askjake

Home on the range

I have a ranch style home built in the 1960's.  The ceilings are low and I'm not sure what to do with them.  If I have room, should I make the ceilings higher by trey (?sp) ceilings.  Will adding this modern design make the house look funny?  Are there any other suggestions to update the ceiling and/or make them look taller?

melanie

Since your house is a ranch style, you could alter the ceiling heights by removing the existing ceiling joists and vaulting the ceiling.  This will require  you to pay close attention to the structural framing of the ceiling and roof.  Consult a structural engineer before you remove any ceiling joists.  You can achieve some dramatic affects by vaulting the ceilings.  You can also add some really cool lighting details, either indirect or pendant lighting.  Good luck and good remodeling.

P.S. I don't know what you mean by "trey" ceilings.

Cost to vault a ceiling

Q:  We are wanting to vault our living room and dining room ceilings in our house to create a more spacious feeling.  What should something like this cost.   Allison

A:  Allison 
Regarding your question about the cost of vaulting two rooms in your home; it is difficult to give you a very accurate estimate.  A couple of years ago we gave a client an estimate to vault her family room, a room about 15 x 20’ and the price was somewhere in the neighborhood of $20,000. With your two rooms it would probably be higher than that.  Depending upon the construction of your house, there may be quite a few structural considerations to take into account.  A structural engineer should be consulted before any work is done.  Your ceiling joists that would be removed make up an integral part of the whole structure.
Hope this helps.