Pulte Homes said its own research revealed similar trends. Travis Parkman, Pulte's vice president of corporate communications, said focus groups preferred that money be spent on features such as nicer kitchens and upgrades rather than higher ceilings.
"Customer feedback describes two-story open spaces as cold and austere," Parkman said. "That goes against the current trend toward warmer and more functional spaces. Rooms with two-story ceilings actually can be a negative for some buyers."
"We don't want high ceilings. Period," said Mike Taylor, who is having a ranch-style house built in Lisle. He asked his builder to lower the ceiling by 50 percent.
"The model for the ranch had 18-foot ceilings in the great room," Taylor said. "We like open space, but my wife and I thought it was too open and had a cold look. We wanted a warm, cozy feeling, so 9 feet was as high as we wanted to go."
Don Smyczynski, president of H&D Builders Inc. in Naperville, agreed to lower the couple's ceiling. Taylor said drawbacks of an 18-foot ceiling include increased maintenance problems and higher heating and cooling costs.
The architect of his new house confirmed the utility cost effects.
"Because heat rises, the thermostat may have to be set at 80 degrees to achieve 70 degrees on the first floor," said Glenn Vesely, president of AES Consultants in Naperville. Fans can help push the heat down but might be only partially effective, he said.
Still, homebuyers are not ready to go too low on ceilings for everyday living spaces. Ceilings of 9 feet have replaced 8 feet as the standard in first-floor ceilings.
"These moderately higher ceilings make a home feel bigger," Melman said.
"Some entry-level production homes offer 9-foot ceilings as an upgrade," interior designer Helen Velas said.
"Move-up, single-family homes all have standard 9-foot ceilings on the first floor. Semicustom homes may go up to 10 feet, and custom homes can have 10- or 11-foot ceilings on the first floor."
Velas, president of Eleni Interiors in Naperville, emphasized that room proportions change with ceiling heights.
"A higher ceiling means the windows have to be taller, crown molding has to be larger, a fireplace mantel has to be taller, light fixtures have to be bigger, even artwork has to be larger to cover more wall space. Everything has to be in scale," she said.
Architect/developer David Hovey, president of Optima Inc., which has designed condominiums at Optima Old Orchard Woods in Skokie, said: "The standard for over 75 years was the 8-foot ceiling, but now we're going higher. In high-rise residences, the ideal is 8 feet 6 inches. Just 6 inches more makes a real difference."
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