What Are The Challenges Of Designing A House For A Cold Climate Floor Plan

When creating a floor plan for a home in a cold climate, it’s essential to consider how the house will function for the people living there. It’s also important to consider how the home will be heated and what materials can be used to maximize its combustion. A well-designed home in a cold climate should be cozy, functional, and made to withstand the elements. But designing a house like that does come with some challenges.

Open Concept Or Rooms?

One of the biggest challenges of designing a floor plan for a home in a cold climate is maximizing the area’s area's heat while making the floor plan livable for people. In aAnn concept f, door open-concept, a cold environment is a perfect choice.

Even though open-concept homes are popular now, having smaller rooms with walls is a better plan for a home in a cold climate. Walls can act as insulators to keep heat inside, and when a home has many smaller rooms, the family living there can block off rooms when necessary to direct the heat to the rooms where they stay the most.

Wood Flooring Or Carpet?

Durable laminate flooring is trendy because it’s cost-effective, easy to maintain, and comes in many colors and styles. But in a cold climate, laminate flooring will be constantly hard underfoot and can leech heat out of the rooms. Modern designers don’t want wall-to-wall carpets, but in a cold climate, a sturdy carpet can insulate the floor and help keep heat in during the coldest weather.

Hardwood floors are also a poor choice for a cold climate because the wood will expand and contract when the temperature gets held and the heating system comes on. Unless the home has radiant in-floor heating, carpet is a better choice than any other type of flooring.

Windows Are A Must, But They Must Be Insulated

Having many windows in a home in a cold climate may seem like a poor design, but when the sun does shine, those windows will let in all that natural light and heat. But, the windows must be double-paned and insulated to ensure that they aren’t aren't heat seep out while allowing natural warm sunlight in. Skylights should be avoided if they are not quality because they can crack or leak if snow builds up on the roof.

Get Professional Design Help

If you’re you're home in a cold climate and want to ensure that your home’s home plan is designed for maximum comfort and efficiency in the most frigid winter weather, talk to the professional designers at Oza Sabbeth today. Together, we can create your dream home that will be warm, inviting, and practical.