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I know there have been many debates on here about open floor plans and grand vaulted ceilings vs a more traditional type of house that has regular sized ceilings and more designated rooms. Has anyone gone from a big open floorplan house back to a more traditional one?
We are doing this as we are moving to a new state. Our current house in the place we are leaving is very open and massive ceilings. But heating or cooling the space is very difficult and very expensive. We can never seem to get the heating or cooling right as heat rises and the second floor temperature is always vastly different from the first floor.
The new home we have is more functional, does not have vaulted ceilings but although it's 300 sq ft bigger than our current home, it seems smaller since it's not open. I like both houses for different reasons. The traditional house feels more like a home and I know the utility bills will be a lot less but I admit I'm going to miss the wow factor of our old vaulted ceiling house.
Anyone else went away from a grand house to a more modest set up?
Anyone else went away from a grand house to a more modest set up?
??
You say about the new house: "it's 300 sq ft bigger than our current home"
How is a larger home more modest?
Besides the better heating/cooling, you will have more options for furniture placement and more opportunities for art.
Enjoy!
I much prefer a non-open floor plan for the reasons I mentioned, and more!
Pitt Chick- I mean the house doesn't feel as big, that's all. Maybe modest wasn't he right term, Its that even though new house is a little bigger it seems more understated than the current house due to how the floorplan and ceilings are designed.
??
You say about the new house: "it's 300 sq ft bigger than our current home"
How is a larger home more modest?
Oh good grief. Really?
So, a $50k, 2,400sq/ft house in the country can in no way be more modest than a $5mil 1,000sq/ft luxury apartment in NYC, London or Paris? The house is more than Twice the size!!
So, a $50k, 2,400sq/ft house in the country can in no way be more modest than a $5mil 1,000sq/ft luxury apartment in NYC, London or Paris? The house is more than Twice the size!!
Such unnecessary drama!
That is not what the OP was talking about at all.... there is no need for you to take the OP's thread out of context.
I haven't experienced especially what you're talking about, but I did move from an apartment with 14 foot ceilings to an apartment with 7 foot ceilings.
The first few months I lived in the new place, I instinctively ducked a lot, even though I'm only 5'4".
There will be some adjustment to the lack of vertical space, but you will adjust.
I moved from a larger home with a vaulted Great Room into a slightly smaller home with a central hall and high, but not vaulted ceilings. One thing I will say, is that is easier to decorate this house. I spent a tremendous amount of time deciding how to make the old Great Room look serene and welcoming. I identified the "line" of the tops of the doors and windows, and tried to carry that "line" around the room as much as possible. We were on ladders hanging things.
That house was built in 1979, and it didn't have lighting in the ceiling. That is one thing I like about the new house. It has lights in the ceiling throughout the house.
Even though my house has some traditional features, it is big and open in the back, and I like how that feels. It has taken me 3 1/2 years to finally figure out some things about how to arrange furniture and how to hang things so that it feels right. Based on my experience, I'd say to understand that you might have to live in your new digs awhile to understand how to furnish and arrange it the way you like.
Our former home was over 4400 sq ft with an open concept. It seemed just as massive on the inside as it was on the outside. The rooms were pretty much a series of connected massive boxes that needed to be defined somehow. Our current home is definitely more traditional in design and older. It is 3700 feet but most of the rooms are defined and separate, which creates an intimate setting. It does have some openness but not to the point of the family room blending into another room. I don't know, the space just seems more functional as you said. More "homelike" and less industrial. I actually hate open floor plans.
this was a listing photo, just to show you what I'm talking about -
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