Creating a privacy zone out in the open

The so-called great room, combining kitchen, living and dining spaces, has reigned as the preferred layout for years.

This spacious look is unlikely to lose its appeal — but now a few tweaks are needed.

“My clients still like and want the open floor plan,” says Paul Welden, an agent with Homesmart in Phoenix. But if a home doesn’t have another place for a home office, or if the great room can’t be reconfigured for a private space, buyers may not “even consider it,” he adds.

More hours logged at home during this pandemic highlight the noise and privacy problems of open layouts that were already irking some, but experts have some solutions.

Knowing the cost and feasibility of fixes can help buyers understand whether or not to keep a home in the running. Here are a couple of tips:

Close off space when needed

“I’m seeing more buyers deciding to renovate with pocket doors,” says Shea Adair, of exp Realty near Raleigh, N.C.

These are “literally doors that slide into a pocket in the wall,” explains Dawn Zuber, an architect in Plymouth, Michigan.

Popular in the late 1800s and again in the 1950s and ’60s, today’s version has sturdier tracks that allow the door to be pulled out or in. But there are limitations. “You can’t have a light switch or electrical outlet in the same section of the wall,” she adds, unless the wall is built thicker than average.

They are also more expensive than swinging doors, an option that creates privacy but can’t be reversed to an open look.

Tamp down the volume

Hard surface flooring is typical in open designs, which can create a noise chamber when combined with hard counters.

For noise emanating only from footfall, says Bonnie Schnitta of acoustics consulting company Soundsense, you can install a special pad known as Vibramat under an area rug to soften sounds, with a cost of roughly $5 per foot.

Or mute echoes with Lumitex, which costs approximately $50 per yard and can be used to line curtains or carpets’ underside.