One story vs two story home cost (2013, houses)

[lhafer]

Originally Posted by Kiovo

Our first home was a one story and we loved it. It had four bedrooms and we had 5 offers on it by the second day it was on the market. They're more convenient. Our current home is a two story and for the most part feels too big at times but I know as the kids get older and friends come over more, it is nice they can run upstairs and play and I can still have some peace and quiet downstairs.

MPC loves two stories because of the lot size. You get more yard on an already small lot. I also believe it has to do with perception. If you drive thru a neighborhood and see majority two stories and then a one story home, you might think the people in the one story couldn't afford a bigger house sad but true.

My perfect home would be a 1 1/2 story with a game room and guest bedroom upstairs, everything else downstairs.

Exactly this. MPC love 2 stories because they can Squeeze more in and have more yard per house. I have a 1 story 3100sqft home in a MPC, and the lot is normal, not oversized. Because of this, I doubt we could ever have a pool. At the same time, my community has 2 very nice large pools and a splash lad that we pay a lot of money per year for.

I love the convenience of my 1 story and the size. But I can tell as the kids get older I would like them to have their own area/space. My first house was a 1.5 story, but on,y had 3 bedrooms. I wanted 4. If we could find another with 4 down and game room up, that would be ideal. Or even 2 up and 2 down would work.

[NTT]

There are many reasons why many of us prefer 1-story over a 2-story home.

Many of my friends who lived in apartments on 2nd & 3rd floors chose 1-story home when they were ready to purchase. They were sick and tire of going up and down the stairway. One time, a friend had a leg injury and it was difficult for her to use the stairs on crutches. She too ended up purchasing a 1-story home.

I have a 1-story and my brother has a 2-story home. When friends and relatives visited, they preferred to stay at my home vs. my brother's. It had nothing to do with any of us. We found out later that it was because they didn't like using the stairway. As we age, stairways become nuisance and even dangerous to use.

[cheryjohns]

....and this:

[locotl]

Originally Posted by Kiovo

Our first home was a one story and we loved it. It had four bedrooms and we had 5 offers on it by the second day it was on the market. They're more convenient. Our current home is a two story and for the most part feels too big at times but I know as the kids get older and friends come over more, it is nice they can run upstairs and play and I can still have some peace and quiet downstairs.

MPC loves two stories because of the lot size. You get more yard on an already small lot. I also believe it has to do with perception. If you drive thru a neighborhood and see majority two stories and then a one story home, you might think the people in the one story couldn't afford a bigger house sad but true.

My perfect home would be a 1 1/2 story with a game room and guest bedroom upstairs, everything else downstairs.

This!!!!
Once you lived on a 2 story house you know how painful it is to go back downstairs (for a glass of water).
The convenience of a 1 or a 1 1/2 story is priceless especially if you can afford a big enough house/lot.
And I really don't care if my neighbors think that I can't afford a 2story. When I get older I can still keep my master bedroom and don't have to rearrange old kids bedroom and make it my own.

[Kiovo]

One of the homes down our street is a 1 1/2 story, they bought two lots, already has a pool and no back neighbors...if they ever put their house on the market, I'll be the first to make them an offer!

We were lucky and scored an awesome lot and we have two bedrooms downstairs. Love our house for the most part but one stories just have a certain simplicity to them that I miss.

[BillBallish]

There are lots of variables, such as slab foundation vs. full finished basement, steep roof pitch vs. minimum pitch, quality of shingles, number of plumbing runs, type of heating, etc., to give a percentage difference to the difference in cost in building a one story vs. a two story house. But the two-story construction can be cheaper than one-story. Remember that the wo of the most expensive parts of a house are the roof and the foundation. 1-story costs more because it has twice the foundation and twice the roof. Also, a 2-story provides opportunities to save on plumbing. A 1-story may cost 20% to 40% more.

[houstonfan]

I'm the odd one out here. Love 2 story homes! Love the tall foyer, the high ceilings and windows of the great room, and the curved stairway that adds that certain something to the home. Love the privacy of being on another floor. As kids, we'd hide upstairs when company was over, could play and not really be heard. The mess was hidden from sight. If the upstair rooms had balconies, that's even better.

[Bentley2013]

One story vs two story home cost? or Preference of one story vs two story home cost?

[haudi]

Grew up in a one story, last house was an awesome one story. Wanted the new house to be a one story. Realized I really wanted a game room, additional storage and a few other things. Cost of getting these in a one story was unbelievable, not to mention ate up any semblance of a yard.

Decided to look at two story houses with the caveat being I wanted two bedrooms downstairs, and that's how I ended up with way more house than I need for now (a 5/4). I rarely go upstairs but it's good to know it's there, along with the 500sq ft of attic space. And it still cost me less than a similarly optioned 1.5 with way less sq. footage and less usable storage.

[nisw]

It is just a personal preference . I love 1 story home . I don't care for bigger yard , the cost of maintenance it is more . The good thing about 1 story is it looks much bigger . There is a lot of for my little ones to run around . I feel they are closer to me .
The utility bills are way too less in single story .