Short walls with a vaulted ceiling

Started by busted knuckles, October 02, 2017, 01:01:07 AM

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busted knuckles

I am poking around with an idea. I would like your input, pros and cons. I am thinking of building a house with shorter walls. Say 6feet tall. With a vaulted ceiling. If windows would be needed I would build dormers. Bigger windows on the ends of the house for natural light. It would be a smaller house. Like 14x32. What do you folks think?

On another note... I posted part of my build last year, but links are gone thanks to the photobucket fiasco. I will update the whole build using another host. I think this forum is an incredible resource. It gave me a lot of knowledge and ideas to biuld my house, I just need to finish the inside.
you know that mugshot of Nick Nolte? I wish I looked that good.

Don_P

all depending, you may need to "tune" the wall height depending on building width and roof pitch in order to achieve a rafter tie/ceiling joist height at 7' or higher, preferably 8', above finished floor (jargon; aff on plans  ;))
That is one way, flat ceiling.

For a vaulted ceiling a structural ridgebeam would be the simplest way, then the rafter ties/ceiling joists can go away. you would need at least one post in the center of the 32' span to support the ridgebeam at midpoint.

in engineer land you could support the ridgebeam with a couple of heavy timber trusses and avoid the post. 


flyingvan

      From the IRC: For rooms with sloped ceilings, at least 50 percent of the required floor area of the room must have a ceiling height of at least 7 feet (2134 mm) and no portion of the required floor area may have a ceiling height of less than 5 feet (1524 mm).

        The IRC seems pretty amenable to the idea.  Low ceilings aren't forbidden; they just don't count as required habitability area after a point.
   The Good:   I like lower ceilings.  Feels cozy, heat stays lower.  More of the exterior is low maintenance roof instead of higher maintenance walls.  Cleaning gutters it easier.  Fireplaces draft better.  (My opinion), the lower the wall to roof ratio is, the less prefab the house looks.

    The Bad: Hotter in summer.  Some people get claustrophobic.  There's some waste involved in framing, shear panel, drywall with the shorter walls.  Required window egress spots can be a design challenge.  Decorating is a bit more difficult.  Gables solve many of these issues and make the house even more interesting, but you'll end up with lots of valleys to roof-- a common source of leak spots (if you go with composite, lace our valleys and you'll be fine) ....
   
    The Ugly:  From a firefighter's perspective, lower ceilings mean less chance of surviving a house fire.  Sprinkler systems need some height.  The smoke layer reaches the floor sooner.  Flashover occurs sooner.  Common sources of ignition are closer to a horizontal barrier, accelerating fire behavior.   Window egress will be difficult if the windows are raised up in a gable.    The house is shaped more like a pizza oven, designed to reflect heat back down and less like a chiminea designed to take heat up and away.
     
Find what you love and let it kill you.

akwoodchuck

"The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne."

Dave Sparks

I get involved with a few of these offgrid homes that are mostly built but not done. One of the many mistakes with high ceilings is the kitchen area. It needs the ceiling lowered to a traditional height for decent kitchen task lighting. It is very hard to be a cook in a room with high ceilings. It is a rooky mistake that is a real pain after the fact. :(
"we go where the power lines don't"


busted knuckles

well thanks for the input, everyone. I really like the idea, but never considered the fire hazard aspect.
you know that mugshot of Nick Nolte? I wish I looked that good.

flyingvan

Very few houses actually burn down.   I'm a big proponent for designing exactly what you want and work out the logistics as you go.

   There are electricians on this site.  Their builds tend to be designed around wiring considerations.  Same for plumbers and roofers.  Geologists do great at proper foundations and site location.  For others, 'cheap as possible' is the theme.
    As a career firefighter mine have been built with fires in mind.  My biggest regret, though, on my second build was using TJI's in the floors.  They fail very quickly in a fire.  That data and experience wasn't yet available during the design and drafting stage but I should have thought of it
Find what you love and let it kill you.

North Sask

Quote from: flyingvan on October 07, 2017, 06:04:29 PM
I'm a big proponent for designing exactly what you want and work out the logistics as you go.

   There are electricians on this site.  Their builds tend to be designed around wiring considerations.  Same for plumbers and roofers.  Geologists do great at proper foundations and site location.  For others, 'cheap as possible' is the theme.

I quite like that observation. I suppose we go with what we know.
It would be greatly appreciated if you stopped by my thread and left your two cents.
Great Northern Saskatchewan Adventure...Round 2