We have raked ceilings in our new split level extension that follows the fall of the land (and in the rooms that were part of the skillion sections of the old cottage) and I love the sense of space they give and also the fact that the inside reflects what is happening on the outside of the house. We have used ceiling boards (painted white – I didn't want to feel like I was living in a cigar box) both in the old cottage and in the new section and they certainly add an enormous amount of visual interest to the rooms as well. However, I endorse the comments about the added trickiness of light fittings. Pendants with rods are out and pay particular attention to the little rose/canopy thingies that connect pendants to the ceiling – make sure that they sit flush with the ceiling and don't have weird unsightly bits that you can suddenly see because of the angled ceiling. We have successfully used LED downlights with a recessed diffuser and dimmer switches to make sure there is no glare but if the raked angle isn't too extreme they are a definite possibility.

Hi Jenn, If the house design allows for it, why not look at a compromise and have high ceilings in the larger spaces or perhaps look at skillion roofs with sloping ceilings in the more prominent spaces. That way you wont change the roof line if that is already confirmed and the stud height could stay the same for the wall linings etc. Don't forget though, anything that varies from standard will cost more and have extra things to consider - like Dr Retro mentioned. In a living room or master bedroom with high ceilings, window and door heads at 2000mm high look completely out of proprtion with the space and then what does that do to the outside appearance of the house and then extra cost for window treatments etc. The list of considerations goes on. The reverse is the case for the small rooms. Do you want 3000mm high ceilings in the powder room and laundry etc? Whilst it might create extra storage oportunities, high storage is the least convenient to access. It might look great though for a full height library wall with an access ladder!!! The potential options are endless. Also, if you want something non standard and a great quality home, is the builder the right person to be designing it for you? There are awesome builders everywhere but generally designing is best left to the designers if you want something a bit more than standard. Good luck, Christine.

Thanks all for your advice. Ive included some renders that I made with view along the corridor with and without the bulkhead. I don't think renderst does it justice until you actual walk through @ frame stage. I agree that ceiling height and comfort and look, depends on climate, orientation, insulation, relative proportions of other parts such as windows/doors. Because of the Melbourne climate, we have planned for double glazing, and good insulation with R2.5 batts wall, R6.0 ceiling. We have 2.4m height of windows and door around the ground floor which is btw 3 to 3.6m so I think proportion wise should be ok. In the family where it was always planned 3.6m from the start, we have a band of clerestory windows too. We have decided not to be too excessive with windows ( ie 3m and even 3.6m floor to ceiling - how grand would have that looked though! ) to minimise heat loss during winter. Energy rating for house is 7 stars so far. Thanks for giving me the pro and cons - I have some more confidence to let it stay at 3.6m throughout now.

thanks all- we in south australia. most homes we have lived in are character homes that have original high ceilings so having the 2400mm ceilings feels more enclosed to us personally. I've researched and hoping we can expose floor joists and line them with gyprock to 'raise' the ceiling height to the lower floor. upstairs we can vault the ceilings and add skylights to open it up