We struggled with this same question. In the end we decided to go with the 9 foot ceilings for our Elmira. We haven't moved in yet, but are really excited to see how they turn out. In making this decision, I used two key sources. First, there have been several past posts on here where people have debated this exact question; reading these have been helpful. Second, we visited a few open houses. Oakville specifically seems to have several with 9 foot ceilings. I found that the 9 foot ceilings made even small spaces appear large. I also LOVED how much it opened up the second floor, including what appeared to be bigger windows. In the end it's a personal choice though. There are so many potential upgrades that it can be difficult to narrow down the key ones.
Here's an example of past forum posts that you might find helpful
viewtopic.php?f=2&t=41176&hilit=9+foot+ceilingsMilton1 wrote:
We got Shelburne model and are debating if we should have 9ft ceiling on the second floor any one went for this option? , I know high ceiling opens up the space (visually) however struggling with the price 11K. Any suggestions / feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks