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Do 9 ft. ceilings in the rooms you will spend a lot of time in. It will open things up alot and make the house look much roomier.

Low ceilings is something I hate about modern houses (and ancient houses -- the Georgians and Victorians lived on a little temporal island of proper ceilings in a sea of oppressive rooms). If you get the option, go for 9ft everywhere, and think about 10ft or more in reception rooms. I've been in Georgian townhouses with 11ft ceilings and it wasn't excessive.

Peter