what to do? ceiling fans, vaulted ceilings and window questions.

11 years ago

hey everyone! new to the forum and like to read about what everyone is doing. i'm having a home built in early 2014 and have pretty much everything finalized except a few items.

1. ceiling fans. what is everyone's thought on this? I think i'm putting one in the great room, but would you put them in the bedrooms? do you think they are outdated?

2. vaulted ceilings in bedrooms (other than master). we are having an angled tray ceiling in the master bedroom, but was wondering if we should do a vaulted ceiling in the other 2 bedrooms. they are both around the same size at 10.6" (wide) x 13.0" (long). are these bedrooms too small for a vaulted ceiling? the plan we have calls for them, but we're not sure if we should remove them.

3. great room windows. we have tall windows in the great room. in the front there is 1 (fixed) window and in the rear we are having either 3 or 4 (identical to the front) windows. our dilemma is to have the 3 or 4 windows fixed like the front of the house or to have those 3 or 4 as double-hung windows so we will be able to open them.

I appreciate your help and open to all and any suggestions that you have.

thanks!

This post was edited by stblgt on Wed, Sep 11, 13 at 16:07

Featured Answer

rrah

11 years ago

Another thought, since you are uncertain about the ceiling fans, is to have the electrical and construction work done to hold a celing fan. You can cover up the electric with a plate or use the electric for an overhead light. If you later decide you want ceiling fans, it's easy to replace the light fixture with a fan as long as the electric and extra bracing are in place.

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Comments (10)

LuAnn_in_PA
11 years ago
Opinions will vary widely on all issues (and YOUR opinion is the only one that matters) - but here are mine:

1. Outdated? No way as they are too useful! We have and use them in all the bedrooms, among other places.

2. I see no reason the have vaulted ceilings in bedrooms.

3. I like fresh air, so I would have windows that open. For cross ventilation, I prefer windows that can open to be on two walls.
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rrah
11 years ago
1. It depends where you live I think, although we enjoy it in our bedrooms.

2. I would probably like the vaulted ceilings in these rooms, depending upon the direction, etc.

3. I would want windows that open at least in the back of the house. We rarely open windows due to some allergies, but I can't imagine a room without being able to open a single window.
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Melle, I thought I was the only one with this issue:-) First of all, I have fans in every room of the house except the kitchen, and I have to be careful about any light that is above them because it casts shadows and makes me nauseous after a while. Also, and this is why this isn't a small issue, strobe light effects have been proven to cause epileptic seizures and migraines in those prone to them (not all of the time, but they set off some electrical impulse...). I get migraines, so this is a huge deal to me. I think the cans can work, the recessed eyeballs are a great idea, too and in fact if I had my druthers, that is what I would use (because you can angle them and they seem more like gallery lights to me). But I do want to make sure you test some light up there with the fan on. It may not be an issue because your cans will be up much higher than the fan, but in some rooms when I've had this combo, the fan blades whirling past the cans cast shadows. Maybe your eyeball lights wouldn't be anywhere near the blades, in which case, this could work out well. In my experience, looking at can lights and where they will go, it's often hard to see them not looking weird. But when they're up and functioning, they tend to blend in. Good luck, I feel your pain (I have -- no, DH has -- CFLs in every room- esp painful in the bathrooms and the exterior front lights, which are gorgeous carriage lamps that are supposed to burn with the flickering gas look....you can SEE the CFLs in there...UGH. He has even stuck them in crystal antique lamps! He's so sweet; I love that he cares about the environment, but...geez).
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Thanks for weighing in, all! I was trying to find a fan that worked (matched) with the sconces, but it sounds like letting the fans blend into the ceiling is a better way to go. The Victorian style light might be a hangover from the previous owners, since that was more the direction they were taking this house when they replaced things. The house has a few victorianesque details, but when I look up true (heavy, dark) Victorian, it's too oppressive for me. I'll double check, but DH seemed to think maybe the sconces and table lamps would give us enough light. If that's so, then we wouldn't need the light kits at all. I would appreciate the simplicity of that visually! (Unless I can't see to appreciate it 'cause it's too dark in here, LOL.) I'll be heading to the stores around 10 a.m E.S.T. today. If you have any last words of wisdom to send me off with, please do so. : )
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The gimbal will not really reduce glare. They will be extremely bright, concentrated points of light when on. The specs don't detail how much adjustment they allow, so I can't tell if they would even point straight down in a 30 degree ceiling. To avoid glare in a recessed light, you need the light source to be deeply recessed, and a reflector that will not be bright (it sounds counter-intuitive, but a clear reflector cone does not appear bright like a white baffle does). Not all cove-lighting requires building a cove - some products are finished sheet-metal and designed to be exposed. Here's an example: https://www.solidstateluminaires.com/products/createacove/ You certainly wouldn't need to :"cover the wall with sconces" if you use high-output sconces designed for uplighting. With decorative sconces, certainly. You could fully light the room with 4 sconces such as these: http://belfer.com/products/sconces/ws-7230-led-120v/ If you go with recessed lights or sconces, do remember that the taller half of the ceiling is 6ft higher than the lower half. If you're shining light down or reflecting light off of it, the fixtures on the tall part should have a tighter beam spread and possibly either a different lumen package or be on a separate dimmer so that the brightness appear similar. Given the same beam spread, a recessed light 6 ft higher will have a beam diameter about 3 times larger and center-beam brightness about 1/6 as bright. Monorail is certainly a bit more visually intrusive. If it hangs at 9ft off the ground (level with the ceiling fan) it probably wouldn't be all that intrusive - you wouldn't see it unless you were actually looking up. If you go that route, it should be no more than 2ft from the perimeter walls. Tech and PureEdge are the two common makers of it.
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Fori
11 years ago
In MY opinion,

1. Put in fans if you like them. They can be removed without leaving a blemish in the future if they become outdated. I would certainly want them!

2. Vaulted ceilings can be disproportionate and look weird and pretentious in small bedrooms. I'd try to see a similar example in person before doing it. Might be fine. Might be awful. I would skip it.

3. Windows that open are better.
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stblgt
Original Author
11 years ago
we've always been pretty definite on the ceiling fans. however, the vaulted ceilings and windows are still leaving us on the fence. I am located in the northeast, so it does get pretty cold here.

the thing is, where we are now, we hardly ever open up windows and hardly ever use the ceiling fans. this is why we're having a hard time deciding.

thanks for the responses so far! always would like to hear more input!
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dekeoboe
11 years ago
You could always only have one of the three windows operational and the other two fixed.
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nini804
11 years ago
1. I don't think ceiling fans themselves will ever be outdated...they are too functional. I do think certain styles of ceiling fans are outdated....those faux wood ones with the three frosted lights hanging down seem outdated to me.

2. My take on vaulting bedrooms...we have a 16'x17' bedroom that doesn't have anything above it so we decided it would be nice to take the ceiling all the way up to the rafters. It is beautiful with beams and large windows in there. It is also echo-y and noisy with the wood floors. Even with an area rug, the room seems cold and not a cozy sleeping room. I wish we just left it as a flat 10' ceiling.

3. I like operable windows...fresh air makes me happy!
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jennybc
11 years ago
My vote. We are building now and have placed fan boxes in every bedroom plus the living room. We have light fixtures for all bedrooms with plans to get fans down the road.
10'6"x13' seems small. Are these rooms being used or are they guest rooms? Laid out well, these sizes may function just fine; however, make sure that it works. I wouldn't go vaulted. A high ceiling would be fine if its the same as the rest of the house. But the size would worry me if these are rooms with planned bedroom furniture sets. Just sketch it out to make sure what you think will fit...will.
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stblgt
Original Author
11 years ago
we are pretty set (99%) are getting the fans. however, getting them wired if we weren't to get them is a great idea!

jennybc: the 2 rooms are going to be guest/computer style rooms. we have no kids and don't plan on having any. if we do, it will be just one.

the upstairs calls for 8 foot ceilings with a vaulted ceiling in every bedroom. we are doing an angled tray in the master and still unsure about the other 2 bedrooms...either vault or leave at 8'.

edit: also, we were thinking....in the great room with those 3 or 4 windows, what if you do those windows as a casement style? would that work? we're trying to get the same look of the fixed window in the rear of the house.

i don't know much about casement windows and how much more they would be compared to double-hungs. the window is about 3x6/7 and then another square window above it (not sure how big that one is right now, maybe 3x2). i'm not sure if the casements are even made in that size.

This post was edited by stblgt on Thu, Sep 12, 13 at 9:40
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flgargoyle
11 years ago
I think vaulted ceilings in bedrooms, especially small BR's make them less cozy. If anything, BR's should have lower ceilings, IMHO.

Casements would be a good alternative. They cost a bit more than double hungs, and they aren't everyone's cup of tea, but they do offer a more open view, and they are slightly better for keeping the weather out.

I couldn't live without ceiling fans or operable windows; we open the house up any time the weather is between about 60 and 80, and ceiling fans allow us to keep the A/C at 80 in the summer.
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what to do? ceiling fans, vaulted ceilings and window questions.

rrah

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