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It's not so much the double staircase itself, but rather that it allows for a very grand foyer if done right. I wouldn't do it on a house much under around 4,000 sq ft.
I've always thought this was a very elegant look - but - 2 staircases is a big space eater. You'd have to have a huge house. The staircases need a lot of space between them to prevent them from looking silly.
The house we saw did seem big enough .. So I guess it's not too pretentious if it fits ? Don't mind the vaccuming bit as such . Have these been around long ? Is this look exclusive to toll brother types ?
Looking at the floor plans for those houses, the staircase takes up a massive chunk of the 1st and 2nd floors.
Imo, it's a huge waste of space and I can't imagine how much they'd add to the utility bills.
It's partly about scale -- is the house big enough to accommodate that much space being devoted to redundancy? An entry that's 1/4 of the whole downstairs just looks wrong.
But it's also about function and practicality. Maybe the space for the second stairway could be devoted to a bigger kitchen, dining room, living room or even a first-floor den instead? If you really want two set of stairs, maybe it makes more sense to have a separate back stairs.
Ultimately, it probably comes down to what needs and wants your house fulfills for you. If the double staircase makes the impact and impression you want to make, then go for it!
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