Contract Mess up: 9 vs 10 ft ceiling

3 years ago

Long story short - we signed a contract with a builder for a new construction that had already started. It is a 2 story home plus a finished basement. On the spec sheet included in the contract, it lists 10 ft ceilings on the main floor, which we were very excited about. Well today our project manager told us that was a mistake and the plans actually were for 9 ft ceilings. What should we do? I’m assuming this isn’t a cost they will just eat but the framing hasn’t started yet, just the foundation poured. Any ideas on where to push them and at this point is it even possible to have 10ft ceilings?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

PRO
Mark Bischak, Architect
3 years ago
Legal questions are best answered by the attorney you retain.
PRO
Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor
3 years ago
Don't hesitate to ask them if they're going to build it at 9' or 10'. Start with the person you signed the contract with.
Related Discussions
625 vs 800l Cree CR6 (9-10ft ceilings)
Q
Comments (3)
We replaced the incandescent bulbs in our cans with teh EcoSmart bulb and trim unit (they have Cree "bulbs"). This one is 575 lumens at 2700K, Our ceilings are 9 ft, 10 ft and vaulted from 10-14 ft with the lights near the top in that room. The light is brighter and cleaner than the 90w bulbs we had -- trying to get some decent light in that vaulted family room. We changed our ceiling fan to one that didn't have a light, and we haven't missed it. As for price, we found that the Home Depot to the west of our home sold them for about $25 less per unit that the Home Depot to the east. We now have all the cans replaced. Guess where we bought them all? LOL Working on the fixture bulbs. This post was edited by lascatx on Tue, Sep 30, 14 at 11:34
...See More
9 vs 10 ft ceiling
Q
Comments (11)
I think this is one of those things only you can answer, because how each of us perceives this is going to be different. For me, I feel a large difference between 8 feet to 9 feet. However I don't feel as much of a bump up from 9 to 10 - except for in smaller rooms where I actually don't like 10 foot ceilings. A hall bathroom with a 10 foot ceiling but a relatively tiny foot print feels like an elevator shaft to me and I don't like the feeling at all. But that's me. Someone else may not even notice, or may prefer using the facilities waiting for an elevator to drop out of the sky on them. :) Different strokes and all that. For me, I would not give up a house that I liked because it "only" had 9 foot ceilings. YMMV.
...See More
7.5 vs. 9 ft Christmas tree? How hard is it to decorate a 9 ft tree?
Q
Comments (80)
If I ever build a new house, a dedicated Christmas tree closet would be on my must-have lists. It would be on the same floor that the tree is on and big enough so that the tree could easily fit in there fully assembled. I would leave the tree fully decorated, ornaments still attached (I attach my ornaments with the wire hangers wound around the branches a couple loops rather than just hung there so they are secured and can’t easily fall off when bumped/knocked), and the whole thing would be on wheels so I would just have to wheel the tree out of the closet, plug it in and voila! My current tree is 9 feet and while I do enjoy decorating trees, it’s not AS enjoyable when no one wants to help or cares that much about it. I grew up decorating the tree as a family so it felt like a tradition with family bonding time rather than a chore/task like it does now. A large tree can be an undertaking when you’re stuck doing it by yourself, especially if you’re like me and like a full tree! I do get help when I ask but it’s much more enjoyable knowing others enjoy it and look forward to doing it without me having to ask.
...See More
9'-9" window height for 10' ceilings?
Q
Comments (19)
Thanks for the thoughts, I really appreciate them. I'm leaning to the general approach of 8' doors and windows, with additional transoms in some areas like the living room and kitchen. @artemis78 I agree, all that extra glass seems wasteful (and expensive and difficult to clean), especially in areas where there is no real benefit to the extra height (bedrooms, bathrooms). Our architects keep bringing up the cost of "framing down" to make the opening smaller, but I am pretty sure that the cost of glass is higher than the cost of drywall and siding. @Mark Bischak I had the same exact thought about high windows showing the imperfections in the ceiling. In my days of slinging drywall, I used a drop light against the finished surface to look for spots that needed corrections - so this is the last thing I want to do to our ceilings. I'm totally fine with 6'-8" doors (that's what we have now), but I think proportionally 8' looks better with 10' ceilings. @just_janni How tall are your ceilings with the 9'-9" windows? I'm a little concerned to have too much "wall" above the windows if we have 10' ceilings and 8' window heights. Do you have any interior elevations? I also agree that the elevation is a mess ("busy" is a kind way of putting it). I'm attaching some closeups of the rear elevation of the house. We have 8' exterior doors on the same wall as 7' exterior doors (no idea why), and a messy combo of transoms on top and awnings on bottom. I really would like to clean this up.
...See More
Patrick A
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
If it's in the contract, that's what rules. If there's a conflict within the contract, there should be an order of precedence clause.

10 ft vs 9 ft is a big issue. I would not want a home with 9' ft ceilings if my intent was to have 10' ceilings.
Seabornman
3 years ago
It's not just studs, drywall, osb and siding. The windows and doors have to be proportional, the stairs will be 2 treads longer and might not fit. Are there exterior elevations of the house on the construction drawings that reflect the designed height of the house?
David Cary
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
The other variable is code height. The height of houses is usually limited by the town/city/whatever. Even in rural areas that don't have a lot of rules. Reason? - fire trucks.

Windows is the other really big issue. Do the plans have window sizes on them? Also door height - 9 foot ceiling can live with "normal" size doors but 10 ft cannot.

I am the last person to lawyer up ... but I would strongly consider doing it if you have any serious money committed.

The difference between 9 and 10 ft ceilings is major - like tens of thousands of dollars. This is not a simple oversight by a competent builder. This is a major red flag.
res2architect
3 years ago
Some people like 10 ft ceilings but I think 9 ft is a better choice. See if you can get a credit for the change.
ranchtastic
3 years ago
Agree 100% with what David Cary said. Our current project is a heavy reno of a house with 9' ceilings but with 6'8 head heights for doors and windows, and even with the lower ceiling height 6'8 feels bizarrely low - way too much sheetrock between the top of the windows and the ceilings. In addition to looking weird the rooms are darker as a result. We're pushing all the headers up to 8' in the 9' rooms and 10' in our 11' room.

I find it quite bizarre that details like this are offered as adjustable items in the contract. It makes me wonder if they will in fact scale everything else up, or leave you with something oddball like I just described that you'll be unhappy with. Typically the height of the ceiling is something that is integral to the design of the house as it impacts not only the appearance of the rooms from the inside but also the exterior elevations. If you have an upstairs it's also something you have to think about (10' means going up two more risers to reach the 2nd floor - so many 2 storey houses around here are designed to have their second storeys built over 9' sections, and have living rooms with higher ceilings built outside the footprint of the second storey).

Contract Mess up: 9 vs 10 ft ceiling

Comments (7)

Mark Bischak, Architect

Jeffrey R. Grenz, General Contractor

Related Discussions

Patrick A

Seabornman

David Cary

res2architect

ranchtastic

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US