Sloped ceilings from wall heights
Raise the walls on one side and the ceiling slopes across the room. For a ridge (vaulted or cathedral), use the Vaulted Ceiling tool.
By default every floor has a flat 8-foot ceiling, but the ceiling meets each wall at that wall's height — so by raising the walls on one side you get a ceiling that slopes one way across the room: a shed or lean-to ceiling. Where walls of different heights meet, the corner takes the lower one.
Wall heights can't make a ridge. For a vaulted, cathedral or pyramid ceiling, use Build → Vaulted Ceiling instead (see vaulted ceilings). This page shows the wall-height slope and how it reads in 3D.
Step by step
- 1
Give a wall a different height
Click a wall to select it. Its settings show Height — 8 feet by default, with presets (8′ to 12′) or a value you type. Each wall sets the ceiling height along its own edge.
Each wall's height sets the ceiling height along that edge. - 2
Raise one side for a shed ceiling
Raise the wall on the high side. Where two walls of different heights meet, the corner takes the lower height, so the side walls slope from low to high and the ceiling tilts one way across the room — a shed (lean-to) ceiling. To lower the whole flat ceiling instead, use Plan Settings → Ceiling.
- 3
For a ridge, use Vaulted Ceiling
Raising two opposite walls does not make a peak: every corner touches a raised wall, so the ceiling comes out flat. For a vaulted, cathedral or pyramid ceiling, use Build → Vaulted Ceiling, drag a rectangle over the room and set its Eave and Ridge. See vaulted ceilings.
- 4
Verify in 3D
Switch to 3D View. The ceiling renders the slope, rising across the room toward the high wall. Check tall furniture here: Flow Check doesn't warn about pieces under a slope made with wall heights.
A sloped ceiling in 3D — walls of different heights tilt the ceiling across the room.
Tips
Shed roof in two heights
For a shed (single-slope) ceiling, raise the walls on one side and leave the opposite side low. The ceiling tilts one way across the room.
Want a ridge? Use Vaulted Ceiling
Raising two opposite walls doesn't make a peak: every corner touches a raised wall, so the ceiling just comes out flat. For a ridge, drag a Vaulted Ceiling from the Build panel and set its Eave and Ridge. See vaulted ceilings.
Common mistakes
Expecting a warning under the low side
Smart Flow Check doesn't check furniture height under a slope made with wall heights, so a tall bookcase can poke through the low side without a warning. Check tall pieces in 3D and slide them toward the high side. (Under a Vaulted Ceiling, Flow Check does warn.)
Dropping a wall below its openings
If a wall's height falls below the top of a door or window in it, the opening no longer fits and Flow Check flags it. Raise the wall or lower the opening.
Frequently asked questions
What's the default ceiling height?
8 feet (96 in). Change single walls to create a slope, or set a different flat height for the whole floor in Plan Settings → Ceiling.
How do I make a vaulted ceiling?
Use Build → Vaulted Ceiling: drag a rectangle over the area, then set its Eave and Ridge (Cathedral, Angled or Pyramid). Different wall heights only make a one-way slope. See vaulted ceilings.
Does the slope show in 3D and elevation views?
The slope shows in 3D. The elevation views show the four outside faces of the building, so you see the different wall heights from outside, not a cut through the ceiling.
Can each corner have its own height?
Not directly. Height is set per wall, and where walls of different heights meet, the corner takes the lower of the two. That's why wall heights give a one-way slope, not a peak.
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