The second light in a country house. The second light in the house: to do or not
Currently under construction wooden houses are engaged in two cases: to live in these houses; surprise others that you are the owner of a house made of wood. In the second case, people most often visit such a room for holidays, weekends or business meetings. There is no need to especially puzzle over the arrangement of such a house, it just needs to be of high quality, have the basic elements of everyday life and be well lit. AT residential buildings everything is much more serious, they are trying to save every centimeter of space to make sure you can and make sure that every corner is used with limited space. But the topic of our article is the second light. You may not yet know what it is, but by the end of reading you will be fully aware of this concept, and also decide for yourself whether it is advisable to build wooden houses with a second light or not.
We will take a closer look at the following sections:
What is the second light and its positive aspects
Second light- this is a method of building wooden houses, in which they are not intentionally installed. As a result, you get one large and high room, over which the roof of the building is located. Thus, the visible space increases significantly, but if it is simpler, then this species construction is to combine the first and second floors of the log house.
People would not be people if they did not have adherents and obvious opponents of the construction of the second world. Aesthetics with two hands for its implementation, and rationalists will do everything just to mount the interfloor ceiling and organize a bedroom on the second floor. Both the first and second are right, and further you will understand why. To understand this, it is necessary to consider the positive and negative aspects of the second light.
What are the positive sides? With the help of the second light, you will give yourself a feeling of freedom, we are all used to living in apartments with low ceilings, but here we are invited to feel truly free, since the ceiling will not visually press on you. 
In addition, the second light is very solid, not everyone can afford it, so guests will appreciate your taste and understand that you are not an ordinary person, squeezed into the opinion of the majority, but are ready to experiment and this leads to gorgeous results.
Add to this the presence of abundant lighting due to the possibility of installation large windows. There will always be so much light in the house that people will envy. And green plants that exceed a height of several meters. How could you allow this in an apartment, but now everything will be different, you just have to try. A huge chandelier will create an additional atmosphere, yes, just such a chandelier as you have seen in films and palaces. If we have not convinced you yet, then look at the photo presented above, only it can change a lot, but imagine how it looks in real life.
Negative sides
But along with positive aspects, there are always negative ones. Since our site seeks to bring to the visitor all the information related to a particular topic, we simply cannot remain silent about the negative aspects of houses with a second light.
You will definitely lose a lot of space that could accommodate cabinets, beds, a kitchen, and maybe even a toilet. You may not have all this, since, in fact, you are giving up one large or two small rooms in favor of one huge and very high. Of course there is your cottage will number several hundred square meters, then this is not a problem and you can easily build it in the living room, but with budget construction, such generosity is not acceptable.
But another point is more important. No one has yet been able to break the laws of physics and for this to lead to good consequences. This we mean that there may be problems with heating the log house, in which there will be a second light. Warm air, one way or another, tends upward, and since a person cannot fly, he will always be in the cold part, i.e. down below. It is not rational to heat a space that will not be used. It is this argument that makes many people refuse the second light in the house. Below we will teach you how to solve a similar problem.
Additional material
While you are still confused and know whether you need it or not, we will give some tips for houses with a second light. In order not to lose heat, take care of the thermal insulation of the walls and roof, warm air thus will not leave the room.
In addition to this, we advise you to call specialists who will calculate required amount room heaters. Remember, you need heaters that radiate heat, ie. light. They are installed towards the floor of the building and heat the objects, not the air. If you give preference to heaters that drive air around the room with a fan, then this will not help, all the heat will still go up. Therefore, do not make a mistake when choosing a room heater.
Just a chic addition to this would be the installation of a warm floor. If it doesn’t work out well, then it will walk along warm floor and enjoy just a gigantic room with a second light. Many people have already confirmed that .
This is how he will fight the cold, although in the summer this will not have to be done, and they go to rest in such houses most often in summer time, but New Year to meet him is very good.
This can be completed. You can read all the pros and cons of the second light and decide for yourself whether it is worth building it or not. Remember that it can always be rebuilt, but why ruin a piece of art. It's better to quit right now. Remember only one thing - the second light does not have to be built in the entire frame, you can separate it for small space, and in the rest to build a second residential floor, resulting in good bedrooms, but at the same time, part of the house will be without a ceiling. It is here that he will receive guests and celebrate holidays.
The second light in the house - what is it? We can see it in all its splendor in historical films describing the brilliant life of kings in luxurious palaces. A fashionable and effective technique, which is successful in Europe, is gradually gaining sympathy in the Russian expanses. This option will appeal to people with non-standard thinking, able to appreciate wide opportunities that open for design.
The second light in the house - what kind of know-how is this?
The meaning of this architectural technique is that the ceilings between the floors are eliminated inside the building. On the second floor, there is either no access at all, or there is a walk-through gallery along the perimeter of the room. Thus, a spacious room is formed, the area visually increases, it becomes possible to provide more efficient
As a rule, this room is used as a front living room, where it will be possible to organize a reception for guests. highest level. In addition, the possibility of arranging a second light is provided in mansard-type cottages. If the tenant does not plan to actively use attic space, it makes sense to open the living space to the sun's rays.
The architect in this case can provide for the installation of high stained-glass windows, panoramic windows, giving lightness and airiness to the structure. The lighting project may have various variations. In the literal sense of the word, a person has the opportunity to breathe deeply, since there is a lot of air in the large hall.
The second light in architecture has its limitations. In the event that the height exceeds the area of \u200b\u200bthe room, it will look unaesthetic. A person will begin to feel like in a well or a chimney.
Chandeliers, sconces and other subtleties
The second light in the house is what useful invention? The designer here can unfold to the full extent of his talent. In particular, the lighting project has more room for variation. It becomes possible to hang a large front chandelier, as in a theater or royal palaces. To ensure uniform illumination of the entire space, it makes sense to install Spotlights, bra.
In the complex, all devices will provide soft diffused light, which can be easily adjusted as desired.
Space planning
Before taking action decisively, one should carefully consider functional purpose the resulting premises. The vast space of the first floor should not be turned into an empty, lifeless space. great option for the device of a drawing room, a hall for receptions. room with high ceilings also has good acoustic properties. It is perfect for placing a piano or grand piano.
The remaining space on the second floor should also be used with maximum benefit.
Here you can arrange a bedroom, an office. If this is a palace-type mansion, then the option remains with stairs connecting at the top with protruding balconies or a gallery.
Advantages
The advantages of the second light are immediately revealed to the naked eye. This option makes the room more spacious. The hall is full sunlight, opens a wide view of the surrounding space. The facade, decorated with high stained-glass windows or panoramic windows, no longer looks like a blank box with loopholes.
There is a possibility of numerous experiments with different lighting fixtures. You can arrange your small version concert hall with a huge classical chandelier.
disadvantages
"The second light in the house - what an extra expense!" - this is how a person can exclaim, counting every penny with a calculator in his hands. First of all, it's a loss. usable area. A vast space where you can arrange a couple of rooms immediately becomes inaccessible.
There are also problems with heating. The inexorable laws of physics require warm air to rise and cold air to sink accordingly. At conventional radiators the tenant will intensively heat the space under the ceiling. The wide ones, which are implied when arranging the second light, will also begin to let a lot of heat out.
Difficulties exist to be overcome...
The disadvantages associated with the device of the second light have been stated above. There is a legitimate question: "What to do?"
The problems associated with heating a living space are easy to solve with current technologies. Underfloor heating is the main solution to the problem of heating when installing a second light. The source of warm air is constantly under the feet of the residents, respectively, there should not be any problems with heating.
Large windows are a source of heat transfer to the outside. And there are solutions to these problems. First of all, it is necessary to arrange the window openings along south side building. So the premises will receive maximum amount sunlight and in winter period. In addition, do not stand still and modern technologies glass manufacturing. In Europe, for many years, such material has been gaining popularity, such as
It has a unique ability to pass solar radiation into the room, while delaying the return of heat to the outside.
In any case, houses with a second light are mansions of an elite, luxury category. It is worth using this method only when there are enough square meters to satisfy a purely
The second light is an architectural tradition inherited by us from time immemorial. The majestic Gothic churches of the Middle Ages, the palaces of kings, dukes successfully implemented a trend that is gaining a second wind in our days.
Second light in planning wooden house is an original architectural solution that allows even a small room to give significance and a more luxurious layout.
What is the second light?
The second light is a room without ceilings between two or more floors. Such a combination of space adds space to the room and natural light. The second light has long been used in medieval Gothic churches, huge palaces for better natural lighting in the absence of another. Thanks to the second light in such buildings, a feeling of spaciousness and grandeur was created. Additional windows the second light made the halls brighter, and, in addition, beautifully decorated the facades. Today, the second light is widely used in theaters, cinemas, hotels and is a fairly common solution in the planning of country houses.
In which houses can you plan a second light?
The second light can be planned in houses from any building material. The second light will look best in big house area from 200 square meters. Our project is an example. country house Modest or Project Lilia. But also completely small room acquires much more solidity with the second light. Space lovers create a second light and in one-story house, while partially disassembling the ceilings of the attic, see, for example, our projects Carolina or Silva. A professional can organically design a second light in urban two-story apartments. A beautifully designed and decorated second light is a sign of luxury, wealth and professional design houses or apartments.
How is the second light created?
The second light can be made by either lowering the floor level or removing the ceiling. For the first option, you will need more additional steps from the room with the second light. The second option is the most common and involves the absence of ceilings and, accordingly, the living room above the living room.
What are the benefits of a second light?
- Aesthetic beauty.
- Adding breadth of space to a small space.
- Adding natural light.
- Opportunity to realize interesting design solutions in the interior (use of large chandeliers, massive furniture, decoration tall plants and indoor trees.)
What are the disadvantages of the second light?
- Reducing living space.
- Heat loss of the room due to large area glazing.
- Difficulty cleaning large windows, especially upper level windows.
What are the features of arranging a room with a second light in a wooden house?
- A room with a second light is a room with high ceilings, where all the warm air rises to the non-residential area, so you need to think carefully about the ventilation and heating system of the space. An excellent solution in this case would be a fireplace or underfloor heating. You also need to take care of the installation quality windows that will keep warm well.
- The specificity of the second light implies the presence of a staircase and an internal balcony above the second light room. It is necessary to secure these two zones for households, especially if there are small children among them, by arranging comfortable, durable handrails of the required height.
- From the inner balcony opens interesting view to the living room, which can be beautifully beaten by developing its interior.
- Big hall with a second light has excellent acoustics, it is an excellent place for piano or other musical instruments.
- There is a specificity of lighting a room with a second light. In order for the light to be evenly scattered in the room at night, it is necessary to hang chandeliers descending on chains, install floor lamps or table lamps, and consider additional sconces or spotlights.
Building a house outside the city, and especially a wooden one, from warm, natural material, which provides a wonderful opportunity to realize any architectural and design idea, I want space and getting rid of the usual frames and cramped areas of city apartments. The second light will suitable solution, which will give the house from the timber eccentricity and showiness. One of the features of the second light in wooden houses is the absence of a ceiling, which is the attic or the ceiling of the second tier. This creates a feeling of spaciousness in a wooden cottage, opens the upper textured wooden beams, while the room really becomes more voluminous and solid, not to mention the fact that it is twice as light. Many timber house projects involve a second light above the living room. The huge advantage of a wooden house is that such a solution will not lead to high costs for electricity and heating, such as in brick house. After all main feature wood is heat preservation ability, so the second light in wooden house will be a very harmonious solution.
We offer to go to the section of our website Projects, where about 500 finished projects houses from a bar, among which you can choose a beautiful country house from a bar with a second light.
We also made a selection of photos for you. interesting interior rooms with a second light, which may inspire you to create your own original design second world.
From small apartments from a bedroom under the ceiling to country mansions with an open second floor: we often publish photos of multi-level dwellings on our blog, so it's time to understand the terms and list the pros and cons of such a layout.
“The second light is that part of the volume of the room that falls on the plans of the overlying floors. Simply put, a double-height room occupies two or more floors in height, ”explains architect Elina Bogus the strict meaning of the term.
In ordinary speech, the second light we often call not upper part free space, but the rooms located at its level, especially if they are small and open. In this case, it would be more correct to talk about the second floor or tier, or use the term mezzanine.
Mezzanine - p a platform in the volume of a double-height room with an area of \u200b\u200bnot more than 40% of the floor area of \u200b\u200bthe double-height room or an internal platform of an apartment located within a floor with an increased height, having an area size of not more than 40% of the area of \u200b\u200bthe room in which it is being built ( SNiP 31-03-2001).
The mezzanine can be either a small balcony a meter from the ceiling, or an almost full-fledged room, and in the latter case, the remaining space can rightfully be called double-height.
So, what are the features, pros and cons of houses with double-height rooms?
Aesthetics. First, it's beautiful. Such a house is associated with a luxurious bohemian or aristocratic life, and objectively being in a space with an abundance of light and very high ceilings is pleasant.
Save/waste space. Everyone who is considering whether to make a second light in a room two full stories high is tempted... not to do it. Indeed, the second light in the spacious country house- luxury, in its place it is quite possible to place one or two more full-fledged rooms. On the other hand, in ordinary apartments with very high ceilings, where it is still impossible to make a full-fledged second floor, the mezzanine can be added up to 40% of the area and will unload the main level of the house.
Light. Regardless of whether you put panoramic windows, or leave them in two rows, the double-height room will be bright. This is important if you live in an area where there is little sunlight. True, you will have to make sure that the windows are really well insulated.
Noise. Partially missing ceiling between floors and high empty walls create excellent acoustics, so even not the loudest sounds will fly upstairs. Fans of open floor plans and large common spaces will love this effect, but if there are children in the house or the sleep patterns of family members are very different, this can be a problem. Dense curtains and other sound-absorbing coverings can help a little.
Stairs. AT two-storey houses it cannot be avoided, but if you are going to build a mezzanine in the ordinary apartment, think twice. small daily exercise stress a healthy person will only benefit, but for young children, the elderly and people with injuries, stairs can become a serious obstacle. In addition, a full-fledged staircase takes up a lot of space, and often they make it very steep or simply put an attic.
Cleaning. A room with a second light is minus a few square meters of floors that need to be washed, but plus high walls and windows, as well as chandeliers and curtains hanging from the ceiling, which will also need to be cleaned from time to time. The height of an ordinary ladder may not be enough for this.
Heating. Spacious houses with two-height rooms are often difficult to heat: warm air goes upstairs into a useless space. In such cases, it is advised to install radiant heaters or make a warm floor.
Ventilation. Double-height rooms are usually used as common rooms, but the bedrooms are arranged under the ceiling, so you need to check if the house is well ventilated, and, if possible, make a second level near the ventilation hole. Otherwise, you risk constantly not getting enough sleep due to stuffiness.
The project of a two-level workshop for a creative family
Choice of furniture and decor. The decor of the double-height space is a real challenge, both complex and interesting. It, for example, requires more massive furniture, so you can afford to buy a huge leather sofa. But the main thing to consider is that you will look at the double-height space not only from the height of human growth, but also from above. An unusual arrangement of chairs, a pattern of a carpet will be read much better, but something superfluous can also get into the field of view. The design of high walls, which without decor will seem too bare, can also become a problem.
P.S. If you like double-height spaces and want to learn more about them, stay tuned to our blog. Tomorrow designer Evgenia Topilskaya on the example real project will tell and show how to organize a mezzanine in a city apartment.
Cover photo: superdom.ua
1. What does “second light” mean?
Second light- this is a room in a house without ceilings on the second (third, etc.) floor. On the professional language architects call this technique double-height hall. In the educational literature on architecture, this definition sounds like this: “DOUBLE HALL (see. HALL), a front room, a hall with a wall height of two floors (not separated by a ceiling) and two rows of windows. "Second light" is called the upper tier of walls and windows".
2. The history of the construction of buildings with a second light.
This architectural technique in construction has been known since the construction of palaces and estates of the Middle Ages. Both in European and in architecture Russian Empire many examples of use double-height halls during the construction of the royal choir of past centuries.
For example, the Banquet Hall Banquet House) at Whitehall Palace (now defunct) in London was built in 1619-1622 in the style of English classicism, where a single double-height hall. By noble solemnity and magnificent composition of the building, this palace was the first of its kind in Great Britain.
A magnificent monument of the 18th century rises in St. Petersburg - the first building northern capital for the decoration of which marble of 32 types was used. The halls of this palace amaze with richness and elegance, the main staircase led to the upper floors. The main room of which - the Marble Hall was reconstructed in the 19th century, it was removed interfloor overlap second and third floors and the Marble Hall became two-light as we see it now. The ceiling of wonderful beauty was raised to the ceiling of the third floor and crystal chandeliers appeared.
In the history of architecture, they are also known with a second light. This was the case with Elizaveta Petrovna, who lived remotely during the reign of Anna Ioannovna in Pokrovsky-Rubtsovo, not far from Moscow. According to legend, Elizabeth lived there cheerfully, arranging holidays, dancing and festivities. The wooden palace was located on the shore of the pond: one-story, on a high basement, with a central double-height hall. This monument wooden architecture has not survived to this day, it is only known that it was decorated in Japanese and Chinese style.
To most of our readers, the buildings second light known from an early age. After all, many of us in childhood visited various circles on astronomy, aircraft modeling, knitting, cutting and sewing or music studios in the Palace of Pioneers or the House of Culture, went to the pool in the swimming section. It was there that we could first meet this architectural technique. two-light space with tiers of windows in many rows. Of course, most did not even pay at that time to design features different public buildings but space inner space certainly could not fail to notice, since these public institutions very different from our standard apartments.
For example, the Palace of Pioneers on the Lenin Hills in Moscow is the most successful building of the Khrushchev “thaw”, as the embodiment of the ideas of constructivism. The main building is the largest object of the complex, divided into several buildings, adjacent to the ends to the extended volume connecting them, where spectacular spacetwo-light winter garden. It is possible to treat our common Soviet past in different ways, but it is worth recognizing that at that time the state did not save on the education, development and health of children, therefore, magnificent palaces of pioneers and palaces of culture were erected for the future builders of communism, in which various architectural techniques were used, most memorable of which was double-height space.
It's no secret that many historic buildings Russian capital at one time they were repaired or reconstructed, and as a result they lost their original function, suddenly turning into offices or apartments. But still the buildings remained, and to this day they have retained the purpose for which they were created a century ago. One of them is the former Palace of Pioneers on Sparrow Hills with two-light room in the winter garden.
Organization two-light space is also often found in other public buildings: railway stations, airports, sports halls and indoor stadiums, in institutions of mass cultural organizations, restaurants, cafes, pavilions, etc.
4. Why do modern developers like a wooden house with a second light?
What is it that attracts a modern developer so much in this rather "state-owned" architectural technique today? Probably, it is this increase in space and the feeling of airiness, freedom, which is so lacking in our rather cramped apartments, limited by a box of walls from ceilings. Second light visually enlarges the room not only because of the absence of ceilings where they usually are, but also the upper row of windows in the second tier gives additional natural lighting to the room with a second light.
Each developer, planning his second light, probably imagines it in the form of a manor, a family nest, secretly dreaming of having something like a palace choir in order to feel in the personal possession of a status owner of respectable housing: if not marble palace, then at least the estates, second light in which, undoubtedly, gives representativeness.
In the peasant "double-fat huts", so that the heat did not go upstairs, the stairwell, together with the stairs leading upstairs, was tightly sewn up with boards. Thus, in the lower room, and most often it was big kitchen with a Russian stove, there was such a structure in the form of a booth, in which there was a ladder for climbing to the upper part of the house. This suggests that in the peasant house they cherished warmth and such uncomplicated, but effective way We tried to evenly distribute it throughout the house. Indeed, according to the researcher of Russian architecture M. Krasovsky, two-story huts were built “especially in the northern provinces, where there are still a lot of forests ...”(admittedly, there is still “a lot of it” in the “northern provinces”, and especially in the Kostroma region), and even in the north, a person appreciates warmth more than anywhere else and builds wooden houses, taking into account the maximum preservation of it in his home.
D) acoustics in a wooden house with a second light;
There are some other features in a house with a second light that some may find inconvenient - this is the propagation of sound from below throughout the house. If there are intermediate floors in a wooden house, they significantly muffle the sound coming from below. In a log house with a second light, the sound from the lower room echoes throughout the house. The second light is traditionally made in the living room, where the TV is located, where all family members and their guests gather. Thus, if there are children in the house and they are already going to bed in the evening, and you hear sounds from TV or conversations in your living room, then this noise will be carried throughout the house, going upstairs, preventing the younger members of the family from falling asleep. In this case, you need to take care of additional soundproofing in advance, especially in the children's rooms upstairs.
E) the second light in a wooden house and children's pranks;
With children in the family, there is a danger of having a second light in a wooden house. You can often hear from the owners of such houses that boys and girls sometimes like to play, jumping from top to bottom over the railing of the second floor, come up with descents “like on a parachute” with an umbrella and other fun - children's ingenuity is inexhaustible! In such cases, injuries to children or breakage of various pieces of furniture are inevitable, since it is almost impossible to predict what your child will invent (especially without parental supervision, left alone) in a house with such interesting layout with a second light, where there is space and where there is a children's fantasy to roam.
6. What should you pay attention to first of all if you decide to build a wooden house with a second light?
If the future developer is not stopped by any of the negative arguments above, he is ready to overcome them, then first of all, attention should be paid to heating the house. Highly right decision will equip a warm floor, in which the heat will be forcibly held down. And than more area warm floor, the greater the effect will be from it. Thus, the increase in costs from the operation of a warm floor in a room with a second light about 6 m high will be 20% higher than in a room with a ceiling about 3 m high.
If you use only convectors for heating a house from a log house, then the increase in costs can even be 80% - it's a lot or a little, it's up to you. According to the heating efficiency of a wooden house with a second light, the following rating can be made: warm floors come first, then registers, then cast iron radiators, aluminum radiators, and last but not least, convectors. If the frost is -20 degrees outside the window, and the temperature of the warm floors is +24 degrees, then the measurements from the floor will be as follows: 1cm from the floor +21 degrees, 2cm from the floor +20 degrees, 4m from the floor +19.5 degrees, 5m (almost under the ceiling) + 16-19 degrees.
Thus, in terms of heating costs for a wooden house with a second light, a significant increase in the budget is required. And houses from a bar with a double-height room, as a rule, are built large, where, for the sake of a spectacular view of the front room, they sacrifice additional living space on the second floor, therefore, its inhabitants must be wealthy people who can afford the maintenance of such expensive house. Log house with a second light because of its non-standard layout belongs to the category luxury houses compared to other wooden houses of the same area.
In any case, if the time comes when you get tired of living in such an elite house or you get tired of overpaying for its expensive maintenance, you get tired of living in a "palace" or "house of culture", then in a wooden house there is always an opportunity to correct the situation: contact conscientious construction company with qualified craftsmen who will professionally make inter-ceiling ceilings. Then your house will have additional rooms on the second floor and the heat will be more evenly stored at the top and bottom of the house.
