Low ceiling an issue?

gcoopermax

Hi, I was wondering how much is the ceiling height important to the buyers. We were viewing a terraced house where ceiling height seemed low. I could touch the ceiling by slightly stretching my arm and I am 1.76m taller. Unfortunately we didn't have a tape so couldn't measure it but presumably it would be 2.1m(ish). I have read the lowest height that gives a feeling of spaciousness and comfort is 2.4m (some studies also have correlated the ceiling height with psychological health and whatnot :shocked:) . Personally, I don't have an issue with it and we might get used to it in long run but when it comes to selling, I feel the buyers will have same misgivings. Are there any other concerns with low ceiling height?

Doozergirl

Some much older houses do have low ceilings and that forms part of the charm.

I'm not sure I'd forgive a modern house for having low ceilings as there's no character to offset it.

parkrunner

Easier to keep warm, less volume to heat up. Easier and cheaper to decorate, easier to change a light bulb. Three good selling points there, I should be an estate agent

gcoopermax

Some much older houses do have low ceilings and that forms part of the charm.

This is about 40 year old house, and relatively neutral decor so not much character to talk about.

Easier to keep warm, less volume to heat up. Easier and cheaper to decorate, easier to change a light bulb. Three good selling points there, I should be an estate agent

Indeed, however my concern is that the buyers will look at it negatively, just like we did at the fist instant.

Novice_investor101

If the ceiling is low, how far down does the light fitting go?
It wouldn't bother me as I'm short & like a cosy feel. Although I live in a Victorian terrace where the downstairs ceilings are really high & heating the rooms is more expensive, & the stairs are really steep! The high ceilings do make an otherwise small room feel roomier. Low ceilings would feel a bit like a box room & make the whole house seem even tinier.

G_M

With a low ceiling, the smells eminating from the canal will be more concentrated & noticeable than in a property with a greater area of air in each room.

See also

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5816957

PixelPound

Maybe it has a suspended ceiling? Does it have spotlights in? A previous owner may have decided to lower the ceiling to allow easy installation of lights rather then medd trying to access the in between space.

z1a

G_M wrote: »

With a low ceiling, the smells eminating from the canal will be more concentrated & noticeable than in a property with a greater area of air in each room.

See also

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5816957

No they wouldn't because the concentration of contamination is the same. It's Volume BTW, not area.

G_M

z1a wrote: »

No they wouldn't because the concentration of contamination is the same. It's Volume BTW, not area.

Hmmm.. but if the contamination is heavier than air it will be greater in the bottom (say) 3 feet of the room. So comparing rooms of 2.1m and 2.4m (just to confuse matters), the smaller room would have a lower proportion (yes, volume) of 'clean' air than the higher room.....

AdrianC

Our downstairs ceilings are just under 2.1m (the beams in the living room are a bit lower). We are, obviously, limited in what light fittings we can use - Ikea's Pult has been a good stopgap for replacing ones we didn't like, including spots.


I don't have a problem with the height - and, as been said, it's less volume to heat. It's the other things you don't think about, like furniture - even something as standard as Ikea's Billy bookcases don't fit, unless you assemble them upright, which is not easy...


The doorway to one bedroom upstairs is a bit low - 1.75m (and I'm 10cm taller than that). That's not an issue in and of itself, though. The door is in a 60cm thick wall. I duck for the frame, then stand up... EVERY SINGLE BLOODY TIME.


Mind you, one place I used to live was even lower - my brother's a bit taller than me, and he couldn't even stand straight between the beams in the living room. The nose of the bottom step was level with the wall and the start of the ceiling - and, of course, that meant you were considerably higher as you came down the stairs... SWMBO's 1.55m, and she used to bang her head... Mind you, that place was built 1580... This one's about 18th century, we think.

ScorpiondeRooftrouser

Yes, low ceilings are less desirable. Like a million other things. The house you are buying is worth less than an exactly comparable house with higher ceilings and when you sell it you won't get as much for it as one with higher ceilings. As long as you are paying the right price for it, that's all par for the course.

What the right price is is another thing entirely. All you can do is compare with what else is on the market, and if you can't find anything better for the price you are paying, it is probably ok.