What Is the Standard Ceiling Height?

Are you in the process of building your new home but are lacking key information regarding ceiling heights?

We have the answer! Also, we will go into more detail about whether you can deviate from this standard at all, and most importantly, if so, how. 

Standard ceiling height

First off, the established standard height of a ceiling varies from one room to the next. Thereby, in living rooms (family room, bedrooms, office), ceilings must have a minimum height of eight feet. 

As for the kitchen, laundry room, bathroom, and hallways, the ceiling height can be slightly lower. To be more specific, the ceiling height must be at least seven feet. As for the main living room, bedrooms, and dining room, the ceilings must also adhere to this standard should they be located in the basement. 

However, select rooms located in the basement can have a lower ceiling height, one of six and a half feet, see below.

• Secondary family room;

• Secondary dining room;

• Secondary kitchen;

• Secondary entryway;

• Hallways;

• Entire basement, if unfinished.

What about the maximum height? Regarding that, there is no issued standard stipulating a maximum ceiling height. Some larger homes have ceiling heights ranging between nine to ten feet. 

Uniform ceiling heights in every room?

Here is a question we rarely think about right off the bat, nonetheless, it has its justification. We do tend to believe that all ceiling heights must be the same throughout the house. However, it is possible to deviate from this hyped standard and have varied ceiling heights. 

Why choose this option? It is important to consider that ceiling height is synonymous with ambiance, similarly to the colours that grace walls or decorative elements populating the room. 

Thereby, opting for low ceilings (all the while respecting the established minimum height requirements) can be motivated by the desire of creating a cocoon-like space, hinting at comfort to guests and occupants. Without a doubt, a well-thought-out lighting arrangement will be a must to avoid giving the room an austere vibe and conveying a closed-off feeling to its occupants.

As for higher ceilings, just remember that high ceilings create a feeling of grandeur. In fact, walking through a loft will sell you on that! Together with light colours, high ceilings will visually magnify the space and accentuate its dimensions.

Lower ceiling heights

Lowering the height of your ceilings is a viable choice. To do so, opt for a stretch or suspended ceiling.

To achieve a stretch ceiling, simply install the chosen fabric underneath your ceiling. Once the fabric has reached maximum elasticity, it can then be fitted to the aluminum racks that have been staggered across the ceiling.  

Since the installation process does require a certain skill set, it is best to entrust this project to the capable hands of a professional. Note that there is a wide range of fabrics to choose from: gloss, matte, metallic or satin finish, or maybe you prefer a translucent ceiling or a mirror effect? Keep in mind that for the fabric to be installed correctly, it should not be positioned within an inch of the ceiling.

As for a suspended ceiling, the installation process is quite different. Instead of fabric, the suspended or false ceiling comes in the form of tiles (usually with neutral patterns) that are simply set up according to the manufacturer's instructions.