1-story or 2-story home?

DaisyJanie · July 2012

We are in the market for a new house (yay!) We are leaning toward having a new house built. The plan we both really like is a two-story, 3 bedrooms upstairs and the living area and office on the first floor. DH is really sold on it being two-story, loves the look of it and has always wanted to live in a 2-story house and never has. I keep going back and forth about whether it being 2-story is a negative. I really like how our mornings go now, Isaac gets up about when we do, so we kind of tag-team watching him - one of us will take a shower while the other has coffee and plays with him in the living room, then someone will get Isaac dressed while the other one fixes their lunch, etc. I feel like having the bedrooms totally separate from the living area will make mornings harder. Do those of you with 2-stories feel this way?

The other option we're looking at is pretty much 1-story with a bonus room on the 2nd floor. The square footage is just a little smaller (like 50 sf less) but the master is quite a bit smaller and the other bedrooms are a little smaller. The bonus room is big, though.

Anyone with 2 stories have strong opinions one way or the other?

CarlaAndJames · July 2012

I grew up in a 2 story and have sworn I never want one. MAYBE if the laundry room was upstairs so I wasn't lugging all that up and down. But I still hated having to run up and down flights of stairs 10x in the morning because I kept forgetting this or that.

Stick Around · July 2012

I grew up on one floor, and I've got 2 now and I would LOVE to go back to one floor. Lugging a baby and laundry and my own fat ass up and down the stairs all day is a huge PITA. One floor is so much more convenient, IMO. And we've only got one bathroom and it's on the 2nd floor, so that's another issue.

Telly21182 · July 2012

I've always lived in a ranch (1-story), except for 2 years in college, but that doesn't count! I've always liked ranches, especially considering in the Mid-West I'd refuse to live in a house without a basement, and you can very easily add to the house by finishing off the basement. That being said - when we move it'll either be to a 2-story or a ranch that has the bedrooms clear on the other side of the house from the kitchen, etc. Right now our house is too much like a box, and not sprawling, so I have to tip toe around cleaning the kitchen when Ty's napping, sleeping, etc.

However, on the flip side to that - I also wouldn't want a 2-story with the kids bedrooms above the kitchen or something. That's how DHs room was in his parents house and it was really annoying when we'd hear his parents cooking breakfast or something on the occasions that I stayed the night when we were old enough for our parents not to care too much.

I'm picky though -especially now that I have a LO and value him sleeping!

vigurl · July 2012

I have a 2 story and love it. I love the fact that the bed room areas are upstairs. I love to entertain and have guests but do not necessairly want them all up in my bed room. Anyway we have a downstairs laundry and I really don't have an issue lugging the stuff up and down the stairs. It's a once a week occurance.

I grew up in a once story and I love the look and privacy (bedroom) with the 2 story. I do not feel like I made the wrong decision with this home at all.

Also, most new builds have the option of a upstairs laundry anyway so if lugging laundry is your issue that is avoidable. But I will warn you the problem with an upstairs laundry is if it ever over flows...well you can imagine what would happen. Thats my 2 cents.

Telly21182 · July 2012

CarlaAndJames:
I grew up in a 2 story and have sworn I never want one. MAYBE if the laundry room was upstairs so I wasn't lugging all that up and down. But I still hated having to run up and down flights of stairs 10x in the morning because I kept forgetting this or that.

To this though - I have a 1-story now, and our laundry is still in the basement so I have to lug it around too. Thankfully only up 1 flight though.

My brother has the ideal 2-story, IMO. Most of the bedrooms are over the living areas, and one, that is perfect for an office, is over the kitchen so you don't have to worry about noises. Plus, their laundry is on the 2nd floor in a closet so they don't have to lug stuff around!

Though, the bedroom deal isn't an issue for them - 5 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths 3 car garage and don't plan on having kids...

LollyBug18 · July 2012

Right now, while pregnant and taking care of a toddler who can't go up and down the stairs well on her own, my 2 story house is a PITA! And while my DH and I have never had an awesome morning arrangement like your's, there have been many, many mornings that I didn't want to lug my lazy, tired butt downstairs to get her a bottle or sippy (when I was trying to get her to stay in bed longer...). It's also a huge pain because we don't have a bathroom on the first floor. If you get a 2-story, make sure there is a bathroom on the first floor!! I'm already wondering how potty training will go with having to run upstairs to try to make it in time. I don't think I want a little potty chair sitting in any of our rooms downstairs (living room, kitchen, dining room...). Maybe I could clear out the coat closet, lol. But even with all that complaining, I'd probably still go for a 2 story again, just with a bathroom on the first floor. I like that the living area is separate and, if guests didn't have to go upstairs to use the bathroom, I wouldn't feel like everything needed to be picked up every time someone came over.

rlmanning · July 2012

I grew up in a 2 story and my inlaws (who watch Bay while I work) have a 2 story. The downfall they have is lugging toys upstairs because that is what she wants to play with while they are up there. The going up and down the stairs over and over becuase you need something and it is on the other floor is annoying. Also climbing over the baby gate to go up or down stairs. Im sure there is more downfalls to a 2 story with the baby but those are all I can think of right now.

My reason for not wanting a 2 story - Its a lot of house to keep clean. Even if your 1 story is the same square footage the 2 story is a pain in the a$$ to clean. You have to either buy 2 sets of all cleaning supplies or plan on lugging the vaccuum up and down the stairs and so on....

You and your husband should right out the pros and cons and make your decision based on that. It is a lifetime decision so be sure you really weigh out your options. GL!

DaisyJanie · July 2012

Thanks for the thoughts. The laundry would be upstairs in the 2-story. I was actually thinking that was a negative, because it would be easier to keep up with switching things over (especially diaper laundry) if it was down near the kitchen. There is a powder room on the first floor, which is definitely a necessity with potty training.

This is the coastal South, so no basements here! That's why a lot of people have bonus rooms in the "attic".

I hadn't thought too hard about noise, that is a good point. The 1-story would have the 2 kids' rooms (LO plus currently unconceived second baby, lol) in the front of the house. One room would be right off the foyer, so that could be an issue with our dog barking at guests, etc. It would also be right across from the dining room so if we had guests over for dinner we might have to be careful about loudness if we ate after baby was in bed. (although that's where his current room is now and it hasn't been a problem really) In the 2-story house, the kids bedrooms are above the living room and breakfast nook. When we tour another model home, I might have DH make some noise in the kitchen and see if it's bothersome in the bedrooms.

I was also thinking about cleaning supplies. We'd go with all carpet upstairs, and mostly hardwood downstairs, but I think we're going to do carpet in the family room. I was definitely thinking about where to store the vacuum. We do have a Roomba, so maybe we could keep that downstairs and use that for regular cleaning, and just lug the vacuum downstairs when really necessary.

Sunidaze · July 2012

Except when i had my apartment and when i lived with my ex, i have always been in a two-story. As we have started looking at plans to build, yhe majority of theones i have liked have been two-story. I think part of the draw for me, in addition to it being what i am used to, is the separation of bedrooms from the rest of the house. More privacy i guess you could say. So many of the floor plansi have seen show the kitchen or garage right by a bedroom door and i donot want that. Nor do i care to have my bedroom right off the living room. My othee thought was fast forward to the teenage years...seems like it would be harder to sneak out when all bedrtoms are on the second floor. That all said, i am going to be 40 in less than a year and my knees are already feeling it. They make all kinds of squishyfun noises when i climb the stairs!

vigurl · July 2012

rlmanning:

I grew up in a 2 story and my inlaws (who watch Bay while I work) have a 2 story. The downfall they have is lugging toys upstairs because that is what she wants to play with while they are up there. The going up and down the stairs over and over becuase you need something and it is on the other floor is annoying. Also climbing over the baby gate to go up or down stairs. Im sure there is more downfalls to a 2 story with the baby but those are all I can think of right now.

My reason for not wanting a 2 story - Its a lot of house to keep clean. Even if your 1 story is the same square footage the 2 story is a pain in the a$$ to clean. You have to either buy 2 sets of all cleaning supplies or plan on lugging the vaccuum up and down the stairs and so on....

You and your husband should right out the pros and cons and make your decision based on that. It is a lifetime decision so be sure you really weigh out your options. GL!

We don't have this problem. Toys are downstairs. Upstairs is sleep time not play time in our home. As for the vaccum we have a dyson and it is a pain so I make dh take it up and down. I keep cleaning supplies in the room they clean so I never lug them from room to room.

RingOfFire11 · July 2012

We have a 2-story but WISH we had a single story. Our laundry room is upstairs so that aspect is great but I'm really over the stairs. I guess lugging my 30 lb kid up and down them is a good workout though, lol.

akayf · July 2012

We have a cape cod so it's not a true 2-story house. The house has 2 bedrooms, kitchen, living room and bathroom downstairs. Upstairs is another bathroom and 2 bedrooms. We use one of the downstairs bedrooms as the master and the other one is an computer room/playroom. The boys are in the 2 upstairs bedrooms. Laundry room is in the basement.

As for getting ready in the morning....if you don't want to run up and down you could do what we do. We bring the boys' outfits downstairs and dress them in the lving room. We have a small basket on the steps that we throw the dirty jammies into and they get carried upstairs later in the day. We also have 2 sets of cleaning supplies. A set under the sink in each bathroom and then 2 vaccuums. Our upstairs vaccuum is a smaller one since we only have the 2 rooms up there.

I love having their bedrooms on a different floor than the living space. We don't have to worry about being super quiet since they are upstairs, not just down the hall.

kayjay10 · July 2012

My dream would be to have a one story with a finished basement for play room (or room above the garage for play room). I want the play room to be out of sight if guests come over so it can be messy most of the time. I don't want to lug things/kids up and down stairs, but I would want the bedrooms to be down a LONG hall away from the living room/kitchen/laundry room. Our house now was built in 1924 so DD's room was an add on right off the kitchen. When she is napping or down for the night would be the perfect time to do laundry or clean the kitchen, wash dishes, but I can't for fear of waking her.

amypogg6 · July 2012

I grew up in and now own a 2-story. I LOVE it. To me, a house is supposed to have two floors, so I have no complaints. Around where I live, I don't even know anyone with a 1-story, so maybe that is why I say 2-story.

CarlaAndJames · July 2012

vigurl:

Anyway we have a downstairs laundry and I really don't have an issue lugging the stuff up and down the stairs. It's a once a week occurance.

I'm jealous you only do laundry once a week! I have to do a load a day to keep up, AND we're about to try out cloth diapers!

KKinATX · July 2012

When we bought our house (before baby) I would only look at 2 stories! A lot of people told me when we had kids we'd wish we had a 1 story for all the reasons people have mentioned, but I still like my 2 story. I really like the seperation of space- "public" areas are downstairs and all the bedrooms are upstairs. I'm glad when guests come over that they don't see our bedrooms and I only have to clean downstairs. We do have a powder room downstairs so I could see how it would be annoying to have to go upstairs to use the bathroom. Our laundry is on the first floor but that doesn't really bother me that much and yeah, we have to carry the vacuum up and down but again, not a big deal for me. My desire to have a 2 story house outweighs the small annoyances for me. I guess you just have to weigh for yourself whats important for you or what would bother you and decide.

kattyleigh · July 2012

Ours is actually three stories and I love it. I love that the bedrooms are totally seperated from the kitchen/living areas so during nap time or bed time, we can still hang out.

Andie_83 · July 2012

We're about to start looking at homes too, and I was debating the same thing. What I love about our 2 story right now is when she's sleeping (upstairs) we don't need to make sure we're super quiet. She never hears us, I can even vacuum without waking her up. I'm worried that with a 1 story home she would hear everything, and would be more likely to wake up. We also have a powder room downstairs, which is great. I have to carry the vacuum up and down the stairs but I just don't care. Good luck with your decision!

waterfall11 · July 2012

I grew up in a 2 story home and now have a single story. My parents still have their 2 story but my mom will reach a point physically where she can't handle the stairs. They don't have any bedrooms downstairs and only a half bath downstairs so she will definitely need to move, and they had planned on this being their forever home. My father in law has been dealing with major health issues this past year and if they had a 2 story home he would not have been able to go home from the hospital. Seeing these 2 situations has me sold on one story.

vigurl · July 2012

CarlaAndJames:
vigurl:

Anyway we have a downstairs laundry and I really don't have an issue lugging the stuff up and down the stairs. It's a once a week occurance.

I'm jealous you only do laundry once a week! I have to do a load a day to keep up, AND we're about to try out cloth diapers!

Girl how much laundry are you doing???

kimbo1216 · July 2012

We are also looking for a new home! So exciting!!! I much prefer 1 story homes to 2. Heating and cooling is more efficient in a 1 story and I just don't care about dealing with stairs and babies.

CarlaAndJames · July 2012

vigurl:
CarlaAndJames:
vigurl:

Anyway we have a downstairs laundry and I really don't have an issue lugging the stuff up and down the stairs. It's a once a week occurance.

I'm jealous you only do laundry once a week! I have to do a load a day to keep up, AND we're about to try out cloth diapers!

Girl how much laundry are you doing???

So much! But we're both bad about wearing 2-3 outfits, tossing stuff on the floor (cat hair, so it's dirty at that point), etc.

ShandaB · July 2012

We live in a 3 story townhouse and I love it for the most part. The only issue I have is that the laundry is in the basement so I have to go up and down 2 flights of stairs each time. To make things easy on us, DS has toys on each level of the house so no matter where we are or need to be he can be entertained. It really isn't a big deal to have more than one story you just have to figure out how to make it work for you and like someone said I'd rather not have guess have to see the bedrooms. I feel like the upstairs is a private part of the house that only certain people should see.

vigurl · July 2012

CarlaAndJames:
vigurl:
CarlaAndJames:
vigurl:

Anyway we have a downstairs laundry and I really don't have an issue lugging the stuff up and down the stairs. It's a once a week occurance.

I'm jealous you only do laundry once a week! I have to do a load a day to keep up, AND we're about to try out cloth diapers!

Girl how much laundry are you doing???

So much! But we're both bad about wearing 2-3 outfits, tossing stuff on the floor (cat hair, so it's dirty at that point), etc.

Good God almighty girl! Do you do it once a week or you wait for it to pile up?

CarlaAndJames · July 2012

vigurl:
CarlaAndJames:
vigurl:
CarlaAndJames:
vigurl:

Anyway we have a downstairs laundry and I really don't have an issue lugging the stuff up and down the stairs. It's a once a week occurance.

I'm jealous you only do laundry once a week! I have to do a load a day to keep up, AND we're about to try out cloth diapers!

Girl how much laundry are you doing???

So much! But we're both bad about wearing 2-3 outfits, tossing stuff on the floor (cat hair, so it's dirty at that point), etc.

Good God almighty girl! Do you do it once a week or you wait for it to pile up?

depends on the week. that's why i try to do a load/day and stay on top of it. but it doesn't always happen.

MommaA117 · July 2012

Lived in both and will never buy a 2 story. I worry about kids falling and cleaning being a pain. It's just too much work getting around to me. Lol

soontobe05 · July 2012

I have always lived in two + story houses until now. Even my apartments were usually apartments with lofts etc except a couple. We bought our first house in April and it's one story. I hate it. I like that I can feel like the kids are safe and won't fall down anywhere etc, but it feels way too spread out to me. Our next house will be a two story for sure.

megastar007 · July 2012

I grew up in a single story and always wanted to live in a two story. When my DH and I bought our house we ended up with a 2 story. I like the layout fine, but keeping the stairs clean is the bane of my existence! Sure I would love to have a laundry room upstairs, but it's not really that big of a deal for me. With that said, we will be looking for a single story next time we buy

Joyfullnoise · July 2012

We have a 4-level split (so 3 smaller staircases) and it has been a lot of work lugging LO and laundry up and down. But, that being said, he likes to ride in the laundry basket now and I think that the way the space is laid out is best for us in the long-term: 3 bedrooms upstairs means that once we are ready in the a.m. we don't go back up except for diaper changes or naps. Playspace is very separate and we have lots of common areas to enjoy as a family. Good luck making your choice!

walter7878 · July 2012

kattyleigh:
Ours is actually three stories and I love it. I love that the bedrooms are totally seperated from the kitchen/living areas so during nap time or bed time, we can still hang out.

Me too. And I really don't mind walking around my own house. We have two staircases, obviously, and those have gates, but that's a small price to pay.

smurf605 · July 2012

We have a two-story with full basement. Our laundry room is off our kitchen. Our master bath and closet are above the kitchen, so we don't have issues with noise. We have four bedrooms upstairs. We usually spend the morning upstairs until it is time for breakfast. We have some toys in our bedroom and DS also likes to play with our brushes, etc. Other than that, we spend most of our time on the main level or in the basement. It is nice to have our bedroom space as a quiet area.

hajski · July 2012

Our house is a 2story with a finished basement. Master is on the first floor 3 bedrooms upstairs. Laundry on main level. Powder room main level. LO has been in her crib since 3 weeks. I do CDs and I also do all of her changing upstairs in her room. I don't think of it as a pain at all. It just is what it is. I would never make a house buying decision based on a newborn or toddler or pregnancy body. That stuff goes by way too fast. I like the fact the when my kids are older and teenagers (we actually have one already) they will be upstairs away from our bedroom. LO is over the kitchen, but with her sound machine on, you can't hear anything in her room. If you are building your house, then add in the customizations that will work for your family in the long run, not so much right now with babies. JMO though.

Turtle143 · July 2012

Grew up in 2 story and now live in a 2-story home. I like the privacy of having the rooms upstairs. Although when we were in the market for houses, we saw this one bungalow style home and it was awesome how the rooms felt private and were completely on the other side of the house. I didn't mind that one in fact I preferred it over the other 2-story ones we saw but we were outbidded

cvl105 · July 2012

I have a two-story and I really like having my bedrooms away from the rest of the living space. I like that I don't have to worry about the bedrooms being spotless, etc if we have people over.

slstine19 · July 2012

I grew up living in both. When I was younger, I liked the 2-story home. When DH & I bought first home, it is a 2-story. He kind of wanted a 1-story, but it has worked. I think it depends on the layout of the house and the size of the rooms. We have a bathroom on each level. Downstairs has an oversized shower and 2 sinks, upstairs has a bath. The downstairs is DH's, upstairs is mine. You walk into the living room of our house and can see the kitchen. So both of these areas always need to be clean if we have company. Our laundry is downstairs which isn't a problem to wash, however we are terrible about taking it upstairs and putting it away. A friend of mine said we should put in a laundry chute. We also have 3 bedrooms upstairs. I like that it is separate from our living space and private. We have wood floors in the hallway. That is what I hate, when we get up the floors creek and DS hears everything now and wakes up when we do on weekends and vacations. During the school year, it is not bad because he gets up when we do. Last year while pumping I got up really earlier to go downstairs to pump then I would take bath then nurse DS. DH would take shower. DH would then get DS and feed him breakfast and I would finish getting ready. Our morning schedule worked out well even though we were on separate floors getting ready. Sometimes we would have to run upstairs to get a different outfit or more diapers if we had ran out downstairs but that wasn't too bad. I wish we had another room downstairs to put things instead of stacks on the coffee table (before DS) or on kitchen table/counter. So having an office downstairs would be ideal. Good Luck with your house search.

Sunidaze · July 2012

MommaA117:
Lived in both and will never buy a 2 story. I worry about kids falling and cleaning being a pain. It's just too much work getting around to me. Lol

I have this vague memory of pushing my brother down the stairs when he was maybe a year or two old.

nfrtny · July 2012

I grew up in a 3 story house. I very much prefer separate living and sleeping spaces.

babyduejune · July 2012

Lurker weighing in, we just bought a ranch, before this I have never lived in anything but two stories minus college apts. I LOVE our ranch. We have a full basement with a guest bedroom, work out room, living room TV area, and full kitchen in addition to our kitchen upstairs. It's a perfect set up for us, if the babe is asleep upstairs, we bring guests to basement for entertaining and it doesn't disturb him. If we need to cook we can do it downstairs. the only time I'm ever annoyed is if he's napping during the day I can't put away dishes in the upstairs kitchen without waking him up. I guess I could nap him in the guest bedroom in the basement in his PNP... hmmm... just dawned on me. But yes, I vote strongly in favor of ranch. We couldn't be happier. Huge bonus if you can do any sort of basement with it.

egpitt22 · July 2012

I have lived in both (with kids in both) and prefer having a 2 story. I just like the layout much better, and I feel less cramped.

It also seems like I"m the only person who prefers having laundry in the basement!! We have a finished basement with the laundry room off of the gameroom; once the kids go to bed, we retreat to the gameroom to watch TV, so I like having the laundry down there so that I can throw in a load after I get home from work, switch it to the dryer before putting the kids to bed, then we fold clothes while we watch TV. Any time I can multi-task while involving the TV I take advantage of it Stick out tongue

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