# Standard Ceiling height in Ireland-2.6Mts



## Chopper1971 (25 Apr 2009)

HI,

Is there a new ceiling limit for newly built houses of 2.6mts ? From 2.5Mtrs ?

That is floor to ceiling height.

If any would could shed light or have a link to further information, it would be greatly appreciated.

thanks


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## Neehallow (27 Apr 2009)

Currently getting a house built and the ceiling height is 2456mm (on plans prepared by an architect - and I'd assume he's pretty up to date on building regs)


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## picorette (28 Apr 2009)

New Building Regulations still show 2.4 metres as minimum, although higher is preferable.


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## sydthebeat (28 Apr 2009)

2.4 is still the minimum.....


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## Chopper1971 (29 Apr 2009)

Great, Thanks for that.

Arch. is saying its increased to 2.6 !


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## sydthebeat (30 Apr 2009)

Chopper1971 said:


> Great, Thanks for that.
> 
> Arch. is saying its increased to 2.6 !



he is wrong...
the proof is on page 8 of this document..

http://www.environ.ie/en/Publicatio...ng/BuildingStandards/FileDownLoad,1647,en.pdf


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## Hoagy (30 Apr 2009)

Except for apartments in Dublin City...


[broken link removed]

_"A minimum floor to ceiling height of 2.7m (3m floor to floor) shall be required and the additional overall height of the building shall be allowed for, save in exceptional circumstances. Providing higher floor to ceiling heights for penthouse apartments will be encouraged. This additional internal height has a number of benefits besides the significantly increased sense of spaciousness."_


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## onq (6 May 2009)

Apart from any additional height requirements in Development Plans, the Building Regulations "suggest" a minimum habitable room height of 2.4 metres. You will find several constraints on sizes of units and acceptability of elements of plans [such as disabled WC access and front door widths] scattered throughout different pieces of legislation.

The 2400mm head height is a carry-over from the old Building Bye-Laws, which were in force in Dublin City, County Dublin and some other areas of the country prior to the 1990 Building Control Act and the Building Regulations made thereunder. The Building Bye Laws required a minimum finished floor to ceiling height of 8 feet, which the mathematicians hereabouts will tell you equates to 2438.4mm [25.4 x 12 x 8].

I seem to recall that this height requirement used to be enforced pretty rigorously by the Building Bye Law Officers, and I think there may even have been a requirement in planning law such that an exempted development [ e.g. a garage conversion] was only exempted if it complied with the relevant Building Bye-Laws.

Building to brick sizes [increments of 75mm] and allowing for long span 1st floor joists of say 225mm [9 inches] a typical floor slab-to-floor joist height might be 2700mm. This leaves 2475mm, out of which 12-15mm could be be ceiling plaster and 25-50mm might be a timber/tile/stone floor finish.

These days the Building Regulations merely "suggest" heights, but this is no reason to accept lower standards in terms of either the design or the built work. In houses of all sizes, higher ceilings allow for higher window heads, and both together conspire to increase the light and visual amenity within a dwelling. Nothing "lifts" a 6M x 4M front room quite like 2700-3000mm [9-10 foot] ceilings. Except for a 12 foot ceiling...


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## BarneyMc (3 Oct 2011)

Can I ask what the normal height is in a new build and does the first floor usually be the same or slightly less than the ground floor height?


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## onq (3 Oct 2011)

A new build what?

- Private dwelling in an Estate.

- Apartment development.

- Greenfield Mansion.

"Normal" will tend to vary for each of these.


ONQ.

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon        as a defence or support - in and of itself - should legal action   be      taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in        Real Life with rights to inspect and issue reports on the matters   at      hand.


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## BarneyMc (4 Oct 2011)

Private, stand alone, 2 storey dwelling in the country. The kitchen/dining area is 6.8x4.5M and the living room is 5x4.2M so some large rooms. The overall house size is 2,425 sq feet. All suggestions welcome.


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## kkelliher (4 Oct 2011)

As other stated 2400 is the min and this is the rational behind plasterboard coming in 2400 x 1200 sheet sizes as standard


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## onq (4 Oct 2011)

The 2400mm height may also have developed from the 2430mm or 8 foot head height required under the Building Bye Laws if I recall correctly.
I wasn't around when these came in in 1948 or so but one concern in the building industry at the time was to private light and air in habitable dwellings.
The subsequent Draft Building Regulations used to have a whole chapter on daylighting, since omitted from the new Building Regulations which superseded them.

--------------------

Nothing beats height in a house for additional amenity of the internal spaces in terms of the admission of light and helping to maintain good air quality.

The downside is additional building and heating costs as well as longer (and higher) stairs.
For rooms the size you suggest I would recommend 2700mm as a minimum where possible.

I would go up to 3000mmm if possible, especially if you are thinking of installing antiques furniture or specialist pieces.
I've seen one installation in a standard height kitchen that needed the pediment on the cut trimmed because it was too tall for the ceiling.

All of this additional height is wasted of you don't include windows with high level lintols to take advantage of it, but be careful if you are fitting cornices.
Deep cornices and the additional depth of pelmets must be allowed for in the design of classical rooms, while the additional cornice downstand can foul your stairs clear head height.


ONQ.

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon         as a defence or support - in and of itself - should legal action    be      taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in         Real Life with rights to inspect and issue reports on the matters    at      hand.


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## BarneyMc (4 Oct 2011)

thanks for your really good advice ONQ.

I was told that 9 feet ceilings is more or less the common ceiling height now - the 2700mm (8 '10) measurement you gave would be closest.

3000mm (9 '10) seems really high. To me 9 feet is more than enough.

Interesting though as I never really considered this much when checking through my plans.


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## bacchus (5 Oct 2011)

Agree with ONQ, a high ceiling lifts the room. What's the build cost difference between having 2700mm or 3000mm high ceiling?


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## BarneyMc (5 Oct 2011)

bacchus said:


> What's the build cost difference between having 2700mm or 3000mm high ceiling?


 
I'm not really coming at this from a cost point of view. I just think that 9 '10 ceilings might be excessive. Surely a 9 foot ceiling would be fine?


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## onq (5 Oct 2011)

I think you need to visit a few houses and get a feel for it Barney.

Remember that the finished ceiling height may not be to the underside of the floor.

I usually specify solid concrete floors or composite steel an concrete flooring and the ceiling must be allied to the underside of the first floor.

3000mm clear starts to disappear rapidly when you start adding space to run services and especially downlighter - all the 12mm, 37mm and 50mm start to add up.

And as I noted above, if you're doing anything with the ceiling in the way of cornices - or coffers or beams, which can really add something to a big room, thsi tends to "draw the ceiling down" in my opinion, giving you things to focus on, so the bit of height really matters.
Put it like this, a decent Georgian building will have 10foot Plus heights, often 12 to 14 feet and they're like palaces.

In a more moderen building you get the opportunity to modify the ceiling from room to room in terms of height height for effect and lighting.
A simple cornice with recessed lighting bounced down off the ceiling can offer a marvellous effect.

In other areas like smaller servant rooms (utilities and toilets) you can drop the ceiling significantly and have additional space for services and local water storage. This is especially important in a modern building with little or no attic space, significant water usage and the current storage requirements which off the top of my head is for 24 hours? Check that lat comment though.

So "no" Barney.

For ground floor rooms I strive for 3000mmm up to the first floor structure with 2700mm for the floor above - the design and services benefits, only some of which are noted above, can be considerable.
The reduction in height from Ground to First (and Attic, if you have one) can lend a very pleasant ambiance to the house and allows for interesting variety in the design of windows and glazing.

As I said, ask around - visit some examples of finer period and well-designed modern houses and give your senses an appreciation of higher ceiling installations - you may be surprised! 


ONQ.

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon          as a defence or support - in and of itself - should legal  action    be      taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in          Real Life with rights to inspect and issue reports on the  matters    at      hand.


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## BarneyMc (5 Oct 2011)

Thanks ONQ, lots to think about!


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## onq (5 Oct 2011)

You;re very welcome Barney.

Since this is a single issue thread I have avoided discussion of things like 

(i) planning constraints on overall head heights and 
(ii) balancing the larger stairs against the rest of the internal planning requirements, like having a decent entrance hall and first floor landing.

You'd want to bear things like this in mind or the house will end up being "muscle-bound" in its design, with one feature not being balanced by the others.
That sort of balancing act is part of what your architect is for...




ONQ.

[broken link removed]

All advice on AAM is remote from the situation and cannot be relied upon           as a defence or support - in and of itself - should legal   action    be      taken.
Competent legal and building professionals should be asked to advise in           Real Life with rights to inspect and issue reports on the   matters    at      hand.


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