As long as you have 10' ceilings I think it is a non issue. Two-story foyers are very 90s in my book...and since the latest group of buyers is looking to do something different than their parents did, I think what you are doing makes sense.

Why would you not have a 2 story space in the foyer in a 9000 sq ft house? It's not like you need the extra square footage on the second floor. Obviously, if you have to ask, the preference is to have it.

10 foot ceilings?
I don't understand this. Maybe for the second floor, but I can't understand building new and not doing 12 foot ceilings.

Two story foyers are tacky. I think you made the right decision.

We have a two story foyer. The only thing good about it is no window above and we have a one story home. It's a total bitch to dust the light fixture and vent. The door itself needs a ladder to reach the top. Too much wall, not energy efficient. Live and learn.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question, what are the average utility bills for a 5000 sq foot house? 9000 sq ft? How many separate HVAC zones would you need? I'm thinking at least 4 separate HVACs in a 9000 sq foot house.

It depends on the floors and we are building with 2 x 6 construction for extra insulation and good windows.

You need 2 zones for basement/first and second floor and then three zones for basement/first, second and loft.

This is correct. We built a 9,800 sq ft house. We had three A/C units and we could program up to three zones for each unit. Having all the extra zones was great. We could keep the guest rooms and other lesser used rooms at a higher temp than the other rooms. Our master bedroom was a single zone -- we could cool that room without having to cool the whole floor.

Energy costs were comparable to our 1950s 3000 sq ft house. Home maintenance costs, however, were MUCH higher.

Shocker.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question, what are the average utility bills for a 5000 sq foot house? 9000 sq ft? How many separate HVAC zones would you need? I'm thinking at least 4 separate HVACs in a 9000 sq foot house.

It depends on the floors and we are building with 2 x 6 construction for extra insulation and good windows.

You need 2 zones for basement/first and second floor and then three zones for basement/first, second and loft.

Our heating bills on our 5000SF house are actually lower than our previous leeky 1950s 1500 SF rambler. It all depends on how well the home is insulated.

Imagine how low they would be if you had built a reasonably sized house.

+1

I think you sound like yet another spoiled rich person with no common sense living in la la land.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question, what are the average utility bills for a 5000 sq foot house? 9000 sq ft? How many separate HVAC zones would you need? I'm thinking at least 4 separate HVACs in a 9000 sq foot house.

It depends on the floors and we are building with 2 x 6 construction for extra insulation and good windows.

You need 2 zones for basement/first and second floor and then three zones for basement/first, second and loft.

This is correct. We built a 9,800 sq ft house. We had three A/C units and we could program up to three zones for each unit. Having all the extra zones was great. We could keep the guest rooms and other lesser used rooms at a higher temp than the other rooms. Our master bedroom was a single zone -- we could cool that room without having to cool the whole floor.

Energy costs were comparable to our 1950s 3000 sq ft house. Home maintenance costs, however, were MUCH higher.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question, what are the average utility bills for a 5000 sq foot house? 9000 sq ft? How many separate HVAC zones would you need? I'm thinking at least 4 separate HVACs in a 9000 sq foot house.

It depends on the floors and we are building with 2 x 6 construction for extra insulation and good windows.

You need 2 zones for basement/first and second floor and then three zones for basement/first, second and loft.

Our heating bills on our 5000SF house are actually lower than our previous leeky 1950s 1500 SF rambler. It all depends on how well the home is insulated.

Imagine how low they would be if you had built a reasonably sized house.

The truth is if we built a smaller home it would actually lose money because the final appraisal vs construction cost would be too close together.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question, what are the average utility bills for a 5000 sq foot house? 9000 sq ft? How many separate HVAC zones would you need? I'm thinking at least 4 separate HVACs in a 9000 sq foot house.

It depends on the floors and we are building with 2 x 6 construction for extra insulation and good windows.

You need 2 zones for basement/first and second floor and then three zones for basement/first, second and loft.

Our heating bills on our 5000SF house are actually lower than our previous leeky 1950s 1500 SF rambler. It all depends on how well the home is insulated.

Imagine how low they would be if you had built a reasonably sized house.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Serious question, what are the average utility bills for a 5000 sq foot house? 9000 sq ft? How many separate HVAC zones would you need? I'm thinking at least 4 separate HVACs in a 9000 sq foot house.

It depends on the floors and we are building with 2 x 6 construction for extra insulation and good windows.

You need 2 zones for basement/first and second floor and then three zones for basement/first, second and loft.

Our heating bills on our 5000SF house are actually lower than our previous leeky 1950s 1500 SF rambler. It all depends on how well the home is insulated.

Anonymous wrote:Serious question, what are the average utility bills for a 5000 sq foot house? 9000 sq ft? How many separate HVAC zones would you need? I'm thinking at least 4 separate HVACs in a 9000 sq foot house.

It depends on the floors and we are building with 2 x 6 construction for extra insulation and good windows.

You need 2 zones for basement/first and second floor and then three zones for basement/first, second and loft.

Anonymous wrote:Our 5,000 SF house has a 2-story foyer. For a 9,000 SF house, I'd expect a 3-story foyer.

hee hee

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
It's all about harmonious proportions. Nobody needs a two storey anything, but the entrance hall, as well as all the other rooms, need to be proportional to ceiling height, to make a pleasing volume.

Have you walked through a similar home and found it to be what you were looking for?
Don't build anything without experiencing for real what you're ordering.

We have a 2 story foyer right now and it's a smaller home (5000SF).

We were looking at the following and noticed most of the new homes in the 9000SF range don't have 2 story foyers

Without
https://www.redfin.com/VA/McLean/921-Saigon-Rd-22102/home/9272373
https://www.redfin.com/VA/McLean/6816-Wemberly-Way-22101/home/9270312
https://www.redfin.com/VA/McLean/6704-Lupine-Ln-22101/home/9270416
https://www.redfin.com/VA/McLean/9165-Old-Dominion-Dr-22102/home/9165817
https://www.redfin.com/VA/McLean/412-Chain-Bridge-Rd-22101/home/16898042
https://www.redfin.com/VA/McLean/6920-Arbor-Ln-22101/home/9276612
https://www.redfin.com/VA/McLean/6617-Brawner-St-22101/home/9391744
https://www.redfin.com/VA/McLean/8445-Portland-Pl-22102/home/9265543
https://www.redfin.com/VA/McLean/1706-Woodman-Dr-22101/home/9416680
https://www.redfin.com/VA/McLean/1915-Kenbar-Ct-22101/home/9484655

With
https://www.redfin.com/VA/McLean/1026-Founders-Ridge-Ln-22102/home/9852505
https://www.redfin.com/VA/McLean/6707-Wemberly-Way-22101/home/9270461

5000 square feet is small??? Try under 1200 square feet for small.

Smaller in relation to the home we are building (yes it is a large home already)