Working paper #678
Witold Rybczynski
Certain domestic features are taken for granted in today’s new home market: granite countertops in kitchens, separate glass-walled showers in bathrooms, walk-in closets in bedrooms. Another feature that has become common in new production houses is the high ceiling. According to the National Building Code (NBC), the standard ceiling height is ninety-six inches, or eight feet; for suspended ceilings; the minimum height is ninety inches, or seven and a half feet. But nine- and ten-foot ceilings are now common, not only in living rooms and kitchens, but also in bedrooms. Even taller ceilings are appearing in custom homes. Yet, not so long ago, eight-foot ceilings were the norm. The reason for the change is a renewed appreciation of taller rooms, thanks to the conservation and secondary use of older buildings. An increased use of daylighting also explains taller ceilings of ten to eleven feet in office buildings.
