Roof line causing ceiling height issues

Looks to me like it is just a lowered false ceiling. It’s quite unusual to have that lopsided angle. And more unusual if it continues into the main roof of the main house. We have Queenslanders and we have lifted such lowered verandah ceilings to give more ceiling height. Very easy to do.

Can you poke your head into the main roof space to make sure?

 

I just checked a photo and you are right. Our house has a larger front verandah that was closed in. Your roof pitch is quite steep.

We removed the lowered verandah ceiling (long ago ours was closed in) and raised it to follow the pitch of the roof line.

In our house the rooms behind do have a sloped roof and are the L-shaped return of the original verandah - with a tiny bedroom behind that and right at the back is the bathroom. Both rooms have sloped ceilings that follow the roof angle.

Main living rooms and two larger bedrooms and kitchen are all under the main roof and have high but flat ceilings.

I think the main difference is that our Queenslander (not a big house) is three rooms wide so the secondary rooms have the sloped ceilings that cannot be changed.

 

You could swap living rooms and bedrooms to get good height in the living rooms, flowing to kitchen - but of course your bedrooms will have sloped ceilings. And it will mean a bit of rearrangement of walls and front door.

 

/\/\/\ What he said. Don't change the roof.

Your lower roofs are habitable rooms now, so that won't change.

But if this was my house I'd prefer the sloping ceilings in bedrooms and change entry to what is currently bedrooms, knock out the walls between those rooms and the kitchen, add a deck on the back and have a huge open room.

Do you plan on building under? Always try to keep three bedrooms on one level, and try to avoid two up and two down.

 

This is a good idea as many times the front verandah becomes just a big covered entry, especially if you add a deck at the back connected to living/kitchen area.

The similar style Queenslander we bought 20 years ago already had the front verandah already closed in with windows, but it was a "nothing" room as it lead to the front door. It was ok as a sunroom, or office, but really was a wasted space in a smallish house.

We raised the roof to follow the roof pitch, cut a new front door through the vestibule (common to many Queenslanders), closed one of the three doors to that old verandah and turned it into a bedroom. Had we not added a huge deck to the rear, we would have opened it up as a verandah though.

When we lifted this house, we had to remove the back deck (that was hard to watch) and we had to wait over a year for our DA to be ticked off before adding a new deck. Our tenants are also our friends, and they are loving having a deck.

Will you add a deck? If not, perhaps it is worthwhile allowing in your layout for a deck to be added later?

 

We lifted two houses. We couldn't afford to build downstairs in either, and didn't think we would get a return on that much money spent either. Next owners can do that.

We did have plans drawn up to build under, before changing course, so have kept all living upstairs. We will hand over the plans with the sale documents so they could be used, if desired.

Both houses will soon be fairly close to new townhouses (our reason to lift and slide in the first place). So we chose not to add a deck that looked into a block wall for one house, and drew up kitchen and living areas downstairs flowing into the small courtyard sized outdoor area. Upstairs all bedrooms with a small original verandah. Currently it is unchanged, all living upstairs, nothing underneath, just battens (both houses).

The other house had a huge deck that we were made to remove (couldn't even make it smaller - just totally removed). That deck would have looked straight into a wall as well, so would have lost its suburban views anyway.

We also had plans drawn for that house to build under with bedrooms, second living area, laundry etc on ground level because that house has city glimpses. We are currently adding a new deck that has city glimpses and suburban views. I just need to do a midnight run to trim a few footpath trees to enhance the city views.

It is a bit upside down, but in both instances, the reasons for upside down living are solid (in my opinion anyway).