What Are Standard Ceiling Heights?

It might not be the first thing you notice about a room, but ceiling heights play a huge role in a home’s overall look and feel. Super high, vaulted ceilings make homes feel spacious and regal, while cramped, low ceilings can make a room feel outdated or claustrophobic. 

“Open and spacious with tall ceilings will often mean a grander, more expensive home with higher utility bills. Lower ceilings will make for a cozy home with less money spent on electricity,” says Christine Shipp, a real estate agent with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Lifestyles Realty. 

We asked experts to explain the role ceilings play in a home’s aesthetic and whether the standard ceiling height in homes has changed. 

Standard Ceiling Height for Residential Structures

So, what is the magic number for standard ceiling heights these days? It’s still 8 feet, although it’s increasingly common to see 9-foot ceilings. 

“In some decades, it was the timber standard cut, and during the oil crisis years of the ‘70s and ‘80s, low ceilings helped with energy conservation,” Shipp says. 

Linda Terrell-Mazan, an agent with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Kansas City Homes, says changes in home tech affected the ceiling height over time and could continue to affect them down the line. 

“I think that heating used to be a big motivator for keeping ceilings at a lower height,” she says. “As modern HVAC evolved, that became less of an issue, and as ceiling heights increased, homeowners loved the spacious open feel of the homes.”  Terrell-Mazan says a return to energy consciousness might lead to lower ceilings again. 

Ceiling heights and designs are also influenced by the region and era during which a home was built. 

“In many U.S. regions, as time has evolved with different home styles, their ceiling heights and styles have evolved from Craftsman style bungalows and northeastern colonials to coastal homes with high ceilings to allow ventilation in warmer months,” Shipp says. “Mid-century modern brings various heights and often dramatic sloped ceiling lines with beautiful beams, mini-mansions of the ‘90s and 2000s had coffered ceilings or tray ceilings, and then there were the ever unpopular low popcorn ceilings of the ‘70s and ‘80s.” 

Any ceiling over 10 feet is considered a high ceiling, Shipp says. “Sometimes ceiling height can vary within one home to make some rooms seem cozier or more grand. In two-story homes. the second story is often a foot or so shorter than the bottom floor,” she adds. 

Tips for Measuring Ceiling Height

Many home listings highlight vaulted ceilings or higher-than-normal ceilings in a property description. Otherwise, you have to measure for yourself. 

Terrell-Mazan carries a tape measure in her car to showings for this very reason. 

She also suggests using the measure app on the iPhone, which uses augmented reality technology to measure spaces viewed through the camera lens.

Don’t have a tape measure or smartphone? Barry Zimmerman, a real estate agent with Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Florida 1st, says you can estimate by pressing your back against a wall. 

“Most people know their height. Put your finger on the spot on the wall at the top of your head and then estimate the remaining height to the ceiling and add the two together,” he says. 

High Ceiling Challenges

If you’re building a new home, choosing a high ceiling can add a wow factor to the space. 

“Higher ceilings will make a room look more expansive and also allow for dramatic lighting such as chandeliers and ceiling fans, as well as opening up options for finish details such as dramatic windows or eye-catching fireplace surrounds with tile, stone, or wood accents,” says Linda Terrell-Mazan.

“In a large room with exceptionally tall ceilings, it can be hard to create cozy intimate spaces for conversation or relaxing,” Terrell-Mazan adds. “A good decorator will have ideas for overcoming this problem.” 

Also, keep in mind that it can be hard to change a large space with high ceilings. 

“Painting, lighting, and general decor are more challenging with very high and or vaulted ceilings,” says Barry Zimmerman.

Terrell-Mazan points out that some buyers might worry about how higher ceilings affect cooling and heating bills. If that’s a concern, ask the seller for copies of their utility bills to get a good read. 

Low Ceiling Enhancements

Of course, lower ceilings can affect the look and feel of a space in a negative way as well. 

“Sometimes we will encounter a lower-than-normal ceiling in a basement or an older atypical home construction,” Terrell-Mazan says. “It is possible to open up the visual space by removing all or part of the drywall ceiling and have the ceiling joists exposed.” 

In Shipp’s experience, most buyers prefer a higher ceiling. Consider a trick of the eye to make your space appear larger for buyers. “Striped wallpaper gives the appearance of height, tall mirrors reflect light and bring visual height, lower lighting, less furniture and furniture that is lower profiled leaves more visual space in the home so it appears more spacious vertically,” she says. “Painting the walls and ceiling the same color, preferably a light one, will once again visually make the space homogenous and in the words of many English estate agents, ‘deceptively spacious.’”