Historically, and especially here in New England, there's a true evolution of ceiling height. In antique homes of the 1700s, ceilings were typically just 7′ tall. Low ceilings and small rooms in these homes were designed so they could be easily heated by a central fireplace.
Drop ceilings were a fad in the 70s to reduce the amount of space that was required to be heated, back when there was a fuel crisis.
If your home is built with rafters, it is relatively easy to raise the ceiling. All you need to do is add some structural members, such as pieces of wood, higher up in the roof. These members will need to be very strong, so you will need an engineer to tell you where to place them and how big they need to be.
In contrast to a tall ceiling, a low ceiling can make you feel caged in, especially if the room has limited access to natural lighting and ventilation.
The main purpose of a drop or suspended ceiling is to create a plenum, the space that houses the building's plumbing, HVAC and electrical infrastructure. With a drop ceiling, these building services can be hidden from view while they remain easily accessible.
Drop ceilings work well in hiding otherwise unsightly necessities such as pipes and mechanicals, but automatically give off a “cheap” feeling. If your ultimate goal is to increase the value of your home, drop ceilings are the last thing on the list.
Historically, and especially here in New England, there's a true evolution of ceiling height. In antique homes of the 1700s, ceilings were typically just 7′ tall. Low ceilings and small rooms in these homes were designed so they could be easily heated by a central fireplace.
However, the NBC of India provides guidelines for minimum ceiling height requirements for habitable rooms in a home. As per the NBC, the minimum ceiling height for habitable rooms in a residential home should be 9 feet from the finished floor level.
In the 1970's, the average ceiling height was 7 feet 9 inches. Today a standard ceiling height is nine feet on the first floor and eight on the second. Here are some other comparisons from House & Garden: In 1974, one in four homes had at least four bedrooms.
Real estate agents almost universally agree that high ceilings are attractive to buyers. One agent in the Atlanta area did an informal study that found that homes with 9-foot or higher ceilings sold for about 11% more than homes with 8-foot ceilings.
A vaulted ceiling consists of a self-supporting arch between the walls and roof. It does not necessarily follow the pitch of the roof. Therefore it can have uneven sides, depending on the style of the vaulted ceiling. While a cathedral ceiling matches the roof pitch, a vaulted ceiling sits below it.
One of the main reasons popcorn ceilings were popular is because they disguise imperfections. Contractors and DIYers didn't have to spend hours fixing every crack, hole, or bump. Instead, they could just add the popcorn texture, paint, and call it a day.
Suspended Ceiling
A suspended ceiling (sometimes referred to as a dropped ceiling) hangs from a metal grid below the existing ceiling that is already in place.
As a pure guess, perhaps it has something to do with the methods of lighting. Prior to electric lighting, they'd be using gas and oil lanterns and candles, all of which give off smoke, hot air and other vapors. High ceilings would help keep this away from the people in the rooms.
In most houses, I recommend a ceiling height of ten feet on the main level and nine feet on upper floors. When a bit more drama or grandeur is desired, setting the ceiling height at twelve feet creates an elegant scale that is still comfortable visually.
What is the lowest acceptable ceiling height for homes? In residential homes, the minimum ceiling height is seven foot tall. However, bathrooms and laundry rooms can have slightly lower ceilings since the pipes and ducts can impact the height.
Generally, smaller rooms should have an 8- to 9-foot ceiling, while larger rooms may have a 10- to 12-foot ceiling.
In older homes, dropped ceilings are frequently used to hide a deteriorating or unsightly original ceiling. In the house I grew up in, for example, the old plaster ceilings were crumbling and cracked, so a dropped ceiling was installed to hide them away.
If you are of average height, a low ceiling can be rather uncomfortable. You will easily be able to reach up and touch your ceiling. This also means that you have a higher chance of bumping into low-hanging light fixtures or hitting them when you move to take off your sweater.
The average or standard ceiling height as of present is 9 feet. This wasn't the case before since, at some point, the standard ceiling height was 10 feet. Nevertheless, now, most contractors have agreed on 9 feet. Unfortunately, you may come across 8-feet ceilings since many boards come in eight-foot pieces.
Research states that ceiling height and the right ceiling design can impact how we think and act. Interestingly, getting an outside perspective on what you do when confined in a small room can be challenging. On the other hand, high ceilings can make you feel more open, energetic, and creative.