Pros and Cons of an Open Floor Plan

Open Floor Plans

Open floor plans are among some of the most sought after during the home buying process. They are characterized by one or more large, open rooms that function as multiple in one living space. The most common of which is a great room, which combines the kitchen, dining area, and living room in one space. Open floor plans work well with both small and large spaces. However, they are not the best for everything or everyone. Here are the pros and cons of an open floor plan.

Pros:

• More social time

An open floor plan allows you to have more entertaining time. The person cooking or cleaning can converse with people in the other room, while they are cooking, cleaning, or serving the food.

• Increase natural light and views

Removal of interior walls allows the sunlight from windows to stretch throughout the house. Additionally, open floor plans allow the views outside of the room to become part of the room. The light and views give the already larger area a spacious and airy feel.

• Keep an eye on the kids

Since an open floor plan creates one large room, it makes it easier to keep up with what the kids are doing while you’re doing household duties.

Cons:

• Less privacy

Since an open floor plan combines rooms into one, there isn’t as much privacy. A closed floor plan has enclosed spaces, which makes it better for homes where everyone needs their own space. Additionally, open floor plans have poor sound control, as the noise can easily travel from one area to another. This could make it difficult to have private conversations.

• Harder to clean and contain messes

Open floor plans are exactly what the name suggests…open. As such, any mess made is out in the open. This means that you might have to spend more time on cleaning up every day. Closed spaces can help to hide a mess that you don’t want to clean yet.

• Costly to heat and cool

Closed floor plans allow you to heat some rooms while leaving others unheated. However, that isn’t possible for an open floor plan, as all rooms share the same heating and cooling system.