Dealing with Low Ceilings
We occupy two floors in a brick rowhouse. The parlor floor and english basement floor. The english basement level has really low ceilings (just barely 7′). Since every inch matters at this point, we were considering having exposed beams (similar to this photo). I know most people are against that type of thing but we…
We occupy two floors in a brick rowhouse. The parlor floor and english basement floor.
The english basement level has really low ceilings (just barely 7′). Since every inch matters at this point, we were considering having exposed beams (similar to this photo).
I know most people are against that type of thing but we were wondering what our other options were. I guess we could just deal with it and limit our guests to people under 6′.
our beams are fully exposed, and whitewashed so they still look like the wood, only whiter so it’s not as dark. looks awesome, and definitely “raises” the ceiling a lot. the electrical is run neatly between the beams. perfect organic/rustic meets modern/industrial. the ceiling in the pic feels low to me… because the color contrast between the beams and filler is so striking it draws the eye to it and makes you feel and see its shortness. with no filler, and with a uniform color, the ceiling would feel significantly higher. and, btw, we have no problems with junk falling, as some have suggested.
1st: Digging out a floor, basement, or sub-basement is EXPENSIVE and may have many [unexpected and unforeseeable] problems associated.
2nd: Raising a floor is just ridiculous and in all likeliness, impossible by building standards/codes.
Your best bet is to do what’s possible with the existing space. A few tips, like stated above.
-Exposed beams (make them light in color)can raise a ceiling “height”, along with some recessed lighting cans (5″ cans will make the ceiling seem larger, and higher)
-Horizontal stripes on the walls adds height.
i exposed the beams on my garden floor, which complied to code, since it is in the same unit, not between separate apartments… i used soundboard to lower the sound between floors as well as let me run wiring, and a layer of 5/8 sheetrock under neath…and about 200 tubes of caulk to make up the irregularities in the beams and sheet rock
and PS> we also tried to lower our basement floor…. That was a no go as the footings didn’t go low enough for us to do it. At least not for the budget we wanted.
But I assume you can spend money to have that fixed.
There are also restrictions regarding the amount of light/size of the windows and rooms.
(but I don’t think applies to a duplex apartment….)
We wanted exposed beams in our house.
We had planned to do spray insulate the roof from the outside and leave the interior exposed.
Our architect tried three different ways to get it approved, checking with three DOB sources, and the answer was no way. Not even if we used sprinklers.
No exposed beams….
This was due to a RECENT change in code. (Recent as in March 2009)
This was a two family and we only wanted to do the top floor.
Not sure/Don’t remember if filling in the space between the beams changes that.
Of course if you aren’t getting permits… then go for it.
your predicament is common. many 7 or 7.5 foot ceilings in english basements. its not the end of the world, you could still do recessed lighting. i always felt that exposing the beams locks you into the country kitchen feel, if you like that then go for it, it will give you a much (much) better spacious feel than a straight 7 foot ceiling.
many of us dream about digging out the basement another foot or three, but that’s basically a gut and you probably need all new sewer lines and there would likely be other plumbing implications as well. also, there is always the chance of pulling an Annie Leibovitz.
Not sure how they did it– but it does look more gloss than normal high gloss paint.
christopher has the best ideas. why don’t you just wait until you have the money. otherwise, you really won’t be satisfied. just a suggestion.
If you have a pine subfloor DO NOT try to stain them dark. Results will be disastrous. Just go with what you have.