Reviewing several different floor plans with sunken great rooms will show you the myriad design possibilities of this beautiful and functional room. Whether you will be adding a sunken great room to an existing home or building a new custom home, sunken great rooms give a home architectural interest and pizzazz!
Beyond the stunning style element of a sunken great room, it also serves to distinguish and divide living spaces without the use of walls and is perfect for a double sided fireplace. A sunken great room also opens up exciting options for enhanced views in a variety of dramatic window configurations. Sunken great rooms, especially in conjunction with cathedral ceilings, will help simplify furniture placement. A sofa may be placed under a window rather than in front of a window which lets the natural beauty of a palladian or other decorative window shine and soak in the view.
The only drawback to a sunken living room may be drafts as the cold air settles into the space. This can be corrected with cold air returns placed either in the last step into the room or on the wall. Elegant sunken great rooms and grand stone fireplaces go together naturally, and when cold air returns are properly in place, your sunken great room/gathering room will surely be the coziest room in the house, and especially fabulous for entertaining.
Do-It-Yourself Home Design
Feeling creative? If ideas for your new home with a sunken great room have been occupying every waking moment and you see your gorgeous new home every night in your dreams, perhaps you will be intrigued by the challenge of designing your own home. Designing with a software program that shows views in 3D is exciting and rewarding.
A good start would be to review several home designs on one of the many online plan websites. Discovering new ideas and ways of configuring rooms within a variety of architectural designs will be invaluable for creating your own unique floor plan for a custom home, or to remodel your existing home.
A wonderful resource for designing your own plan is Home Designer Professional 8.0, which is based on the professional version of Chief Architect used by architects and draftspeople the world over. With this design software and a little creativity you can develop a floor plan that encompasses all the features and design elements you have ever wanted in your dream home. The program is easy to learn and you will be designing in short order. Another good software program is SketchUp. This free program is fun and easy to learn and a more advanced version is available for purchase.
Resources for Floor Plans with Sunken Great Rooms
If you are less hands on and would like to purchase a pre-made floor plan designed by a professional architect, custom home building designs and floor plans with sunken great rooms are widely available online, traditional brick and mortar home design and building warehouses throughout North America, a variety of home plan books, and subscription magazines like Select Home Designs.
The following online floor plan shopping resources feature sunken great room floor plans for new custom homes which you can review and purchase online. Many offer the option to reverse the plan or to customize it online and request a quote, allowing you the freedom to become your own architect and save several hundred dollars. Home designs featuring sunken great rooms range from traditional, Craftsman, Minimalist, and contemporary designs.
Architectural Designs
- This stylish 1712 square foot stucco clad home has a Florida or Mediterranean flavor and immense curb appeal. It features a charming 10 foot sunken great room with corner fireplace and 9 foot patio doors to welcome the view inside.
- This charming home is designed for a narrow lot and features a sunken great room with vaulted ceiling and fireplace.
Architectural Homes
- This magnificent home boasts a sunken great room among many other luxury features. It is over 7,500 square feet of understated elegance!
Studer Designs
- The Wentworth designed by Studer Designs features a balcony above the great room for even more drama.
Traditional Stick Building or Modular
Another option for building your custom home is modular. Prefabricated homes are built in a factory out of the harsh climate, impervious to moisture and wood-boring insects that can invade a stick built home. Modular home design embraces all styles and sunken great rooms can easily be integrated into the design along with cathedral or vaulted ceilings. Many modular builders have designers on staff who will work with you to achieve a floor plan that meets your design and budget specifications. There are some modular companies, like Royal Homes Limited located in Canada, who do not charge a fee for this service.
Extensive research is the key to finding the best plan and the builder who is best suited for your needs. You also have to be very sure of what you want. Review as many plans with sunken great rooms as you can find from a variety of resources. Interview architects and builders, ask them as many questions as you can think of and hire the people who can articulate your vision. When all is said and done, you want to be relaxing in your sunken great room feeling satisfied about your choices and loving your new home!
