Who started the master-down craze?... (Dallas, Howe: how much, home, neighborhood)

[Ralyks]

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[SIZE=3]We looked at a master-up when we were shopping, and therealtor told us the house was priced about 20k lower than it otherwise wouldhave been *because* the master was up, and that it would be harder for us to resell*because* the master was up. Well, we didn't care- where we come from, themaster was "up" as in on the second floor, but the second floor isalso your entry floor and has the kitchen and living room (finished basementsare the first floors). I like theconvenience of all bedrooms on one floor – cooling only one floor at night wheneveryone is asleep saves money, and if the kids wake up with a nightmare, Idon't trek all the way upstairs to put them back to bed. [/SIZE]
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[SIZE=3]But we lost our bid on that house. So maybe master-up wasn'tas unpopular as the realtor thought! We now have a master down (90% of the houses we looked athad them, so not a lot of choice). I do like having our own level at night whenthe kids are in bed so we can be as noisy as we want. And I do like themhanging out in their own loft during the day while I work downstairs. But Ihate the middle of the night trek-upstairs because of nightmare trips. [/SIZE]
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[thatdood]

I like our Master down and wouldn't want a Master Up in Texas. We have plenty of room downstairs for entertainment or we can go upstairs and enjoy the 1,000 sq ft media room and game room. I wouldn't want the electricity bills that would go along with Master Bedroom or everyday use bedrooms upstairs. As it is now I can turn on my 2 AC units downstairs and leave my AC unit upstairs off until I'm ready to use the space. Saves a ton of money.

[GripeWater]

Your kids don't need air conditioning in their rooms upstairs? If master bed room is upstairs as well then one only needs to keep upstairs cool which could save money. Cooling 1000 sq ft media room seems like a waste. :-)

[thatdood]

I don't have any rooms upstairs that must be cooled everyday so I'm lucky that I can just turn on the AC when the upstairs is in use. The bedrooms used everyday are downstairs. It's much cheaper to cool the first story than the 2nd story in the summer. That being said it would be cool to have a Master up and a second story patio/balcony that you could walk out on from the bedroom . That would be a really nice feature!

[lynnylo]

I prefer the master up houses, with the media room, rec room, game room and wet bar in the basement. Especially with small kids, who go to bed early, it is inconvenient to have the pool table and home theater right next to them. I really don't know who had this idea?

Plus, I don't like that even in the 4500sq ft houses with master down the first floor looks "cramped". For example the open kitchen was facing directly the family room...in almost every floor plan I saw. I cook at least two times a day and don't want to have the curtains, sofas and rugs smell like food.

I'll miss basements. I wish I could build a house with one of the floor plans from Maryland in Dallas. *sigh*

[DaveG99]

Originally Posted by thatdood

I like our Master down and wouldn't want a Master Up in Texas. We have plenty of room downstairs for entertainment or we can go upstairs and enjoy the 1,000 sq ft media room and game room. I wouldn't want the electricity bills that would go along with Master Bedroom or everyday use bedrooms upstairs. As it is now I can turn on my 2 AC units downstairs and leave my AC unit upstairs off until I'm ready to use the space. Saves a ton of money.

If you have a 1000sf media room and three air conditioners you probably dont have many money problems and saving the relatively small amount of air conditioner running cost shouldnt be a big deal.

[PanTerra]

Originally Posted by DaveG99

If you have a 1000sf media room and three air conditioners you probably dont have many money problems and saving the relatively small amount of air conditioner running cost shouldnt be a big deal.

But you only have to pay for the media room once. Those bills come every month.

[mSooner]

Plus, I don't like that even in the 4500sq ft houses with master down the first floor looks "cramped". For example the open kitchen was facing directly the family room...in almost every floor plan I saw. I cook at least two times a day and don't want to have the curtains, sofas and rugs smell like food.

Hmm...I've never had that problem. Unless you are talking about curry?

[Funtastic44]

Studio apartments save a lot of money and most come with community pool, media room, gym and rec rooms. Big homes cost money, if you buy one then be ready to deal with expenses.

[lynnylo]

Originally Posted by mSooner

Hmm...I've never had that problem. Unless you are talking about curry?

Curry, Seafood, Mexican, Thai, Mediterranean (with much garlic). I just like the kitchen being closed, or as far away from the living room as possible. But that's difficult with all the space a master bedroom+bathroom needs. That's why I prefer floor plans with the master up, a huuuuge kitchen, large study/library and the guest room on the first floor.