I'm considering having higher ceilings in our single storey duplex dwellings as they are not large, around 140sqm each, and I'm thinking the extra height will make it seem more spacious. Is it worth having extra high ceilings, say 2.7m instead of 2.5m and would the extra cost be justified by a higher sale price?
I did higher ceilings in my recent development of two 3 bedroom single storey places, similar size from memory. It cost about $4k and it probably put double that onto the value. Made them look a lot bigger than they were which makes them popular with the tenant crowd, but can't really put a dollar value on that other than they were leased sooner. One thing to watch out for, which I learnt the hard way was that when my builder did higher ceilings, they elongated the windows to match, so had a hard time finding custom sized curtains. Check for this in your plans as I missed it myself.
Whats the extra cost and will the market pay for it? If so, and you have the basics then you should go for it as its too late to change once its built. If money is tight then go for 2.7m in living room or just have a coffered (recessed) ceiling in one room. Basics= Good functional floor plan that flows , decent sized rooms with correct door and window placement, correct orientation, good sized alfresco etc.
Or you can have cathedral ceilings with exposed beams (assuming trusses are in) on 2.4 m for the extra volume to give the feeling of space and .....(I ll confirm the architecty word tomorrow). Plasterer will hate you
Thanks, yes I definitely agree a good floor plan is important. As I'm restricted in expanding out I'm hoping that expanding up instead will provide the feeling of more space and light.
For an extra 4K it's a no brainer. Go for it. The higher ceilings will add value, and give a feeling of spaciousness as soon as you walk inside. Especially if your building has a smaller footprint. I've gone 2.7m ceilings for my the last 3 builds and they've been noticed by the eventual buyers. What it adds in final $ value I can't say, but I'd assume it is well more that 4K.
cathedral ceilings will require a lot more/higher spec insulation to deal with the fact that theyre more inefficient. i would definitely pay the extra meteor, highly unlikely not to be worth it unless theyre really right at the bottom end of the market value wise. even then youll probably find it sells quicker than a competing unit.
Agree with the quantity it will vary with the cosine of the pitch of roof. Also the convection will do what it is supposed to do. But, BCA does not differentiate with regard to insulation R rating based on a flat or inclined ceiling. Sometimes higher heights are not possible. E.g. I did a townhouse at the rear of an existing property on 70 sqm. Council did not allow double storey at the rear. Put the rooms in attic with a cathedral ceiling as there was no place to expand either horizontally or vertically. I will gladly pay the extra cost of ceiling when I can increase the dwelling density on the block.
