Downside With A 3rd Floor (AC, heating, bathroom, plumbing)

[KayAnn246]

In the process of narrowing down a selection of new construction homes. There are a few houses with a 3rd floor. We have lived in houses with basements but never a 3rd floor. Are there any downsides to having the 3rd floor? The house is in the Charlotte area. If so, what and why?

[reed303]

Downside ? Maybe paying extra for space you don't need or want.

Upside ? As a teenager, and oldest son, we lived in 2 homes with finished attic/3rd floor. It was great for me having a larger space to myself, especially the 2nd house where it had its own bathroom.

[K'ledgeBldr]

Downside???

Unused, unwanted sq/ft?
Stairs?
Heating/cooling?

This list could go on and on... is there something specific that you had questions about?

[rational1]

1. Depending on how doors and stairwells are arranged, heating and cooling (even on lower floors) could be a problem.



2. Serious danger of turning into storage rooms.

[greglovesoldtrucks]

The costs of getting the plumbing/HVAC and electrical up to the tallest floor. And don't forget, all homes need outside maintenance.

And when that outside home maintenance is 3 stories up in the air, the maintenance costs just went up higher. JMO

[Blondy]

The last two houses I was in like that the pitch of the stairs seemed abnormally steep.

You might want to run up and down them a few times to decide if you want to live with that day in/day out.

It also depends imo what you plan to use the third floor for.

Its not going to be ideal for example to put a guest room there if you have a lot of older visitors like parents/grandparents who may have trouble navigating the stairs.

[gentlearts]

Is there a view that needs to be high up to see? Unless there’s an elevator, I’m not a buyer for that.

[Mr_Geek]

It gets a bit hot up there in the summer.

[KayAnn246]

Originally Posted by Mr_Geek

It gets a bit hot up there in the summer.

My biggest concern was if it would create a significantly higher AC bill and replacement cost of the AC unit.

[r03ix9A]

Multi-story houses are really expensive to cool in hotter parts of the country. Or at least that was my experience.


Accessibility is something to be aware of as well, even if you are young and spry. I had hip-replacement surgery in my 30s, when we lived in a multi-story house. Navigating even one flight of stairs when you're one week post-op from something like that is not a fun experience.