Just a few simple answers:
Advantages - The look of high ceilings goes well with some house plans, lends itself to future drop ceilings, wiring and plumbing can be added to space and covered by suspended ceilings
Disadvantages - More space to heat, harder to maintain, more materials to build initially, wasted space
Mostly though high ceilings are just a personal choice for the designer/home-builder
The advantages and disadvantages if high ceilings differ based on climate. In a local where your concern is cooling, like Florida or California, rather than heating, like Wisconsin or Oregon the things you must take into account vary widely.
If you have high ceilings in southern or central California, where the climate is rather temperate, you can make high ceilings work to your advantage using passive thermal controls like house and attic vents and a good layer of insulation in the ceiling… in that respect although the sun would heat the air towards the top of the room, if built correctly the heat rising and leaving in the top of the room could actually pull the cooler air in through the windows. If you live in Florida, where it is almost always hot and humid, although the same issues would mitigate cooling expenses, you will not be comfortable without AC, which means you will have more space to cool. Even though there is more space to cool, the heat will tend to be towards the top of the ceiling, which will make the inhabitants more comfortable.
Heating is a totally different story, since heat rises; it may be more difficult to keep the areas with high ceilings comfortable where the occupants will actually be located. This issue can be mitigated using ceiling fans and slab heating, but depending on construction methods, may still be quite expensive.
Basic maintenance, like changing a ceiling van, replacing a light bulb can become an intensive task depending on exactly how high the ceilings are.
Beyond the heating, cooling, and additional cost of construction, there are some advantages to high ceilings.
If you live in a place where you may find yourself spending an excessive amount of time inside, you may feel less cooped up in a house with high ceilings.
In resale situations, high ceilings are oft touted as a boon for prospective house sales, and many buyers tend to be interested because of the spacious feeling typically associated with high ceilings.
If the decision is not financially based - go with what is aesthetically appealing to you. If it long term cost is your concern, discuss this with your contractor… they should be familiar with the best ways to mitigate heating and cooling expenses in your town!
When I design a project with high ceilings I take into account many of the answers and discussions already mentioned. But, you can also contol ( to a certain degree of course ) the heating and cooling of the high ceiling space by proper home oreintation, window placement / sizing and the amount of insulation in the roof. I also like to place fireplaces that radiate heat in high ceiling rooms, this helps with the warming of the space. As mentioned before by others, radiant heat in the floors keeps the heat were it is needed most during the cold months.
I personally have 28' and 34' ceilings and love the space. Yes, during the extremely cold winters ( New Jersey ) it takes a lot to keep it toasty. But, with a wood burning stove and ceiling fans I seldom spend more then an average home of the same size would to heat and cool.
This high ceiling project is a 4 season room addition with radiant infloor heating, a stainless steel fireplace, large paddle ceiling fan and heavy insulated roof. It has been used many times during the winter during football season to watch the big games.There are certainly both:
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
– increased cooling/heating costs
They give a sense of greater space to any size room. Many people consider them elegant, and they’re most often seen in classic older and/or upscale homes.
They allow the installation of efficient ceiling fans that don’t hug the ceiling. They really can move the air up or down, affecting heating or cooling costs. Fans in a standard 8-foot ceiling don’t help nearly as much.
Cons are the convenience of cleaning, painting, changing light bulbs, killing spiders, and the potential for increased heating bills if you do not both install and routinely use ceiling fans.
Disadvantages - More space to heat,mean more expensive.
Advantages - room looks much better,more rich and you can use some architecture mill work stuff like coffer ceiling, …