<p>but there will be the expense of demolition/disposal of existing structure </p>
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<p>yes. imho you need to be sure of this approval before you buy and also that the structure will actually survive this type of remodeling. And, of course, you will be dealing with a house that seems perfectly fine when you purchase but who knows what lurks in the walls/ceilings? If you find any surprises, you probably will be compelled to deal with them… again by the overlords of the city/county so you can get your project approved at the end.</p>
<p>I am in favor of dstark’s wife getting whatever height ceilings she pleases. :)</p>
<p>Me, too. Our first house had 8 foot ceilings. Our next house had 9 ft ceilings. Our current home is 50+ years old with 8 foot ceilings. Even though the square footage of the house is almost the same, this house just feels smaller because of the 8 foot ceilings. We had no choice because most of the houses on this side of town are old and have 8 ft ceilings and, yet, are the most expensive per sq ft in our city…it’s all about the location, which we love.</p>
<p>If I had a choice I would go with 9 ft ceilings, especially in a smaller home. Will make it seem larger.</p>
<p>I don’t know what the ceiling norm was 50 years ago…I do see a lot of 8 ft ceilings…</p>
<p>I guess my wife will get what she wants…a newer house in the neighborhood she wants. What she wants is probably better than what I want anyway. :)</p>
<p>I really don’t want to go thru design review or the permit process ever again…
And I don’t have the abilities of UCSD…UCLA…DAD or other posters…</p>
<p>This was a really bad idea…
Good idea my wife isn’t going to read this…:)</p>
<p>I’m 5’3" and I vote with your wife. I can’t stand 8’ ceilings. I feel like Henny Penny w/ the sky falling in on me. Probably b/c I have lived my entire life in old houses w/ tall ceilings. So, when I bought a new house, 9’ ceilings were non-negotiable.</p>
<p>As to your other idea, no no no–no modular housing. That’s my 9’ ceiling house. Worst, most expensive nightmare of my life. I’m convinced that a quality house is not built in a factory, by $9/hr factory workers getting paid bonuses based on speed, with construction grade <em>everything</em>, trucked down a highway, etc. Do not recommend it!!</p>
<p>Dstark - you might be able to get the “feel” of 9 foot ceilings by doing a tray ceiling in just one or two rooms. You would not need to replace the roof or heighten the walls. You would need to take down the ceiling of the room(s) in question and brace or replace portions of the original roof trusses, then reframe those sections and raise the center portion of the room, resheetrock and paint the ceiling, etc. It would be a PITA to do if you were living there, but if it was done before you moved in, it would be fine. You’d have to check with a good contractor or carpenter and see if the framing etc would support that - but it is an option.</p>
<p>I will keep that in mind, but I think my wife is going to get what she wants… :)</p>
<p>Although, it is almost April and there is still nothing for sale where she wants to live.</p>
<p>Right now…we are living in a suites hotel as the hardwood floors get done in the house we are going to sell. I am really liking the hotel. Nothing fancy. 2 bedrooms,1 bath, a living room and a kitchen. Swimming pool, jacuzzi, gym, centrally located. </p>
<p>Maid service everyday. We don’t have to fix anything. Continental breakfast…although I leave before it is served.</p>
<p>I find this living arrangement very appealing. :)</p>
<p>Yes, we built a large modular home in 1998. Modular building was really booming during that time. Maybe that was part of the problem. Their advertising and the articles they get into the media would have you believe they are great. I think otherwise and have the massive repair bills and documentation to prove otherwise. It’s a real shame to build a new house and have to replace almost everything within the first decade.</p>
<p>If there’s no second floor raising the ceiling is doable. Especially if you don’t mind having what is known as a tray ceiling with either a flat or slanted soffit around the edge of the room. If you want a cathedral ceiling you will need ties to keep the roof from spreading the walls apart, or you will need a ridge beam which will carry the roof. I have one client who is replacing his roof with a steeper one, but he’s doing a bunch of other work too, so I don’t actually know how much the roof part cost.</p>
<p>In your shoes I’d look for an older house as it’s likely to have higher ceilings. (Of course it’s also likely to have a less open floor plan.)</p>
<p>Dstark, my friend is looking to replace the composite shingle roof on her house (rambler, about 1,600 sf). The quotes she has been getting for that simple replacement (of course, with quality materials) were close to $25K. We are in WA. I expect your quotes would be similar (if not higher). I’m glad that you has not bought that house yet, and I of course, I was joking about bulldozing it. However, after the new ceilings your wife might want a new bathroom, a new porch, etc. and your remodel projects will see no end. If you can afford to stay in that hotel for a bit longer, keep on looking for something that may not need as much work as the house you were considering.</p>
<p>BunsenBurner…yeah…we are also looking at places that don’t need as much remodeling…I don’t really want to go down that remodeling road.</p>
<p>I think your friend is getting ripped off. She needs to get other quotes. I got my roofer from Antioch, Ca…even though it is an hour away…and he was less than half that. Antioch has been buried in the housing crisis. Even the quote I got from a roofer in Marin County was much less than 25,000.</p>
<p>I do have a simple roof though. It took 5 days to reroof. </p>
<p>Mathmom…thanks. I think my plan isn’t going to happen. My wife knows what she wants and the homes she likes have higher ceilings than 8 ft. The area she wants is great. I’m just not sure that area is best and I was trying to find a house in an area that might work better. </p>
<p>But…my wife is probably right. She would say she usually is. :)</p>