you have this amazing hood that looks fanatastic, but bc of the ceiling treatment, you end up with beams not centered or laid "off" from the hood layout. It's just a pet peeve of mine :) And, you don't want to get stuck in a rut with your kitchen cabinet layout bc of a ceiling treatment! I ended up not doing any treatment to my kitchen ceiling (other than crown around the room) and put in a header/doorway from the kitchen family room. I did that bc I just couldn't get the beams to extend from the FR to the K and still align nicely with the cabinet layout. And, I knew it would make me insane every morning when I woke up :) Plus, I loved the kitchen the KD came up with and the ceiling treatment seemed to just take away from it and look cluttered as cefreeman noted above.

Green Designs says: The added expense of HVAC temperature control and stratified temperature layers is another. I appreciate your green focus, but this statement doesn't ring true, with me. Relatively small home (2400 sq ft, on my lot, was all that was allowed, but really pushes the boundaries of "open concept", with windows everywhere)- 10' down and 9' up. None of it energy inefficient. Quite literally, our energy costs are much less than many apartments with 8'-9' ceilings, and yes! It's all due to a well-designed home, HVAC system that's zoned and an energy-efficient temp control system. But I do know how on-top-of it one must be, to make the HVAC system good, before walls are put in. Hardest thing I ever had to learn. And? People hate ceiling fans and then design homes that require them. Then they don't own a ladder tall enough to change the light bulbs. First, not all people hate ceiling fans.They are there for a reason. I certainly don't. I bought gorgeous stainless- but no bulbs. That is a feature I don't like. But down- 10'- they serve to bring the ceilings "down", and they are part of our energy-conserving plan. Not hard to clean, and I'm 5'2". Just have the right telescoping equipment. Up: 9', still fans. And all those fans work together to prevent stagnant air. They also work well with the simple concept of a thermal chimney. As a result, we have very, very low utility bills. Quite honestly, we pay less than people with homes half our size/ One thing we really agree on is the need for great design. My architect lit the way. Another? Sure. Cabinetry can cost a bit more. I have cabs in the kitchen that go all the way up. But the upper cabs are storage, for seasonal etc, and complete the clean lines I was going for. No need for extraneous furniture that I really didn't want- currently in a minimalist phase. But planned correctly? The relatively small charge for the cabs, all the way up, cost me far less than whatever the heck I would have needed to store it all, and keep the look of the house. And well- they are so much easier to clean- no dust on top.

Not sure the reasoning even behind niches in the main living areas if that is where you are speaking of. But if these are fro the main living area I will say the answer is it depends, on you home layout, you furniture choices, your wall widths (think artwork, tables, etc), future room layout, resale.. There is no simple answer and it is close to impossible to know why your builder would say buy prefab over framing them himself.

Just went and did that Mark. My shortest items are my blazers/jackets...which are pretty small and they are still 30ish inches with my hangers. Shirts are a few inches longer than that. Could probably squeeze in 3 rods, but it would look really cramped, rather than a nice space. My husbands shirts at 38 inches would really be snug. Maybe 2 rods of shirts plus 1 of folded in half jeans...but again, would look cramped. Seems that 10 foot really is the minimum to make this work, even in a hers closet.