We have about a 50/50 mix of 8' and 9' ceilings in our basement. I would have loved 10'! We have in floor heating so minimal soffits in our basement but if you have a lot of ductwork to hide, 10' ceilings are a no-brainer.

Thanks for the feedback! Leaning towards 10 so this helps. Right now the main level is 10 and basement was 9.

I would do 10 if possible. We did 9 and there are some areas where ceiling height is quite a bit lower because of vents, pipes, etc. Or make sure they fit items as tightly as possible. We did not and it irks me.

We paid $1500 extra to have 10’ poured walks in our basement and it was one of the best decisions we made during house building! We originally thought we’d have a drop ceiling which would bring down the effective height but now we are contemplating just painting it all like this:

Thxs for the responses. Will be going with 10ft ceilings.