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Remodeling Tips Heavy-duty floor trusses require less support from underneath so they require fewer posts. Their depth also gives you more room to install heating ducts, plumbing and wiring between floors. Most building codes also allow less height for a kitchen, bathroom, hallway, and sometimes other rooms. The minimum for these typically is 7 feet. What about rooms where the height is not consistent? Most building codes allow lowered ceilings if at least half of the room meets the minimum requirements. Remember that these minimums are for habitable space. The space under a stairway, for example, won’t fit the size or height minimums—so no one can live under the stairs, not even a troll. However, it is still usable space that can become storage. Also, bathrooms are not considered living space—no matter how long one spends in it. Laundry rooms, too, are not considered habitable.
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To be considered habitable, building codes typically require that the height of a room (floor to ceiling) must be at least 7 feet 6 inches. An exception is made under most building codes for trusses or beams under the main floor (the basement’s ceiling). If the beams are at least 4 feet apart the space below them can be 7 feet.
