Get another house . I happen to love my 8' ceilings and IMO 9' is the max I would ever do and bedrooms why would they ever need higher than 8' all you do is sleep there so lying down . I think you are trying to make something work that is going to cost as much as building new . So go find a lot , hire an architect get those silly heating and cooling money wasting high ceilings you want .

Oooh, that sounds like an expensive and messy project! I’ve recently bought a home. My rental had 9’, 10’, 12’ and a two story living room. My new (old) house is mostly 9’ and 8’. Going from 20’ ceilings to 9’, I love that it cools easier and is easier to decorate. And I don’t even notice the difference between 8’ and 9’ honestly. If the neighborhood is great, house is great otherwise, consider buying it. I doubt you’ll notice the difference after a few days.

Most likely not raising the second floor ceiling without ripping the entire roof structure and rebuilding the walls taller.

Were doing the same. We have 13 ft ceiling all around , so we were thinking its going to feel cramped. But house has over an acre and has alot potential. Thanks for your advice

I figured some structural would be needed. And roof removal for sure.

agree that you would likely get used to it - but I wouldn’t buy a house if i felt it *needed* to happen. FWIW - we have an older home 9 ft ceilings in main area, 8 ft in kitchen and den. we’ve had this for 12 years and my 6’3” DH walked in the other day and asked if the ceiling heights were different? lol yes.

8 feet is plenty of clearance. To raise the roof is a huge project. Is it really worth it?

It's not just the ceiling heights that are the issue though, is it?

Just looking at the one picture you provided, I see an 80s kitchen with pickled oak cabinets that you might want to update, and that particular kitchen layout is always problematic.

I see a Brazilian Cherry floor which many people don't want anymore because of the red tone that doesn't work with the rest of the wood in the home.. The two-story living room that won't allow you to add height to the second-floor rooms.

Except for the pool area, there's not a single room in the house that doesn't need attention.

Either find a different house or sign on for a remodel that might add half the price of the house to the bottom line.

I don’t understand the fascination with ceiling heights even though I’m 6’ tall. My primary MCM home has 8’ throughout & I never noticed it until a friend walked in & said ”low ceilings”! My secondary home has 12’ throughout & I think they’re too high, especially when those pesky smoke alarms go off ! i had to call my handyman to replace the batteries since I didn’t have a ladder tall enough, plus I’m afraid of heights.

No matter how high the ceiling, the space you live in and occupy will stay the same. Chances are you can not even stand and touch an eight foot high ceiling without mechanical aid. Granted an eight foot ceiling inhibits indoor golf practice, but start thinking about space you actually use in three dimensions.

@beverly thanks for the input looks like you even looked up the house lol. We know the whole house needs a remodel . The house has so many different levels of height. Dont mind the remodel . I guess ill just have to contact a structural engineer and see what can be done and whats not worth it

We get to experience all four seasons where I live. I absolutely love extra tall ceilings, especially when I peak my head out of my blanket to gaze up longingly at my heat.

@bry911 agreed!!

Love my high ceilings in Florida. Most of the house has 12 ft ceilings with some 10 & 11 ft areas. Love the open feeling, tall doors & large windows, space for larger light fixtures and lots of wall space for art. Just spent a week in New England in a 1960 house with 8 ft (or less) ceilings. It felt claustrophobic and depressing to us. Isn't it great we can buy/build what makes us feel happy/comfortable in our own homes!

As far as the OP, all your changes are probably possible and will require time and money, most likely quite a bit of money. Before you make an offer get an engineer and a builder in to give you a quote. Then decide if It might make more sense to spend that extra money on a different house.

Thanks Chispa agreed! Im also in florida and high ceilings make such a big difference

We have two homes, one with 8 foot ceilings ( owned for 38 years) and one with high ceilings ( owned for 9 years). i cannot imagine why anyone would care about their ceiling heights ! As was mentioned, every time i have to drag out a tall ladder to change a light bulb, dust the webs from the fans, change a battery, etc. I really grumble! I think that high ceilings are a perception of ” grandeur”. Agreed about heating the ceilings!

Higher ceilings hold better resale value, bring more might make feels smaller areas feel bigger just to mention a few. Love all the relatable feedback. To those who have experience and have actually raised the ceiling and experience shared

I love high ceilings. However i dont think there is a sensible way to increase the height.

I think a rough estimate from a competent builder will settle this quickly.

Yup agreed Mark

I've worked with a lot of appraisals, and have never seen a homes value reduced or increased based on ceiling height. Neighborhood, square footage, number of rooms, age and condition are standards.

I have only ever had 8' ceilings and the only time it seems too low is when my one friend comes to visit who happens to be 7'4" tall. He's pretty adept at ducking through doorways and avoiding light fixtures, but I understand why he wanted taller ceilings in his own home.

@Jennifer Hogan…. agree, higher ceilings don’t necessarily mean better resale value,. It’s LOCATION that makes for better ( or higher ) resale value. My home with 8’ ceilings is located in a very sought after desirable location & would sell for much more $ ( almost a million $ more) than my much larger, newer home with 12’ celings …

We moved from a house with 8' ceilings to a new build with 10' and I can't believe, in hindsight, how low the former felt. If you have the money (A LOT of it) and time, I say get the experts out there to look at it and give you an estimate. Do it for YOU, not for resale or any other reason.

We have vaulted ceilings in our upper level (currently just in our primary bedroom) - the extra ceiling height definitely makes a difference IMO. We are looking to potentially vault additional areas upstairs as part of our renovation, but I'll warn you that it isn't an inexpensive item.

I'll second or third the advice to bring in a structural engineer as part of your inspections to look in the attic and let you know if this is even a possibility for this home, and if so, what the requirements would be. Then, you'll need to engage a local builder to tell you what that would likely cost. As they say, anything is possible with enough money. And time. Good luck!

If you are already doing a whole house remodel, and since the house has variable ceiling height, maybe you can move the kitchen to an area with taller ceilings? Then the kitchen could be a tv room, game room, guest suite, play room, extension of living room, etc.

Rockybird!! Thank you , one of the few who is actually helping lol with advice.

Thank you JP!!

No easy way to raise first floor ceilings, but it's relatively straightforward to vault ceilings on a second floor without touching the roof or making major structural changes. A structural engineer can determine the extent of collar ties or other modifications required.

Rapp thank you! Was thinking about that as well.