Looknig at a very old house and it appears it has 7 foot ceilings. Anybody familiar with this issue? Any problems?

I hope you have short friends

only in the basement.

it sucks

There is a house with 7 foot ceilings in our neighborhood. It has been on the market since 1999, no kidding. The owners did manage to rent it out from 2002 until last summer (2007), but now it is empty again and the realtor's sign is back up.

However, this isn't an "old" house, it was just a design screw up. From what I understand, the original owners wanted the floors to be 2 feet underground in their original plans, but when they got to the point where they were going to have to pay someone to do the digging/dirt removal prior to pouring the slab, they decided against it because it was going to be expensive. However, the builder still only built the house with 7 foot ceilings from ground level to ceiling per the original plans. The owners and builder got into a dispute that was settled in court (not sure of the outcome) but the bank ended up with the house and sold it to the current owners.

sounds like an urban legend to me

In the builder's defense.......awww...who am I kidding?

Homeowners, builder, they all seem like idiots.

I would say the main problem with a 7ft ceiling is that it may make the room feel confined and small. Are there any ceiling fans? If so, are they located where you can put a table underneath them? You may want to be wary of that. Also, if you or any of your family is tall, you will be hitting your hands on the ceilings/ ceiling fans.

they probably got charged extra for the 7 foot ceilings because the builder had to chop off the top of all the studs. What a cluster____.

In 1978, I stayed in a 900 year old hotel in West Germany that had doorways less than 6 feet high and the ceilings not much higher than that.

More recently (2006), I dealt with some doorways less than 6 feet tall, but that was in Japan.

Damn, I would hurt myself watching an Aggie game...

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Damn, I would hurt myself watching an Aggie game...

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How?

Depends on the design of the house.

You could elevate the ceilings if the design of the house allows for them to be vaulted.

I would recommend simply buying a house with taller ceilings, but if you got too good of a price, it could likely be done.

i could not even imagine living in something like that....

Jumping on the couch... oh wait, I think I see what you did there.

Ceiling fan decapitation accident has prevented the house from being sold for so long.. I hear...

I would pass on this only because at some point you might decide to sell the house to someone else and 7' ceilings will turn off quite a few potential buyers.

7' ceilings are considered a "defect" in older homes where I live (Charlotte, NC). Investors / General Contractors look at ceiling height (hoping for at least 8, 9 ft is considered ideal) and foundation condition as 2 of their major decision points in the renovate vs. tear down decision (can be as critical as the general floor plan, curb appeal etc...)

Here older homes with 7 ft ceilings are likely to be torn down unless they offer really unique value. Raising your ceiling is a pretty major expense. If you're looking to add a second level its not as big of a deal because youre already doing that tear out.

we bought a home built in the late 30s last year. We've had some really good surprises (vintage heart pine underneath all the crappy 1970 carpet and laminate flooring) as well as a bunch of nasty ones (galvanized plumbing that was rusted through and a rotted subfloor underneath the master bath). You gotta love houses to put up with the "crap."

nm

[This message has been edited by CJS4715 (edited 2/2/2009 4:25p).]

if the design allows ( no second level and attic space above) you can go in and coffer the ceiling up. You will still have 7' and the plate line and out a little distance into the room but this could work.

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...at some point you might decide to sell the house to someone else and 7' ceilings will turn off quite a few potential buyers.

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This bears repeating.

I think we have all heard of the tiny house.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Lomy7xAVDKE

This is NOT awesome!!!

[This message has been edited by dcAg (edited 2/4/2009 5:44p).]

My brother rented one for a 6 months several years back.

I'm short and still felt like the ceiling was way too close. My brother and his wife couldn't stand it and moved out as soon as their lease was up.

Not a doubt in my mind. Nice try though. No way is a house built before a slab is poured.