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Posted by Michael \(LS\) on November 2, 2007, 4:25 pm
> Hi Folks,
>
> I'm working over some house plans with my builder and would like input
> on a foyer question. The geometry is very difficult to describe, but
> basically we would like to bring some natural lighting into the home
> from a dormer that sits about 6' above the entrance door. The foyer
> is an area about 8 x 12', and opens to a kitchen/living room area with
> a cathedral ceiling (the peak of the cathedral ceiling is centered
> over the main living area, and runs left to right from the perspective
> of the front door).
>
> There are two options we're considering for the foyer. One is to 'box
> in' the elevated ceiling, so the entire foyer area has a ceiling
> height of approximately 18 feet. All four walls of this elevated
> ceiling area will be plumb, and the height will drop back down to the
> 9' ceiling height before entering into the cathedral area. There is
> no integration of the foyer ceiling with the cathedral. This seems
> 'cleaner, but might limit the natural lighting that goes into the main
> living area because of the 'low' 9' ceiling at the opposite end of the
> foyer.
>
> The other option is to integrate this raised ceiling with the
> cathedral. This is really hard to describe. Basically, for the width
> of the foyer, we would carry the _opposite_ side of the cathedral
> ceiling upward, at the same slope, past the peak of the cathedral,
> until it meets the ceiling in the foyer. The side walls and front of
> the foyer would be done the same way. This second approach would give
> all of the natural lighting a path into the kitchen area and
> everywhere else, but i'm a little concerned about all the angles and
> any potential difficulty framing it in.
>
> One other consideration is that the basement stairwell could use all
> the natural lighting it can get. The first option would 'box in' this
> natural lighting more, and may result in better lighting of the
> stairwell...i'm not sure.
>
> Any suggestions? Sorry if my descriptions aren't very clear.
>
This is all new construction? If it's an existing home ignore my post as
I'm going to assume this is all new construction.
I'd go with option #2. To be honest, I doubt I'd even consider option #1
because I think it'll look horrendous (at least they way I have it
"pictured" - which might not be accurate). Option #1 means you walk into an
"elevator shaft" foyer and directly ahead of you (ok, ahead and up) is a
freakin' wall from 9' up to 18'. While putting a painting or some other
decorative item on that wall area will help make it less atrocious looking,
it still won't look/feel as good as a vaulted foyer meshing with the main
vault.
Option #2 gives you a more inviting feel as the foyer is less confined and
the main vault can be seen from the foyer. Now, if you had a sketch of the
floor plan (even rough) that we could see we could better understand the
"feel" of the whole structure and offer more solid opinions (though not
necessarily more of a consensus). Exterior elevations would be helpful as
dormers tend to be sized too big/small way to often (IMHO).
The success of the foyer really depends upon the desired feel and the foyers
connection (both inside and out) with the rest of the house. A rectangular
foyer, walled on 3 sides (and partially on 4 - like opt #1) tends to be a
much more formal (possibly less inviting, but certainly more private
feeling) than opt #2. If the home is in a style that dictates it, or you
desire it, than fine, but it really depends upon a lot more than just what
you've given us.
As far as Don's mention of cost, ignore it (sorry Don but the costs really
only varies if this is a remodel/addition, if it's all new construction then
cost isn't much of a factor).
HTH,
Michael (LS)
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