How do I raise a ceiling

Debbie Tolosky
by Debbie Tolosky
How do I raise a ceiling. My kitchen ceiling is 11 inches lower than the living room and dining room ceiling. Why I don’t know. How difficult is it to move it up?

  8 answers
  • AmAtHome AmAtHome on Jun 03, 2018

    It would really depend on why it's lower - if there are beams, pipes, etc there then that would be a big project. Is it a regular ceiling or a drop ceiling?

  • Pjo26908388 Pjo26908388 on Jun 03, 2018

    How difficult depends on how the ceiling was built.


    If the ceiling was dropped to conserve energy or for aesthetics it isn't too hard to rip out the lowered structure and go back to the original height. It is ridiculously messy- cabinets may need to be rehung, lighting and anything else on the ceiling redone and perhaps new Sheetrock or a lot of patching and paint. This is a fairly easy but does take a good amount of time. A contractor would likely charge a few thousand. It is rather labor intensive.


    If the ceiling is lower as part of the structure than raising it effects floor of the rooms above your kitchen or the roof and becomes a structural issue. Again, it can be done but at the cost of changing the structure. If this is the case it is likely to happen when your family is planning a major home addition. Raising the ceiling that involves the roofline without an addition may cost upwards of 30 grand.


    Higher ceilings do make a room feel bigger and I understand why you want to do it. If your home is Victorian or an older bungalow it is likely the ceiling was dropped. If it is a new home than it can go either way.


    Good of luck on your decision.

  • Go up in the attic and take a look. There might be utilities running through the ceiling. Hopefully not! Then you can raise it safely. Check building code first, as in most places, this job requires a building permit.

  • Polly Fuller Polly Fuller on Jun 03, 2018

    wow, thats a tough one. you can rip out the ceiling and paint the rafters. go for a loft look. Or...raise the roof.


  • Joy30150932 Joy30150932 on Jun 03, 2018

    A lot depends on where your rafters are. You need professional advice on this project.

  • Janice Janice on Jun 03, 2018

    Hi Debbie, First you need to find out if you have a dropped ceiling. If the other rooms in your home have higher ceilings, it is likely that at some point in time a former owner "dropped" the ceiling because of personal preference. A good handyman should be able to examine and tell you whether this has been done. If so, all you will have to do is remove it or have it removed, then do what you want. If the ceiling has not been dropped, your issue will be more complex and involve raising joists, etc. which will get very expensive.

  • AmAtHome AmAtHome on Jun 03, 2018

    Can you go in your attic or crawlspace and see what's above it? Although even if there's not pipes and stuff, I think raising or putting up a ceiling is a project that might not be for someone if they don't have a bit of experience in doing bigger renovation projects. This article has good info in it that might be a start for you to see if you think you would consider tackling it: https://www.proremodeler.com/raising-ceilings-without-raising-roof

  • Agnes Chrzanowska Agnes Chrzanowska on Apr 30, 2021

    A lot depends on where your rafters are. You need professional advice on this project.