Standard top of window?

[zoome]

Just Curious. I was wondering where others set their top of window for a 9' ceiling house.

I normally set my 8' ceiling high windows @ 80" above the floor for a 3050.

Thanks,

Zoome

[Rbonett]

We usually put our windows at 83" in a 8' wall. When we go 9' we raise the front windows to 95" but also change the windows to a 3060. the rest of the windows would get raised to the 95" also, but we don't increase the size standardly. Only on the front windows would we increase the height.

[slatta]

I have been showing 92", not really called out anywhere but I guess I should. the framers probably figure it out on site based on what they have been doing, 9' is getting to be pretty standard now

[Tim O'Donnell]

depends on the doors i use and their location...i generally try to line the tops of the doors and windows up..

[dluck]

Dan,
We usually set Front windows at 84"on 8 ft. ceiling hgts. and 90" on 9 ft. ceiling hgts. We use our own custom moulding which include a 5 1/2" base and 4 1/2" casing. Setting the windows at this hgt. allows space for electrical receptacles below windows if optioned by customer.

Dwight

[zoome]

Thanks for the responses.

Seems like quite a spread. I have built a few homes with 9' ceilings and I think the carpenter took artistic license with setting the window heights. I am beginning to get a lot more detailled with my drawings and I am very interested in getting this type of information on the plans. I think it is my obligation to do so.

I have been showing windows for 8' ceiling areas at 6'10 A.F.F. I think I am going to start with windows for 9' Ceilings at 7'4" A.F.F.

I am still interested in what others have to offer.

Thanks again,

Zoome

[Ben Palmer]

I also set doors and windows to match (there are always exceptions).

If standard 68 doors, then I set window headers at 6' 10" (finished opening).

If 10' ceiling, then I use 8' tall doors, and set headers to match....etc.

If 12' ceiling or higher, I typically have coffers to bring the outside ceiling height down and set window headers at 9' with transoms over doors to match height. (if not 9' doors). This also depends on the exterior soffit treatments also.

HTH

[Allen42acj]

As one of those carpenters I try to go by the pictures.Most of the time they are bigger windows and the doors have transoms on top..
It's easier if you can use a single header=2x12 instead of a 2x10 for 8'..
If normal windows are used,they look better from eye view at the 8' wall height.

[RL INC]

As A Fellow Carpenter I Agree With Allen. You Need To Look At The Openings You Are Dealing With And The Headers That They Require. When Trying To Match 8' Door In A 9' Wall You Can Only Use A 8" Header Wich Doesn't Span Very Far. Try 7'6 Doors And Set Windows To Match. 7'6 Doors Will Cost The Same As 8' Doors But Trim Well In 9' Walls And You Can Span Much Larger Openings With Engineered Headers Like Lvl Or Glb.

[Niuoka]

Agree with RL

another point is to ask the owner,

today, we wnet into a house , with 9 foot ceilings, wanting to do a addition
the windows were set to match the top of a standard door
from outside it looked ok
from inside, it made the windows look real low,
even though they would be standard height for a 8 foot wall
on the rest of the house, it was thier main complaint of the house, how low the windows were ( or seemed)

they had had the house built for them, and the past builder never asked, just set everything to a standard 6'8 door

[Tim O'Donnell]

this is entirely subjective, but to my eye...just building higher ceilings does not work for standard sized doors and windows ...when higher ceilings are used, most often taller doors and taller windows (ie adding transoms often will work) are both needed to keep the proportions looking right ...if you add a foot to the ht in the room, you may need to add that much, or nearly so, to make them look right...and windows that do not have the tops aligned with doors is also funky to me...and most often, just looks bad..

headers are a very important factor in this as well...especially when wide openings are used...on two story buildings where the larger openings are often on the lower level, one way to deal with these, is to hide the header in the rim joist of the floor framing, then use joist hangers for the joists...this allows you to go right to the ceiling with openings if you so desire....steel, flitch beams, etc can/should all be considerations when dealing with large openings...

[zoome]

I tend to agree with the comment about keeping the windows at the same height as the doors. Point well made and taken.

I have in some cases added transoms over standard windows and for those, the transoms were located above the standard window height.

I think I will present this matter to my clients on a case by case basis and let them decide. I think they rely on my advice for these types of matters and it really seems that it is very subjective and a matter of personal choice.

Thanks for the advice.

Zoome

[mcqueenhomes]

This is a good question. Fortunately our grandfathers already answered it; I happen to live in a town where most of the original older structures are still there and I walk through it frequently. Here is what I see:

1. The ceiling is 8', and all the doors and windows are 80" AFF.
2. The ceiling is high, but the porch ceiling isn't, so the door is 80" and the windows are higher, so everything is still close to the same distance from the eave.
3. Same as (2.), but the entry is recessed rather than under an exterior porch
4. The ceiling is high, door at 80", windows at 80" also, but they have transoms above them. Sometimes there's even a trim band between the window and its transom that goes all the way around the house.
5. The ceiling is high, doors and windows both at 80", everything has a transom.
6. The celing is high, windows are high, doors are 80" but they have transoms.
7. The ceiling is high, but all doors and windows are at 80". Almost always the ceiling is only 9' in this case.

[zoome]

I like the transom option, but, in general, the buyers do too but they do not like the additional added cost. How can I get my smilies to work again? I can't see the funny that people are makeing at me : )

Zoome

[jsimanyi]

It must be just you. The smilies are working over here...
...
...
(Just kidding) ;^D

John S.