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Help! Trying to decide window and door height for 10' ceilings

7 years ago

We are building a house with a 10' ceiling height. Plans are finished and we have to order doors and windows. We currently have 7' doors in the plan and the tops of all of our windows are at 7'. We designed the home ourselves and now are wondering if we need to make the doors 8' and enlarge windows to match or if we should leave the doors and windows at 7'. We are not experts, so could use some advice so we make the right decision. Please help!

Comments (22)

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    What does the home look like?

    Al Birdseye thanked PPF.
  • 7 years ago

    HI -- I have 8 foot high doors in my house and I love that height . So easy for moving furniture . You could also add a transom above each door . They were very popular years ago and are being used again.

    Al Birdseye thanked lefty47
  • PRO
    7 years ago

    8'


    When will you start construction?

    Al Birdseye thanked PPF.
  • 7 years ago

    Hopefully, sometime late September

  • 7 years ago

    Might I suggest you rethink what you have so far? What do the plans look like?

  • PRO
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Ten feet is not necessary beyond the main open room. It's a nice feel but adds expense in cabinetry a kitchen to look good . Even a nine foot ceiling is better with eight foot doors and taller window, or an added transom above a standard seven foot height. Ten feet of height and a 84 door will make that door appear a mouse hole. Taller doors and windows.......or drop the ceiling.

    Al Birdseye thanked JAN MOYER
  • PRO
    7 years ago

    Why 10' ceilings?? How tall are you? Have you bumped your head on an 8' ceiling lately??

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    With a 10-foot high ceiling, I'd use 8-foot high doors and set the window heads at the same 8-foot height.

    FWIW, the higher the window head the more natural light will penetrate the interiors. Hope nothing major is facing west.

    Good luck on your project.

    Al Birdseye thanked Virgil Carter Fine Art
  • 7 years ago

    I like the 8' doors. With a 10' ceiling, it's a nice combination. I had a home with 13' ceilings and 10' doors. It was awesome.

    If you have 9' ceilings upstairs, which is common, you may want the smaller doors upstairs. That's an optional decision that is entirely up to you.

    Al Birdseye thanked homechef59
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    i'd base the decision on what sort of crown molding you want and what casings you want on the doors and windows. if you like 'beefy' there has to be space for both. looks silly when there is just a tiny bit of wall between the top of the casing and the crown.

    Al Birdseye thanked Judy Mishkin
  • PRO
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Al Birdseye, assuming you have an interior floor plan with all the spaces you require and an exterior design that goes with it, you've done a lot of work for a novice. Most people don't get that far.

    But don't build that design yet because you're only about 20% into the design process. A professional can put together what you did in minutes as a starting point then go through a lengthy process of refining the design until it's ready for construction.

    Hiring an architect to take over at this time is the safest bet but if you still want to do it yourself, be ready to learn and slog through the rest of the design process.

    One suggestion is to set your sight high by selecting an architect designed house as inspiration then keep comparing your design with his to gauge how close to the finish you're with your design. One story ranch houses aren't my thing but here's a good example:

    Modern Farmhouse in Dallas, Texas · More Info

    Al Birdseye thanked Hanover Custom Homes, LLC
  • PRO
    7 years ago

    Our practice with 10 ft ceilings is to use 8 ft solid core doors and to set the window head height to align with the doors. Be sure to use solid core doors because an 8 ft hollow core door feels flimsy.

    Al Birdseye thanked Charles Ross Homes
  • PRO
    7 years ago

    I used solid core 8 foot doors with my 10 foot ceilings and loved it!

    Al Birdseye thanked Missi Smith Design Co.
  • 7 years ago

    Nine-foot ceilings (and some higher) here. Passage doors are solid 3-panel (painted), 84" X 36" w/4" casings. Baseboards are 8". Ceiling mouldings 6" to 10".

    Al Birdseye thanked chisue
  • 7 years ago

    Definitely do 8' doors. Walking into a house with 7' doors and you feel like you are ducking. We used transoms on our french doors to add to the height of the exterior doors.

    Al Birdseye thanked suzyqtexas
  • PRO
    7 years ago

    Hangover - You're right, the questions are not funny, they are legitimate. How am I suppose to help without a little background information? Perhaps Mr Newbie has a family to put through college and his money is better spent there than on the expense of overly tall ceilings, doors, and windows. I suggest you untwist your panties and quit being so judgmental and giving builders a bad name. If you don't like the way I gather information don't try to make it my problem.

  • PRO
    7 years ago

    I wanted to encourage you to post your plan and elevations in a new thread, asking for comments. You will likely not like the response, but I'm certain the house can be improved.



  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    The original question was about door height ideas and nothing else. Why do these threads get so off track??!

    Back to the subject - definitely go with 8' doors. We have 8' for all of our doors in rooms that are 9, 10 and 11 feet tall and they look in balance. The 11 foot tall rooms have transoms over the sliding glass doors.

    Al Birdseye thanked User
  • PRO
    7 years ago

    Because some people do not like six foot by five foot powder rooms with ten foot high ceilings and an eight foot high door.

  • 7 years ago

    The original question was about door height ideas and nothing else. Why do these threads get so off track??!

    Because in many cases it's clear that the OP probably could use help if they're willing to listen. Lots of poorly designed houses are posted here and the OP can't see or understand why.

  • last year

    @ Virgil Carter Fine Art , why hope nothing is facing west?