Thank you! We have three young children as well. I and Definitely worried about the noise being a problem while they’re sleeping!

We've seen a lot of folks come to Houzz for input regarding closing the upper part of two story rooms. HVAC expense is only going to increase in the future, so there's a consideration. If you're heating and cooling empty space it makes little sense. We've also had lots of inquiries about how to deal with the echo in the room itself and how to insulate for the sound floating to the other rooms, especially if there were bedrooms on a second floor. Personally, I'd stick with 9-10' ceilings throughout the home for many reasons. Can't your architect orient your major windows to the south?

Our room is 28x40' with 10' ceiling. The kitchen end drops to 8'6". That space seems plenty spacious. We've not thought about needing more height.

We have a two story foyer, family room and bonus room. Love them all. All three rooms have lots of drama. People literally gasp when they walk into our family room because of the 20 foot ceiling and we have drapes that hang the full length. We've never had a noise issue but we only have one child.

Before you finalize architecture, perhaps investigate the cost of appropriate window treatment. West sun exposure can be brutal on humans and furnishings. A carefully designed home can be fabulous without being extra large.

Your "Family (Cathedral) 21'-0" x 21'-11" " looks smaller than your "Entry 11'-6" x 25'-3" " and does not look as square as the dimensions suggest; something is wrong. Has construction started?

Mark, this is a modular build. This is the rough draft of plans. Phase 1 rendering.

We have beautiful sunset views too, but have to keep heavy drapes closed all afternoon and just open them in time for the sunset- the sun heats the house up like a sauna. So glad I only have to deal with single story windows. If you don't have good tree cover or some other source of shade, I would strongly recommend against two story, or indeed any windows above your reach. Might look pretty, but be miserable to live with.

And that's in Michigan. Even on a sunny winter day. Hate to have this situation in the south.

G W... all really good valid points! We have to consider this. We’re in NY but I know it could definitely get hot if we don’t have the proper coverage. We do have trees in our yard so it’s not completely open.

Humans still have primitive brain wiring....people don’t really like sitting under a really high ceiling, they feel exposed. We like tall ceilings, but not two story ceilings p, at our house.

Have to disagree with everyone here. We have a two story living room on the west side of our house and love it. It is dramatic and light-filled and lifts our spirits. Yes, the sun pours in late afternoon and it gets hot, but a suspended ceiling fan helps to move the air around. Our previous house had a vaulted living/dining space and we loved that too. Having all the ceilings in the house the same height is deadly to delight. Boring too.

Honestly never had a heat issue with our 2 story family room and there are 8 windows plus skylights. We live in a wooded area though.

We are building currently and went with a 2 story living room. I think I would have been ok with a vaulted ceilings, but the 2 story fit better with our floor plan plus I think it just has the wow factor. We only have a small balcony open to the second story so noise shouldn’t be too bad.

We recently bought a house with a 2-story living room. Our furniture looks dwarfed against the tall walls. So does all of our artwork. The room feels like a tube because it's taller than it is wide. Sound does funny things in there. The sun shoots in from the high window and hits me in the eye wherever I sit. We've already spent mucho $$s on motorized shades and UV window film, but will soon be adding drapes. It's a striking room, and all of its issues could likely be solved by a pro, but I'd trade it for a vaulted ceiling in a heartbeat.

I've built both, lived in both for many years.

Avoiding 2 story is my preference from the sound issue and temperature stratification -always. From design and window covering - usually.

From cost and HVAC - sometimes.

Obviously people have different priorities but impressing other people stopped being on my list a while ago.

If you're going with a two-story space, figure in the cost of a good ladder so you can change light fixture bulbs, change batteries in smoke alarms that start beeping at three in the morning, and do the window washing. Also make sure your medical plan is current.

Do you plan to have a tv in this room....because if so there will be glare from the light. I had a 2 story LR and came to dislike it for ALL the reasons listed above!

Well, I can think of many designs that are far worse. There are practical solutions to all the problems listed. Like, use windows that are seriously UV resistant. And/or use electronic shades. Don't hang light fixtures from the high ceiling, use wall sconces instead. Plant deciduous trees on the west side of the house. Etc, etc, etc.

I stand by my comments above. Nothing is more delightful and lifts your spirit like a high ceiling. Virtually every strong house design has a high ceiling somewhere in it.

A high ceiling doesn't have to mean having a 2-story space. A 12-foot flat ceiling or a cathedral ceiling, for example, can provide a sense of airiness and expansiveness without being overwhelming.

I've got one these right now. It's a beautiful space, but temperature regulation is an issue. Watching TV is an issue, too. The sound is lost in the room and we have to turn the volume up quite a bit to hear.

As a retired appraiser, it makes more financial sense to floor the second story portion. While not a wow factor choice, it increases your useable square footage and will result in a corresponding increase in valuation.

The point is, there are a lot more factors involved and unintended results of the decision to go with a 2-story high space.

in regards to the sound issue, we knew RBI’s would be an issue so we bought wall speakers and had the wiring done with the electric so the sound comes from the wall behind the couch, not the TV.