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Stage of life makes so much difference. With a baby, most want the master near the nursery. With teenagers, you want them to have their own space. As a senior, I have opted for a one-level (except for bonus room over the garage) split-bedroom plan where the master is not near the other bedrooms.
Great for guests. I would not have ever wanted this arrangement when I had a small child.
Our kids slept upstairs as infants (and continue to do so) while our master was downstairs and there's been no issue. We really didn't mind the master being downstairs and in fact we prefer it. Baby monitors were used when they were younger and now they simply turn on the lights and walk down the stairs.
As I've stated, our master is downstairs and I wouldn't have it any other way at this stage in my life. We have two guest rooms upstairs, but I admit to tip toeing upstairs sometimes if my husband was snoring to beat the band. We got a fire ladder (in a box) for each upstairs bedroom and when anyone spends the night, we make sure they know where the ladders are and how they work.
I wouldn't feel comfortable with anyone sleeping upstairs all the time without a way to get out if there was a fire. We have a very steep roof so that would be pretty treacherous without those ladder. But they are about 20 feet long and hold up to 300 pounds. They just hook over the window sill. I feel pretty good about those.
They have curb-appeal and look grander. The house is more energy efficient. There is separate living and sleeping space. I would hate to sleep in my master right next to the noisy living room or smelly kitchen.
Am I the odd one here?
LOL. If there are noises coming from my living room once am in bed, I’m calling the police.
And my kitchen is not ever “smelly”. But there are no bedrooms next to it either.
I have always preferred the look of a one story home. And clearly, once you start getting older, it is certainly an advantage. I climb 152 of flights of stairs at the gym on my lunch hour. But that does not mean I want to be carrying crap up and down stairs every day in my home.
Last edited by ChessieMom; 02-06-2018 at 03:35 PM..
Living in New England in autumn means tons of falling leaves with many settling in my gutters. My ranch home allows me to clean all of my own gutters with a decent step-ladder....try that on a two or three story house So yup, for that & many other reasons (no stairs) I favor one story homes.
We will be building a one story house in western N.C. in the mountains. It was hard finding a level (relatively) lot with a view of the mountains from the back. We would not consider a two story house or house with a basement. As we grow older, often it becomes difficult to climb stairs. What we find with the homes where we are building is that people put the bedrooms (other than the master) on the second floor or in the basement and rarely go to the second level. What this means is you actually have less square footage to use on a daily basis.
Call me nuts but I'm actually looking forward to buying an old 2 story or 1.5 story house with a basement in retirement. I do plan on having two vacuum cleaners, one upstairs and one downstairs.
My knees are pretty good. I'm in my late 50s. I currently walk about 7-8 miles a day at work. I know things will change as I age but hopefully not to the point I can't climb a few stairs.
LOL. If there are noises coming from my living room once am in bed, I’m calling the police.
And my kitchen is not ever “smelly”. But there are no bedrooms next to it either.
I have always preferred the look of a one story home. And clearly, once you start getting older, it is certainly an advantage. I climb 152 of flights of stairs at the gym on my lunch hour. But that does not mean I want to be carrying crap up and down stairs every day in my home.
Sounds like you could give up the gym membership and just get a two story house and carry the crap up and down every day. Think of the money savings, LOL.
My family home in California is 2 stories. When looking for a home in Las Vegas some 3 years ago, we decided on a 1 story home.
As we begin to spend more time in Las Vegas, I have come to appreciate the 1 story lay out and prefer it. We purchased in a new 1 story home community. Many of our new neighbors, young and old, had previously owned 2 story homes.
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So yup, for that & many other reasons (no stairs) I favor one story homes.
