one story VS two story? (floor, bonus room, cleaning, costs)

[stc123]

Would you say that a one-story home is better because every thing is close and there no stairs? Or would you say that a 2-story home is better because it is quiet? For example you could put the kids to bed and keep on doing things without disturbing them?

[jhlcomp]

1 story for many reasons.

1. Ease of movement
2. split plan allows the children to be in their own section of the house
3. break a leg? no going up/down stairs
4. laundry care is easier - all on one level
5. just home with a new baby? no stairs to climb.
6. In laws visiting? No stairs to climb
7. Don't have to lug cleaning supplies up and down stairs
8. No possibility of falling down stairs
9. 2 story is not quieter - not by any stretch of the imagination

I wouldn't move into a story home not that there aren't some lovely, lovely homes. Well .. let's see -- some have elevators and that's a real bonus .. but I will stick 1 story.

Have fun!!

[christina0001]

I prefer how 2 story homes look vs. 1 story. But I work with senior citizens, and that gives me a bias towards 1 story homes. Stairs can really limit a person if and when health issues arise. I think my ideal home would be 1 story and really spread out, or a 2 story with at least 1 full bathroom and 1 bedroom on the ground floor.

[mbuszu]

Originally Posted by stc123

Would you say that a one-story home is better because every thing is close and there no stairs? Or would you say that a 2-story home is better because it is quiet? For example you could put the kids to bed and keep on doing things without disturbing them?

I have family with a 1 story split in which the bedrooms and a bathroom are separate from the other side of the home. That seems to address the "quietness" issue you mentioned very well - you can practically throw a party on one side and their child can remain undisturbed. The energy costs of a 1 story are presumably lower as well. What makes two story homes nice is the ability to have more house on less land - that is pretty much it. As a previous reply to this thread stated, seniors may not be able to use a 2-story's stairs very well - and I'll add neither will infants and young toddlers.

If I could afford enough land, I would build a 1 story vs a 2 story without hesitation. I would definitely want a daylight or walk-out basement though as I think those can be fantastic additions to any house.

[Cattknap]

We are retiring and moving next year - I adore the way two story homes look but one story is much more practical for us - my knees can't take constant climbing, they are fine for walking 10 miles but not for climbing up stairs. One story ranchers are much less available than two story houses. It is more expensive to build ranch style homes and of course takes more land. Once in a while I will see a ranch style house where they have make it look like there is an attic or small second story even though there isn't...love that. The other thing that we are considering is a two story house with a master and another bedroom on the main floor and two bedrooms and a bathroom and storage up stairs....if we can have all of the space we use on a daily basis on one floor with guest rooms upstairs, then that would also work for us.

[golfgal]

Originally Posted by Cattknap

We are retiring and moving next year - I adore the way two story homes look but one story is much more practical for us - my knees can't take constant climbing, they are fine for walking 10 miles but not for climbing up stairs. One story ranchers are much less available than two story houses. It is more expensive to build ranch style homes and of course takes more land. Once in a while I will see a ranch style house where they have make it look like there is an attic or small second story even though there isn't...love that. The other thing that we are considering is a two story house with a master and another bedroom on the main floor and two bedrooms and a bathroom and storage up stairs....if we can have all of the space we use on a daily basis on one floor with guest rooms upstairs, then that would also work for us.

These are some things we were thinking about when we bought this house but we were not able to find a single story at all, none. I love 2 story houses and we are still young enough not to have issues with stairs yet but we will most likely add a master bedroom on the main floor of this house if we end up staying here until retirement age.

My Dad has a house like you describe, it is a one story but it looks like a 2 story--very cute. They have a bonus room over the garage and a finished basement so there is a lot of extra living space for when the grandkids show up but they can pretty much do everything they need on the main floor.

[windflower]

I think a 2-story house looks better, unless it is a true wideline ranch, but as many others have already said: For living-in purposes, a 1-story house has mobility advantages that a 2-story cannot (unless one has an elevator!).

Also as others have said, ranch style homes are much harder to find, at least in the Northeast. Perhaps they are more common in the Southern states where there is a higher percentage of retirees??

[JBrown]

one story...it dosen't hurt as much when you fall off the roof. !!

[Cornerguy1]

If you're considering having a house built, it's usually cheaper to build up rather than out.

[rubytue]

I must be in the minority, because I think 1-level ranch homes are beautiful! I live in the mid-atlantic, which is the land of center-hall colonials. I really don't like those, but love the look of a mid-century ranch house. We wanted to find a ranch house with a full basement, but couldn't really find one that matched our desires and budget in the land of center-hall colonials. We ended up with a split-foyer. Not my favorite, but it had so many other things we wanted. We are only on our second house, so here is hoping that our next move will have what we want!

Originally Posted by golfgal

My Dad has a house like you describe, it is a one story but it looks like a 2 story--very cute. They have a bonus room over the garage and a finished basement so there is a lot of extra living space for when the grandkids show up but they can pretty much do everything they need on the main floor.

My folks did the same thing. They bought a small vacation cabin on the lake about 15 years ago. It originally had 3 small bedrooms upstairs. They added a huge main-level master suite and closed in the original one-car garage as a laundry and officer. Now, everything they need on a daily basis is downstairs and the 3 bedrooms upstairs are available for guests and storage. Plus, they added a 2-car oversized garage with a bonus room and half bath upstairs. Tons of room for guests! I thought they were really smart about their remodeling in that they designed this long before they needed to worry about stairs, but were thinking ahead.