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Home Repair Remodeling Design Dilemma

Adding height to a large room

4 years ago

Hello, we are looking to purchase an older home with 8 foot ceilings. The living room dining room combo is 25 x 30 which will be very expensive if we were to raise the ceiling to a vaulted look. I am being quoted upwards of $25-$30,000. Is it possible to add in a tray ceiling, that will essentially be dug into the existing ceiling height making the center 9 feet or more? And will this job cost less?

Featured Answer

DavidR

4 years ago

If you go ahead, I can assure you that you won't recover the cost of the renovation when you sell the house later.

As long as that doesn't bother you, and you have the means to afford it, you're good.

That said,, the practical answer is usually to choose a house that already has the configuration you like. Think about what other houses that you could buy if you added the cost of renovating this house to its price.

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Comments (10)

PRO
HALLETT & Co.
4 years ago
I am literally in the midst of this now. You will need to reframe the entire ceiling and transfer that load to beams then that load has to get transferred down to the foundation. A really big job that affects everything. Structural engineers, redo electrical, probably hvac changes... we even had to add three new piers where load paths didn’t line up with existing foundation.
Lisa C
Original Author
4 years ago
Wow! It’s such a big job! Care you share time and dollar estimates? Trying to budget this reno.
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PRO
HALLETT & Co.
4 years ago
The numbers you have received seem reasonable for the scale of your project...
kudzu9
4 years ago
You're looking at a huge, expensive job in relation to the payoff, and you'll certainly not recoup any of it when you sell. I understand wanting a higher ceiling, but you should look for it in another house.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
I love my 8’ ceilings so it has never been an issue for me I can think of many things to spend 25k on before adding a 1’ to the height. BTW no you can’t “dig IN” to the existing ceiling to create a tray without spending house $$$$ for honestly no benefit.The pic with the white sofas 8' ceiling the one with the dining table 9' ceiling I have say I really do not see a huge difference.
Jennifer Hogan
4 years ago
My experience with reno's on older homes is that they always take longer than the estimate and they always cost more than the estimate. I budget 1/3 additional so that I am never left standing without the funds to pay. So don't budget $30 k - budget $40 k so that when they find something unexpected you have the extra to pay to fix whatever they find.
cat_ky
4 years ago
Since you havent purchased this house yet, I would keep looking until you find a house that has the higher ceilings. I have 8 ft here, and I love them. I actually prefer them over taller ceilings, but, if you really dont like them, then, look for a house that has what you do like. Looking for a house can get stressful, and sometimes people get tired of looking, so they take one, they think they can change. A lot of the time, those changes are very expensive, and cost more than what that house is actually worth. Dont make that mistake.
PRO
Patricia Colwell Consulting
4 years ago
Good advice .
DavidR
4 years ago
last modified: 4 years ago
I agree with Patricia Colwell. I'm an old house fan and I like those high ceilings, but I've accepted lower ones where the house had other positive qualities. I find that after living there for a while, I don't even notice the ceiling height.

I think that the television programs where people cheerfully knock down walls without consequences have conditioned a lot of people to think that major changes in the house are a cakewalk. 'Tain't so. Those programs are NOT informational. They're entertainment designed to sell home improvement supplies and services for the advertisers. Like ma and pa used to say about The Three Stooges - watch them, laugh at them, but don't try to imitate them.

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