skip to main content

Building a Home

Two story great room?

13 years ago

We are in the beginning stages of building a home. We are working with an architect to design the home. We are leaning away from a 2 story great room, and instead are leaning towards a one story great room-- the great room would have a 9 foot ceiling with a tray ceiling "built down", that is the highest point of the tray is 9 feet. Do you think that a 9 foot ceiling in the great room is too low?

To give you an idea of the home, the great room is 15 X 22. It is an open floor plan, with great room, breakfast area and kitchen in an open plan. There is no living room. The home is 3400 square feet, two story foyer, 5 bedrooms with a fiesta floor guest bedroom.

Thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

km34567
Original Author
13 years ago
...that is FIRST ( not fiesta) floor guest bedroom.
crazy_in_mason
13 years ago
I presently have a two story great room and they have a lot of trouble. All sound downstairs travels upstairs. The upstairs is always hotter than downstairs. The light bulbs are fun to change. If it faces east or west, it heats your entire house. In the house we are building presently we have 9 foot ceilings on the first floor and made the great room 11 foot. We have a bonus room and laundry above which has sloped sides down to 6 foot going out about 2 and a half feet on two sides. When I walk through the new great room, it does not feel more enclosed than the two story great room.
Related Discussions
Two-Story Great Room???
Q
Comments (31)
The optimal, although pricey, solution to the heating of a two story room is radiant floor heating. Both forced air and radiant systems invariably create air movement which allows warm air to rise. Since the warmest part of the room is at ceiling level, that energy is wasted (unless you're hosting bald NBA players). With radiant floor heating, the heat is evenly distributed all over the floor. It can't rise because there's no way for cold air to get underneath it to replace it as it rises. Consequently, the floor is the warmest part of the room and the ceiling is the coolest. And since your extremities are the first thing to feel a chill (especially as you get older), your room "feels" warmer than the reading on the thermostat. We have a two story living room and radiant heating throughout the house. The previous house I built had a two story great room without radiant and that's why radiant was a must for this house. Incidentally, it saves energy in rooms with ceilings of only 9-10', too. That said, recognize that in most places, you'll still have to install forced air ducting for A/C (and may want to install a furnace to deal with radiant's lag). One final thought on high ceilings. Lighting shouldn't be a problem if done correctly. Our ceiling has cans on dimmers in a box beam ceiling. That plus accent lighting works great (see below). Bob
...See More
Lighting for Two Story Great Room
Q
Comments (6)
Oh, I see. The uplighting from the knee walls is sounding better now. The previous owners of my house used wall-mounted track lighting in my finished attic, which is all sloping roof surfaces and has no horizontal ceiling on which to mount lights more conventionally. We position the fixtures to bounce light off of nearby wall and roof surfaces, and it's a very nice effect. Most of what I know about lighting design is geared towards kitchens -- I'm out of my depth in rooms like you're describing. One thing I've found very helpful is to get a few of those cheap clip-on utility lights with aluminum reflectors and try out different sorts of bulbs, in different positions and orientations, to see what effects you get. This lets you experiment with many ideas very quickly, and is a lot of fun.
...See More
Two Story Great Room - Pros and Cons?
Q
Comments (59)
Peke unfortunately, yes. the number of record high days are increasing. here's one article. worse, the summers of 2017 and 2018 had terrible wildfire smoke, with air quality worse than Beijing -- each time for about a month. we're being told to expect "wildfire season" more often due to climate change. in spite of all that, I still think Seattle has some of the mildest weather in general. not as hot or as cold as other places, and we don't get a lot of bugs. yes, it rains for about three seasons, but it's usually a sprinkle or mist, not a downpour. also, all that rain brings SO MUCH GREEN. it's beautiful here!
...See More
Two story great room. Close off loft?
Q
Comments (2)
Your house seems to have all hard surfaces: ideal for sound to bounce around endlessly. Are there hard floors upstairs? If your ideas for wall treatments could include fabrics with soft backing I think that would help. Also rugs or carpets upstairs, even a ceiling treatment upstairs. Here's an article on reverberation in homes https://www.acousticalsurfaces.com/soundproofing_tips/html/noisy_residential.htm
...See More
allison0704
13 years ago
We have an open concept home also, and the kitchen has 9 foot ceilings, but the great room is a cathedral ceiling. Deep verandas keep sun from coming in through the French doors. I used wall sconces instead of can lighting since they don't work well in slanted ceilings (and detract from the look I was after).

The house is twice as large as our last home, but the power/natural gas bills are about the same. Better built house. I don't find the great room or master bedroom (both cathedral) harder to heat or cool.

Here is a link that might be useful: our home
chicagoans
13 years ago
Hey I like the idea of a 'fiesta guest room' so I think you should just keep calling it that! Sounds fun.

In addition to the heating/cooling issues of a 2 story GR, also bear in mind that sound will impact the 2nd floor more if you have it open to the great room. If you have kids, and you like to have parties or watch movies at night after they might be in bed, that's something to keep in mind.
musings
13 years ago
My preferred ceiling height is 10' - 11'. Not too low, not too high.
xc60
13 years ago
We have an open concept, 9' ceilings in the kitchen and dining area and 11' in the great room and front entrance. The rest of home has 9' ceilings. I agree with musings 10' or 11' would also be what I preferred.
dyno
13 years ago
Your house sounds similar to mine. We have a 9' family/great room, no fireplace, perimeter is dropped as you describe. For the inside of the tray, we installed crown molding a couple inches off the ceiling then ran a rope light inside the molding. Not exactly high end but the effect is nice and people like it.

We're not tall people...our old house was 8' and was fine. 9' feels roomy enough while 10' seems a bit cavernous. It's all in your preference and the function of the room - whether it's intended as everyday living space or as a showpiece. We wanted cozy and comfortable so 9' works for us.
jimandanne_mi
13 years ago
I would think where you live might matter. The heating issues during much of the year with a two story great room would be more of a problem in a cold climate, than in the South where you would want the heat to rise when there's a long hot summer!

Anne
bethohio3
13 years ago
We have a 2 story cathedral ceiling in our great room, and I wouldn't do it again. The rest of the first floor has 9' ceilings (and the basement is about 8'9"). I'd go with 10-12' for the great room, and use 9' for the rest of the house. (Our next house will be a ranch, but that's YEARS down the road.)

We do have tall people in our family (my son is 6'5"), so it's nice to have some extra height--8' seems like a low ceiling when he's around.

Related Stories

MORE ROOMS Tall Tales: Ideas for Two-Story Great Rooms

By Erika Ward - Erika Ward Interiors

Make a Great Room Grand With Windows, Balconies, Art and Dramatic Ceilings

GLOBAL STYLE My Houzz: A Chicago Two-Story Circles the Globe

By Valerie McCaskill Dickman

International travelers bunk downstairs, while pieces plucked from around the world grace both levels of this two-unit home

12 Ways Art and Books Can Tell Your Story

By Laura Gaskill

Your home may be the ultimate blank canvas. Give every room meaning with books and artwork that speak to you

TRANSITIONAL HOMES Houzz Tour: 3-Story Design Extends a Bungalow’s Living Space

By Natalie Wain

A couple stays within an approved footprint and gets more room by adding a basement and a loft to a new home’s design

MODERN STYLE Houzz Tour: Three Apartments Now a Three-Story Home

By Luisa Rollenhagen

A grand new staircase unifies a sophisticated, industrial-tinged London townhouse

REMODELING GUIDES Movin’ On Up: What to Consider With a Second-Story Addition

By Ventana Construction LLC

Learn how an extra story will change your house and its systems to avoid headaches and extra costs down the road

KITCHEN DESIGN Soapstone Counters: A Love Story

By Alison Hodgson

Love means accepting — maybe even celebrating — imperfections. See if soapstone’s assets and imperfections will work for you

INSIDE HOUZZ Tell Us Your Houzz Success Story

Have you used the site to connect with professionals, browse photos and more to make your project run smoother? We want to hear your story

HOUZZ TOURS My Houzz: Curiosities Tell a Story

By Nikki To Photography

An interiors stylist uses her house as a 3D timeline of her tales and travels

COLOR When Color Could Kill: Stories From the History of Paint

By Victoria Finlay

Delve into paint's storied past — what you learn about its history and modern incarnations may surprise you

Sponsored

More Discussions

Anderson Woodwright vs Marvin Elevate

12

Hardie Board Discoloration

11

It's May 2024. How is your build going?

14

Foundation house plan

14

Help with kitchen design! Prep sink vs pot filler??

32