A Vaulted Ceiling: The Pros and Cons

A vaulted ceiling will immediately boost your Marietta home’s aesthetic. A bright, airy, and open feeling, a room that looks bigger: these are just a few of the benefits vaulted ceilings provide. However, before you dive into designing your new home or revamping your existing one with this feature—know the pros and cons.

Vaulted Ceiling Pros

A cathedral ceiling can work wonders in a small space. If yours is a tight kitchen with no possibility of expansion, a higher ceiling will immediately open up the room and make it seem larger. A raised ceiling can often mean bigger windows, and more natural light as a result. An influx of more light is one of the perks of having vaulted ceilings. The look also gives you a chance to add character through the ceiling, with exposed beams made from dark, rich, natural wood.

Vaulted Ceiling Cons

While you may be still salivating over the design possibilities of a raised ceiling, make sure you fully understand their downsides:

• Energy inefficiency. Unfortunately, all of that extra space in the ceiling means more square footage to heat. In many cases, the heat your furnace generates will rise to the top of the ceiling, leaving the living spaces quite a bit cooler than necessary. In the summer, these rooms often feel hotter than other spaces in the home with regular-sized ceilings, requiring more cooling to reach a comfortable temperature.
• Construction costs. Building a room with a vaulted ceiling can add a considerable expense to the construction project, as it requires more framing. In a retrofit, you’ll need to work closely with an architect to ensure that the room has the necessary structural support and space to accommodate higher ceilings.
• Practicality. The higher the ceiling, the more difficult it is to clean cobwebs out of its corners and change light bulbs in fixtures.
• Warmth. The room will probably lose some of its coziness and warmth, a feeling that’s difficult to capture in a larger room.

Rooms with vaulted ceiling aren’t for everyone. In particular, energy costs and comfort become a significant concern. If you need help creating an effective strategy for heating and cooling a room with cathedral ceilings, talk to the experts at Findlay Roofing today.

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