Our basement is walkout on the entire rear and right side. Every room other than storage you cna walk out to the yard. So there will be plenty of light. Not sure if it worth the extra expense to deepen it or not. It's about 6k to do it. While that is not alot of money by any means...it's still money. I am trying to reserve as much as possible for extras I may want as we build. Which I know I will want. But many of those things will be cosmetic...not structural. Moldings, light fixtures and such. I am also toying with making the house all brick again. That will cost about 20k. That is money that could be spent on that. What would give me higher resale? I guess it would be in the eye of the beholder.

I much prefer 10 foot ceilings as long as everything is proportional. I agree there is more drama with the higher ceiling and kitchen cabinetry that goes all the way up looks great with lighted glass fronts. It really is a matter of personal taste. Some prefer it lower and say it’s more cozy. To me it feels more claustrophobic. Honestly though, my home feels super cozy with our 10 foot ceilings. Lighting, color scheme, and decor are what really contribute to having a warm and inviting space. It’s hard to make this kind of decision for someone else. If, when you’re in homes with the higher ceilings, you really like the look and feel, then that’s what I’d go for. Our first floor is 10 foot and we did 9 feet on the second floor. I could kick myself for that one. We should have done 10 on both floors. There is a VERY noticeable difference when going upstairs moving from 10 feet to 9 feet. Our upstairs landing feels like a hobbit space in comparison. IMO, if one has a two story home, both floors should have the same ceiling heights....just looks and flows much better that way.

cpartist give excellent suggestions for how to deal with 10 foot tall kitchens, keeping the ambiance Craftsman and attractive. I will note I find 9 foot tall ceilings plenty fine for me, but go with feels comfortable to you. Although I do have a cathedral ceiling in the public part of the house.... (No, my house is not Craftsman). As someone else noted, you'll have to change your door heights and other aspects of your home to go with the increase in ceiling height - and that's not going to be cheap. Even at six foot one, I don't feel cramped in homes that have 8 foot ceilings - I was just in one (probably built in the 60s or 70s) this past Sunday (after months of not being to get out and visit folk very often at all). It was fine. But 9 doesn't affect pricing as much as 10 feet would. Please don't do without upper cabinets. You'll hurt resale, as not everyone is going to want to stop everything and remodel as soon as they move in. Even though I mostly have drawers, the lowest one is always a pain to access anyway..

100% agree if you plan to use it as living space, go with 9'. It's surprising how much that extra foot adds to the overall feeling of a space. I deliberately chose 8 for my cellar, but that's because I never plan to use it as living space. I love having the laundry room and all mechanicals/HVAC so easily accessible in a cellar - and cellars are expected in a home in my area of NY. So yes I wanted a cellar, but the cost to bump mine up to 9 wasn't worth it, to me. YMMV. :)