Raising Ceiling Height Cost

If you feel your standard, eight-foot ceilings are not tall enough or just want to change the overall feel of the room, then it could be a candidate for a vaulted ceiling, otherwise, known as “vaulting a ceiling.”

Depending on how steep your roof is, you may be able to raise your ceilings as high as 12 feet, which can add more volume and a lot more light.

“Living Room on Main Level” (CC BY 2.0) by LakeMartinVoice

The cost of raising a ceiling height

The cost of raising a ceiling, as long as your home is a candidate, will depend on the type of roof framing, the complexity of the job, the size of home/rooms that need the ceiling raises, the contractor you hire and your geographical location.  As you can see, with so many factors, the prices can vary greatly, but from the quotes we researched and received on our website, the estimates tend to be in the $25 to $60+ per square foot range, and this price would include everything from start to the finished product. Be sure to refer to our table below to see all of the costs you will be responsible for if considering the job.

As there are so many factors, we highly recommended you use the free quote comparison tool, HomeAdvisor.com.  With this tool, you can simply describe your project, and with this information, locally licensed contractors will contact you, for free, with a quote for their services.  This is a great way to receive multiple quotes without having to research them yourself.

According to one member on this BiggerPockets.com thread, he paid $7,000 to raise his ceiling and do away with his trusses.

A member on Angie’s List answered this very question and stated you should be prepared to see quotes in the $8,000 to $10,000 range for just raising and reframing the roof, and in many cases, it can easily be two times this amount if the entire wall has to be lifted.

At HouseTweaking.com, they showcased some great before- and after pictures when they vaulted their living room ceiling, and in the end, she talked about the costs of the entire project, stating it cost $5,600.  However, with this quote, it did not include the demoing, which they did on their own, the insulation and the drywall around the beams and affected walls.

Can I raise my ceiling? (and the additional costs to consider)

To know if you’re a candidate for a vaulted ceiling, there are a few things you can do as long as you’re comfortable climbing into your attic.  If so, you will want to look for the following:

What kind of framing inside your attic? First, pay attention to your roof framing to see if your attic is framed either with a rafter or truss.  Rafters, according to HouseLogic.com, will be your best choice as this setup offers more open space, but even if the attic uses trusses, it can be done, but it’s going to be more difficult and costlier.

Do you have a chimney?  In a lot of cases, if the chimney interferes with the room where you want the ceiling vaulted, then there’s a good chance the job cannot be complete without interfering with the chimney structure.

Electrical lines:  Inside your attic, you will also want to look on top of the joists to see if any wires are running along it.  If so, your ceilings can be moved, but moving this wiring can increase the amount of time needed to complete the job.

Ductwork:  Like the electrical lines, all sheet ducts will need to be rerouted, usually beneath the home when you raise your ceilings.

Plumbing:  Lastly, the plumbing your home uses can affect the cost and affect the job as well.  Plastic vent pipes, commonly found in most homes today, will be much easier to move when in comparison to copper or galvanized-steel supply lines.

Tips to know

Depending on the final outcome, a raised ceiling should increase your home’s value by about 20 to 30 percent, according to real estate agents who talked about this renovation online.

The entire process, for a typical living room, from start to finish, could take about 30 to 45 days to complete, depending on the factors mentioned above.  Complications, such as rerouting wires and plumbing can often increase the timeline.

If you thought about adding skylights in the past, now is the best time to do so as the contractor will have easy access to the roof during the repair.  The same can be said about those who want to remove a wall inside of a room to create more space.

Vaulted ceilings are notoriously known to be energy wasters as you are technically creating two rooms in one, requiring the need for more heat or air.

Consider a tray ceiling alternative if the prices above seem to be out of reach.  A tray ceiling looks like the traditional 8-foot ceiling, but only the center portion is raised, creating a feeling of a higher ceiling.

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