<p>Let’s say there is a 1500 sq ft house…one level…no attic</p>
<p>How much would it cost to raise the ceilings one foot…and the roof…</p>
<p>I guess where you live is one variable among many.</p>
<p>Let’s say a 1500 sq ft house is $750,000. </p>
<p>I know that is more than most areas of the country.</p>
<p>I am figuring about $10,000 to $15,000 for a new roof…sheetrock is cheap…painting isn’t much…the studs…?..whatever I am missing?</p>
<p>ooooh fun! remodeling</p>
<p>it depends… Do you have to raise the roof? Can you just remove the ceiling? Is there space between the ceiling and roof? What is in that space? Insulation? What kind? Where is the ductwork?</p>
<p>I have taken down ceilings; oops - have taken down pieces of ceilings and husband did the rest :)</p>
<p>i haev taken ceilings down too…not because I wanted to…:)</p>
<p>Yes the roof has to be raised…</p>
<p>We took our screen porch and made it into the master bath. They were able to raise it about 6" doing a trey ceiling. We plan to to the same with another room in the house that is one level and doesn’t have an attic. We will ‘vault’ the ceiling to some degree. Not sure how far they can go without raising the roof (definitely not doing that…too expensive) but you can get some extra headroom there by working within the existing space.</p>
<p>Dstark - my guess is it would be very expensive. After watching them remodel two room and take out a chimney in our house to the tune of $80,000, I’ve realized remodeling is a lot more complicated and expensive than I ever thought.</p>
<p>I guess I won’t be doing this project then…:)</p>
<p>foreseeable expenses:</p>
<p>building permit
architect plans for permit?
structural engineer letter for permit?</p>
<p>new insulation?
I am really liking the spray foam but very pricey</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Never hurts to get a quote. Is this the house you’re trying to sell?</p>
<p>Why would you want to do this anyways, dstark?</p>
<p>No…I am trying to talk my wife into moving into this area…but one of the things she does not want is 8 ft ceilings…8 ft ceilings are a deal breaker…</p>
<p>Any way to do a new build?</p>
<p>"foreseeable expenses:</p>
<p>building permit
architect plans for permit?
structural engineer letter for permit?"</p>
<p>Oh yeah…I forgot about these…</p>
<p>thanks</p>
<p>No new build…established neighborhood…homes are 50 to 60 years old…</p>
<p>The odds were low this was ever going to happen…</p>
<p>After reading the other posts…the odds are really, really low…:)</p>
<p>dstark, wouldn’t it be easier to completely bulldoze down your house and build a new one it its place? Just kidding. Good luck with your projects.</p>
<p>Well…I haven’t bought this one yet. :)</p>
<p>I actully don’t like remodeling. lol</p>
<p>after just recently downsizing, buying a very small old house and adding an even tinier small addition and, in spite of dealing with a highly recommended contractor, understanding most of what was happening and having the luxury of being on site almost every single day watching what was going on… it cost more than twice what we anticipated and contracted for…</p>
<p>we could have bought a brand new mega-mansion in the same locale - </p>
<p>I don’t think it makes economic sense in this buyer’s market to start remodeling. (of course I am neither a realtor or economist) However, it is sometimes the only way to get what you want. I really love my house even though it was a ridiculous frivolity :)</p>
<p>Do mid-century California houses typically have higher ceilings?</p>
<p>If you are talking about ripping off the old roof, taking out the ceilings of every room in the house, removing the joists and rafters, and then adding one foot to the walls and putting everything back… I’d say you’re nuts.</p>
<p>This will touch every single room in the house. There will be structural issues. There will likely be electrical issues. Probably tile issues. It might destroy the cabinets in the kitchen (i.e., new kitchen). Etc etc etc.</p>
<p>And you don’t even gain any living space out of it.</p>
<p>There is pretty much even zero chance of ever seeing a nickel of return on this investment. If your ceilings were 6’6" (seen houses like this here in NE) it might be worth it. But with 8’ ceilings?</p>
<p>How tall is your wife that an 8’ ceiling feels too short?</p>
<p>Actually, BunsenBurner might be on to something. 
</p>
<p>A nice prefab modular on an existing foundation would probably be cheaper than raising the roof by a foot, and then you would get an all new house to boot.</p>
<p>^^agree. If it is allowed in the neighborhood.</p>
<p>How much does the prefab modular cost? Under $300,000? What is available when you get to the one million dollar homes?</p>
<p>my guestimate is you can’t raise a roof for less than $100,000. many of the costs involved won’t necessarily be lessened by it being a small house. :(</p>
<p>I’ve seen prices of around $75-100/sq. ft., but that includes the foundation and site prep cost, too. If the existing foundation can be used, that would eliminate a big expense.</p>
<p>This would be very very expensive. I can’t see going to all this trouble and expense just to go from an 8 foot ceiling, which is the standard ceiling heght, to a 9 foot ceiling. It probably wouldn’t even be that noticable. It doesn’t make any sense at all. Before doing that you should consider just selling your house and buying another one that already satisfies your W - it’d be much less expensive and aggravating as remodeling can be.</p>
<p>Some compromises - </p>
<ul>
<li><p>If you have a ‘drop ceiling’ in the kitchen or bath area where it’s really lower than 8 feet, which seemed to be the custom in the 70s/80s, that could probably be removed and taken to the true 8 foot joists. I just did this myself in my kitchen. It was a fair amount of work but I saved a lot by doing all the destruction, framing, electrical myself.</p></li>
<li><p>If it’s just a living area or a master bedroom where she wants a high ceiling, maybe you can add on to the house and make it whatever you want. This would have the side benefit of increasing the square footage and value of the house - something adding a foot to the existing ceilings won’t do. Of course, you’d have to have the room to do this and be permitted to by the overlords of your city/county.</p></li>
</ul>