Find the balance between the large, open room and privacy. Photo Credit: smoMashup

A Great Room combines the best of traditional rooms to create one super room. For instance, sometimes the kitchen and living room are drawn together without separation of walls or doors to make a giant intertwined room.  Does the mega space room trump the traditional room?

Well, for starters, these super-sized rooms are much larger in scale. On average, they use about 15% of the home’s square footage. They often have a second story loft overlooking the larger room. This type of architectural design is gaining in popularity and seems to be the wave of the future.  Now, I’m not one to build walls, but don’t we need a few, once in a while?

To some, an obvious drawback to the Great Room is a lack of privacy. Others may thrive on this open space, but if you need to build in some privacy, install French doors for additional seclusion.  Or try building a collection of normal rooms but make them connected with the option of a partition. Money Magazine says this alternative is less expensive than a swath of open rooms.

The celebrity chef in all of us loves the idea of a massive kitchen falling off directly to the entertainment room. This type of kitchen may be big enough to feed an army but is it practical for everyday use?

Nowadays, bigger appliances make it necessary to have ample space in the kitchen. However, if you have to roller blade from the oven to the refriger...

Read the full article in the CalFinder Remodeling and Home Solar Power Magazine