My unfinished room(10.5'x17') only has 7' from the floor to the ceiling. What do I do about a ceiling? I would prefer a drop ceiling for ease of access but don't want to give up too much vertical height. Also, in a room this small, should I bother with soffits?...thanks in advance

My unfinished room(10.5'x17') only has 7' from the floor to the ceiling. What do I do about a ceiling? I would prefer a drop ceiling for ease of access but don't want to give up too much vertical height. Also, in a room this small, should I bother with soffits?...thanks in advance


My builder put in R13 in there and left a crap load of room so I decided to buy that Styrofoam insulation up there to help kill noise. I bought the 1.5" styrofoam and pretty much doubled it up to 3 inches through the whole ceiling. I’m telling you, I don’t have sheetrock up yet but its a DAMN lot quieter up. It only ram me about $200ish bucks for my room that is 16' X 40'


Pic (http://www.silverti.com/ht/July%2026,%202007/DSC06347.JPG)

I'd skip the soffits completely if you can, or do minimal height ones if you want that look, or need them for wiring runs or other uses. Not having soffits will make for an easier go of balancing screen size/height versus riser height/low ceiling.

I am working with a 7'1" height (6'4" at the soffits) and am far enough along with the build to know the room will work quite nicely.

I don't know where you need access above, but have you considered something like large access panels that are played up as ceiling design elements? Maybe a star ceiling based access panel, or a couple of stacked mdf panels with stepped edges? The panel could even have a gasket and use GG between layers to give some isolation that a dropped ceiling would not offer you.

A little creativity will go along way in a tight space. :D

I am curious as to what you need access to, in the ceiling? Things like an exterior water shut off/drain valve might be moved to another access point. A show I saw last night had a water shut off valve moved to a kitchen cupboard above the finished basement as they didn't want an access panel in the finished basement.

My ceiling is 7'3" and I was in the same boat as you. I didn't want to loose that 3" of space vertically. I ended up drywalling the ceiling as i didn't have any access issues. I have a drop ceiling on the other side of the basement and I don't seem to miss that 3". that is where the projector is now.
Another alternative is ceiling max. It's a grid system that mounts to the bottom of your joists.

CeilingMax (http://www.acpideas.com/index.cfm?XlinkID=13)

Two things to consider.

1. Do you have alot of plumbing, wiring up there.
2. Do you have people not exceeding 6' 7" tall.

If it's yes, then drop celing. If no, dry wall.

Two things to consider.

1. Do you have alot of plumbing, wiring up there.
2. Do you have people not exceeding 6' 7" tall.

If it's yes, then drop celing. If no, dry wall.


Many places require 7' ceilings to meet code. If that's the case, you are not going to be able to use drop ceilings

Building codes are supposed to be standardized and require 7' of space. Some municipalities might not emphasize that part or measure the clear space and you might be able to get by with just under 7 even if they do, but you are likely to get busted by a home inspector when you go to sell the house.

Building codes are supposed to be standardized and require 7' of space. Some municipalities might not emphasize that part or measure the clear space and you might be able to get by with just under 7 even if they do, but you are likely to get busted by a home inspector when you go to sell the house.
My city has a 7' ceiling requirement for basements.
My basement/home is over 40 years old.
My HT ceiling is 83", concrete floor to double drywall ceiling. (5/8" and 1/2")
My inspector was very cool with it, he understands how older homes are.
If in doubt, ask your inspector. Not the inspection department, but I mean THE GUY who comes out to the theater site.
Best,

Tom
Chinaclipper

Not sure of your existing ceiling construction but assuming that it is solid wood joists, think about running furring strips on the sides of the joists and installing a ceiling recessed a couple of inches up into each cavity.

Then paint the whole thing one color. The final illusion is that the ceiling is the height of the recessed panels not the height of the joists. You could even do some removable panels if acess is a concern.