In an effort to stem heating/cooling costs, houses were constructed with less interior space by shortening ceilings. Home insulation and heating/cooling systems have vastly improved since then, and eight-foot ceilings are now considered outmoded.
Today, however, not uncommonly, most ceilings are 9 or even 10 feet in height. As a result, many people view 8-foot ceilings as being relatively low, but 8-foot ceilings come with plenty of advantages as high ceilings aren't for everyone and often present their own issues.
What Is Considered Low Ceiling Height? For residential rooms such as bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, hallways, or offices, anything less than eight feet is low. A seven-foot-high ceiling makes the space feel cramped and crowded.
In order for a fan to be considered to be OK to use on an 8 foot ceiling, the bottom of the blades of the fan must be 7 feet off the floor when the fan is installed. The fan bodies themselves may extend slightly below the blades but will not affect the fan's ability to be mounted on an 8 foot ceiling.
The blades of a ceiling fan should be no less than 7 feet from the floor, and if your ceiling is 8 feet high or less, then a standard mount fan won't work for you.
Choosing the Appropriate Mounting System
Ceiling fans should be installed, or mounted, in the middle of the room and at least 7 feet above the floor and 18 inches from the walls. If ceiling height allows, install the fan 8 - 9 feet above the floor for optimal airflow.
Raised Ceiling
If you have room in your attic, you can raise the ceiling height in rooms with an 8 foot ceiling, however you will most likely need to angle the sheetrock starting at the top of the exterior wall towards the center of the room to follow the roof line.
8′ Ceilings
The actual height of an 8′ ceiling is 8′ 1/2″ = 97.125″-0.625″, measured from the subfloor. Since the finished floor height is ~0.5″ thick, the final height is ~8′.
In rooms with 8 or 9-foot ceilings, beams that are about 5 inches wide and 3 inches or so deep are typical.” These beams can also be used to cover pre-existing beams in homes if they are narrow enough.
Lots of people think 8 feet is the minimum ceiling height because that's a common height in most homes, but it's actually 7 feet according to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI Z765). Technically ANSI says it's okay to have a ceiling height at 6'4″ under beams though.
It is absolutely more desirable to haveif you 9' ceilings, and will more than pay for itself in value added to the home. Consider choosing more economical finishes like counters and bathroom floors that can be upgraded down the road, ceiling height is forever.
The standard ceiling height is around 10 ft for different types of buildings and the average ceiling height for a residential building should be at least 9 ft. 6 inches for any habitable room.
A typical ceiling height in an apartment is 8 feet, but newer construction (built after 1995), can have ceilings 8.5 to 9 feet+. If you live in a historical building (i.e. pre 1940s) that was converted into apartments (such as an old warehouse or school), you can see ceiling heights of 14 feet+.
Homes built before the advent of efficient heating systems and proper insulation often used fireplaces both as a source of heat and a place to cook. Lower ceilings and smaller rooms were much easier to heat with fireplaces, therefore many period farmhouses were built with a seven-foot or so ceiling height.
High ceilings create the perception of spaciousness in ordinary rooms. They also provide more space for decorations and, generally, more natural light and ventilation. However, the extra volume of air in the space can make it more difficult to heat or cool.
Ceilings of 9 feet have replaced 8 feet as the standard in first-floor ceilings. "These moderately higher ceilings make a home feel bigger," Melman said. "Some entry-level production homes offer 9-foot ceilings as an upgrade," interior designer Helen Velas said.
In an existing home, however, raising the ceiling in the living room, or anywhere else, is a complicated process. Yes, it's doable, but if it involves changing the roof structure, a structural engineer is necessary.
You can still raise stick roofs, but it will most likely require you to tear down the existing roof and rebuild the structure. A few factors could make raising your roof impossible, or incredibly costly. These include: Your roof's framing.
Height from Ceiling
Your ceiling fan's blades need to be at about 10 to 12 inches from the ceiling to produce the best airflow. Unless it is a hugger ceiling fan that is designed to be closer to the ceiling, if your typical fan is too close or too far from the ceiling it won't move as much air.
Keep the distance between the fan blades and the ceiling at the optimum distance of 8-10 inches to ensure efficient circulation of air. Keep the distance between blades and any light fixture at a minimum of 39 inches. Keep the distance between the fan blades and any wall at a minimum of 18 inches.
The answer to this is no, absolutely not! As we mentioned earlier, when measuring the distance from floor to ceiling fan, the blades are specifically what must be at least 7 feet off the floor. That means you can still add a light kit to your flush-mounted fan without worry.
Blades that are mounted closer to the ceiling reduce air volume, so they won't provide the same level of breeziness as those that are mounted 8 or more inches below the ceiling. For this reason, hugger fans may work harder than standard mount fans and may be less efficient.
The standard ceiling height is about nine-foot, give or take. However, eight-foot ceilings are common because most boards and materials come in eight-foot pieces.