Sep 16 2008
Brad Little, President of Case Handyman and Remodeling of Charlotte, says homeowners are steering away from cathedral-ceiling great rooms and opting for nine to ten foot ceilings instead.
The double-height rooms waste a lot of energy and they are expensive to heat and cool. Homeowners are concerned about energy costs, do not like the reverberated noise from these rooms, and could benefit from more usable floor space.
"We have had many homeowners asking us to close in these two-story great rooms for a few different reasons," says Little. "For one, we can create functional hobby rooms, offices or additional bedrooms. Also, by closing in these spaces, we are able to make the home easier to heat and cool."
"We decided to close in our two-story great room and add a home office suite," says David Carpenter, previous client of Case Handyman and Remodeling of Charlotte. "The room was very noisy and we felt it was just wasted space. Now my wife has a great home office that overlooks our pool."
Other trends include the addition of living spaces such as bedrooms, lofts, playrooms or entertainment rooms. Remodeling this existing space inside the home is more cost-effective than adding finished space outside the home.