You do realise that by having more doors, it means that there are more doors that your wife can slam in your face. 😋 

😁

After more than a quarter of a century married, she’s more than inventive enough already if the situation calls (and I have deserved it on occasion). Another door or two would only serve to reduce the volume; silver linings and all that…

You do realise that by having more doors, it means that there are more doors that your wife can slam in your face. 😋 

Fair enough and I agree that a closed staircase would reduce hot air rising, although I suspect that convection downstairs together with transmission through an uninsulated ceiling/floor would still convey a lot of heat to the upstairs.  Nevertheless it will doubtless have an effect (and you could insulate the floor/ceiling void).  Also, as you say, if its fire resistant will also aid with fire compartmentalisation.  So from a purely technical function perspective I wouldn't dispute that there is no good reason to avoid this design style. 

Of course houses are for living in as well, and many people prefer fairly (or almost completely) open plan.  That said, fashion has probably made this more popular than its due and fashions have a habit of reversing!

Houses certainly often used to hide stairs behind doors, probably so the occupants could heat rooms separately rather than the whole house at a time. I can’t see a good reason for not moving back to that compartmental design.

Houses used to have almost no insulation, so compartmentalising made a big difference.  For well insulated houses the difference is smaller, because the thermal conductivity between rooms is much greater than the thermal conductivity between the inside and the outside.

could be to design houses once again

Without an upstairs?

He, he.

You got me rereading what I posted. Fortunately, I did say “once again with…” so there was a qualifying part to the sentence.

Houses certainly often used to hide stairs behind doors, probably so the occupants could heat rooms separately rather than the whole house at a time. I can’t see a good reason for not moving back to that compartmental design.

There’s something to be said for ‘living’ upstairs in the heated environment and retiring to the lower level to sleep. Anyone carried out an analysis of energy consumption with such an arrangement? Regards, Toodles.

Our last house it was, coolest and most stable temperature summer and winter room in the house, very quiet also. The upstairs was left for guests, way to warm in the summer.

could be to design houses once again

Without an upstairs?