i think its code that windows be a certain distance from the floor to keep kids from falling out. this may apply to second story windows only. i bought the windows for my house from a window factory outlet store and then framed to fit the windows. saved a lot of money on windows that way. with 9' ceilings you have a lot of room to work with and might be able to save some money.
New home construction window height with 9ft ceilings
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dmccarty
Super Star Member
We have 10 foot ceilings in our house. 9 feet is just too low.
Line up the top of the windows with the top of the doors. We have 8' tall doors.
I really dislike windows that go to the floor since furniture covers up the window. As a local radio station advert says, "It just don't make sense." Our windows are 5' and 6' tall with most being 6 so we have at least two feet of space from the floor to the bottom of the window. Two feet is a good compromise distance. Three feet would provide too little of a window for us.
HOWEVER, you are in The Great White North and I hear it gets cold up that way and stays cold. :laughing::laughing::laughing:
I designed our house to handle hot weather not cold. It is supposed to cost more to cool a house than warm a house and we usually have more hot weather days than cold. The 10 foot ceilings move the heat away from us which is great in the summer but not so much in the winter. If the humidity is below 60% we do not run the AC until the house temp goes over 84. Buildings in town built around 1900 have what looked to be 16 foot tall ceilings. We thought about putting in 12 foot but that was too much for a variety of reasons.
Windows are holes in the wall. I am sure we would be warmer in the winter if we had smaller windows but this is subjective as well. We heat with wood and most of the time the living room will be 80-82 with the bedrooms furthest from the stove being at 70-72. Even on single temperature days which seldom happens the bedrooms will still be in the mid 60's. If we were up Nawth where cold weather is an issue our house would be designed differently and we would not have the number of windows nor the size of the current windows. Each major room has one window that is 8'x6' and usually a secondary window as well. The living room has a 12'x6' window. I don't think we would do that in a cold climate.
If you have wide windows you need to be mindful of header size to support the structure over the window.
An advantage to higher ceiling heights is that you are not hitting the ceiling fan with ladders and such when you move through the house. In fact, we don't even notice the fans at all since they are above our line of sight.
Later,
Dan
Line up the top of the windows with the top of the doors. We have 8' tall doors.
I really dislike windows that go to the floor since furniture covers up the window. As a local radio station advert says, "It just don't make sense." Our windows are 5' and 6' tall with most being 6 so we have at least two feet of space from the floor to the bottom of the window. Two feet is a good compromise distance. Three feet would provide too little of a window for us.
HOWEVER, you are in The Great White North and I hear it gets cold up that way and stays cold. :laughing::laughing::laughing:
I designed our house to handle hot weather not cold. It is supposed to cost more to cool a house than warm a house and we usually have more hot weather days than cold. The 10 foot ceilings move the heat away from us which is great in the summer but not so much in the winter. If the humidity is below 60% we do not run the AC until the house temp goes over 84. Buildings in town built around 1900 have what looked to be 16 foot tall ceilings. We thought about putting in 12 foot but that was too much for a variety of reasons.
Windows are holes in the wall. I am sure we would be warmer in the winter if we had smaller windows but this is subjective as well. We heat with wood and most of the time the living room will be 80-82 with the bedrooms furthest from the stove being at 70-72. Even on single temperature days which seldom happens the bedrooms will still be in the mid 60's. If we were up Nawth where cold weather is an issue our house would be designed differently and we would not have the number of windows nor the size of the current windows. Each major room has one window that is 8'x6' and usually a secondary window as well. The living room has a 12'x6' window. I don't think we would do that in a cold climate.
If you have wide windows you need to be mindful of header size to support the structure over the window.
An advantage to higher ceiling heights is that you are not hitting the ceiling fan with ladders and such when you move through the house. In fact, we don't even notice the fans at all since they are above our line of sight.
Later,
Dan
tallyho8
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My house has 9' ceilings with 5' windows 18" down from ceiling and 2 1/2" from floor. This fits perfect in our home since most of our furniture that goes in front of windows (tables, dressers, etc.) is 30" tall and does not block the windows.
/pine
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FWIW...I know this not germane to the OP's query...but most building codes state that any window/fixed glass etc.. that is less than 18" from the floor has to be tempered glass...
fordmantpw
Veteran Member
To the OP, I will try to remember to measure tonight what ours are. We have 9' ceilings with 3x5 windows. They are technically 5'-6" tall.
We are putting 9' ceilings in our house for two reasons:
1) It makes the room look more open and larger (as riptides mentioned).
2) It allows us to have brick above the windows on the outside. A standard 8' ceiling and you only have room for the soffit to go above the window and it almost looks unfinished. With 9', we get the more finished look.
We are putting 9' ceilings in our house for two reasons:
1) It makes the room look more open and larger (as riptides mentioned).
2) It allows us to have brick above the windows on the outside. A standard 8' ceiling and you only have room for the soffit to go above the window and it almost looks unfinished. With 9', we get the more finished look.
JCByrd24
Gold Member
I had to look this one up. It has to be a pane greater than 9 sq ft. for this to apply. IRC also requires tempered/safety glass at certain locations near swinging and sliding doors, and tubs/spas.
IRC also now requires 24" minimum between floor and window bottom on second floor unless it is guarded or has fixed glass so children cannot fall out.
/pine
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Without looking it up...one thing I remember about "size" of windows is...unless a bathroom has at least "so many" square feet of opening a "fart fan" was required...
Wnc3
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Interesting, I'd never want to live in a house will less than 9' ceilings, preferably 10'. 11 is too high.
I would match window and door headers as Long as it looks proportional.
In other words, set the window headers where it looks best. Don't let the top of window hit the freeze board. If it is a brick house you will want a course of brick, rollock i think, above windows.
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efam3300
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You have to set the bottom of your windows to meet egress requirements of your building code. When I retired from carpentry 5 years ago it was 18" off the floor. I think a taller window with 9ft ceilings would be more aesthetically pleasing.
roadhunter
Elite Member
Might want to consider your siding and trim as well. Matching the door height makes the siding and trim look better IMO.