Thank you for your response. We have a two story great room as well. I love our neighborhood so we are trying to make the house work for us instead of moving. I initially loved the openness but as time has gone on and our family has grown it has started to just feel like wasted space.

Yes, this being done all the time, people close up 2 story foyers or turn vaulted ceilings into a living space. High ceilings can waste a substantial amounts of energy so people rather have more living space.

Talk to a local Architect and he will make a suggestion what would be the best way of doing this.

Good luck

I had the same in our first house: two-story foyer and living room in the back of the house. As we had 2 kids this just became wasted space! We put a floor above the living room and it made a nice big bonus room for the kids’ stuff.

In our current house, the master bedroom closet is over the front door then foyer opens up with the staircase. We have a semi-flush lantern at the entrance and a big lantern in the stairwell. I’d rather have a closet (in your case a bigger bathroom) then a taller foyer. Go for it if you love your neighborhood and don’t want to move!!

Thank you all! I'm glad to know that my idea in my head is actually feasible! We love our neighborhood and our town. Home values have gone up which is great for resale but not so much for buying in the same town. Now I'm contemplating adding a floor over the two story great room as well!

@Danielle Paul I know that your comment was posted 4 years ago but I was curious to hear more about your experience with putting a floor above your living room! Was it expensive? How long did it take, and was it challenging to complete? Just want to know what I should be aware of as we are looking to do this. Thank you!!