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.

We are in the same situation as yourself. We ended up doing 2.5m basement, 3m ground floor and 2.7m top floor with .3m in between the floors as we also had height restrictions on what we could build. We are also building with slope to our land. Our basement has garages, games room and a bedroom in it and we felt that 2.5 worked. Hope this helps.

There are so many variables and ways to build things. Building succesfully is very much working well in three dimensions and understanding the structure, and the waterproofing required in three dimensions. Your question suggest that you are only thinking in terms of heights and brick courses, but there are lots of other things happening that would suggest that you get a section of the house and post it with dimensions. Most building professionals work in millimetrres rather than brick coursing. So converting your dimensions to millimetres - 28 courses is 2400mm, which is the minimum height for a habitable room ceiling. Six courses of brickwork is 514mm for the window opening, however your glazed area will be less than this due to the width of the window frame. Your 3 courses of brickwork which is 257mm should be enough for most steel lintels, unless you have a really wide opening for a window? You also need to allow for flashing if the clerestorey is above another roof running into the same wall - if this is the case you may need the full 47 courses. I would be asking your designers why they need 47 courses, as it is a lot higher, and there may be problems with setback issues? Is it a flashing issue? Is it a window opening width and lintel issue. I am afraid you haven't really supplied enough information or images to explain about the clerestorey window so it is impossible to answer precisely. Best of luck, Dr Retro of Dr Retro House Calls and Dr Retro Virtual Visist

Is there a particular reason you want to lower the alfresco height ? If I had to make a choice , I'd almost prefer to go for 2.7 indoors , 3 metre alfresco , because thats where you want that open feeling , the luxury of space and height , moreso in in an alfresco . As far as being noticed , the only time it wouldn't be too noticable ( IMO ) is if the alfresco floor was lower than the house level -- if you step 'outside' through a standard or sliding door , and the roof feels lower , I suspect you would notice it . That , afterall , is why you go for a 3 metre inside height , to feel open and spacious .