According to RS Means, a two-story house is about 10% less expensive to build than a 1-story house of the same area. Because so much of the energy used to heat a house is lost through the roof, a 2-story house should be less expensive to heat but I can't tell you how much.

I am familiar with many different types of project delivery methods but when I describe my experience with them I have been personally attacked by others on this forum so I no longer offer advice on that subject.

Another cost factor may be the land cost. The single-story can require a larger lot.

IMO, the advantages of living on one level outweigh two-tory living by a percentage much greater than ten!

Also remember that some of the two-story's square footage has to go into stairs.

Our original plan was to build a single story house, anticipating the possibility of disability as we age. However, both our architect and builder advised that it's cheaper to build up, than out. We compromised on a plan that will allow us to live to a ripe old age on one floor, yet have a couple of bedrooms on the second floor for the occasional guest, or resale in the unlikely event that we exit this house prematurely (we also have a full, but unfinished, basement). As pointed out in previous posts, we were also very concerned about energy conservation, and 2 floors yields less surface area/exterior walls and roof, and hence less heat loss/gain, than a single floor plan.

My personal opinion is that going with 1 vs 2 stories is a very personal decision. For us, future disability was the most important issue. My husband has MS and I have 2 auto-immune disorders. His parents are both immobile due to orthopedic issues.

Energy efficiency was our second issue and we used other methods to compensate. Extra insulation, low-E glass, geothermal radiant floor heat, future solar hookups in place for hot water and photo voltaic etc. The house is Energy Star Rated and the envelope well sealed as a result.

I think if your young and healthy, might be moving in the next ten years, or finances are a bigger issue, then a two story with first floor master might be a better choice for you.

I wouldn't think "resale" too much in this day of aging baby boomers when thinking one vs two stories. Real estate agents in two states have told us that any accessability built into a house now increases marketability (one story, first floor master etc). So if you do go one story it won't make the house less marketable in the future.

If you do the first floor master/two story though I have some "accessability" advice for you.

Make sure that you have one entrance/egress that is at least 30-36". ADA will say 30"...but if you have someone in a larger wheelchair, they will need the 36" that is reality vs "code"

Make an open first floor plan for WC accessibility. Be sure to have one bathroom with a 5' turning radius so that someone in a WC can turn around.

Make sure any hallway to the "Master" on the first floor is wide enough to accomodate the WC, including any turns that will have to be made.

Those would be the minimums that I would recommend you do to "grow old" in the house. There are many other things you can do cheaply as you build the house such as blocking chair rail height of the walls for future grab bars in the bathrooms.

Put all outlets at 18" height to prevent bending to plug in.

Lower switches so that you don't have to relocate them later.

If you have sliding doors to a porch or patio, they can counter sink them into the subfloor to prevent that "bump" as you enter and exit, making them level with the floor. This is good if balance issues come up later.

Lower a section of countertop to 32" or 33" finished height. I serves as a breakfast bar now, and a work surface for shorter folks and people in wheelchairs.

I hope these hints help. Most of them should add no cost at all to the house. Those that do should pay for themselves as you can enjoy your home longer and with less trouble through illness and old age.

Laney

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Home Build

One other idea for handicap accessibility is to install pocket doors. Have you ever sat in a wheelchair and tried to open and close a door? Backing up and going forward to clear the door's swing is a real pain, which is why pocket doors are a nice idea but something that must be considered early in the build.

We built a one-story with a very open floor plan to accomodate our handicapped daughter, as well as with an eye to our own golden years. It does cost more, but after living in a two story townhouse with steps, and a colonial with steps before that, I'm ready to have a one-story.

My husband and I had a hard time finding a floor plan and exterior we both loved too. We finally did, of course, but it was tough and took some time and patience. The internet is such a great source for finding houseplans of all types. Good luck!

sdion,

Funny you should mention pocket doors, every door but one in our new house is a pocket door. This is an area that did cost us extra money with framing and time. The main headaches with pocket doors for us became light switch placement.

The frames for the pocket doors precluded putting the switches right where you might expect them in some cases. Pocket doors are great though, the movers LOVED them, and we love them.

Laney

Here is a link that might be useful: Our Home Build

Our house looks like a 2-story from the exterior, but the second floor is all 'attic'. We aren't assessed on it, but a future owner can develop another 3000 sq ft. There is a full, formal staircase with a door at the top (heat retention).

We live on the ground level: MBR, guest BR plus 'library'; 3 1/2 baths; LR, DR, Kit, Bkfst Rm all large enough for an expanded house; screened porch, terrace, patio, garage. One acre lot.

The house is close to the ground so entry is a single low step. All doorways and halls are 36 - 42 inches wide; locksets are all levers; toggle light switches. Hardwood throughout (except tile in baths and laundry/back hall); there are no thresholds. Front-load washer and dryer (raised, not stacked); wide kitchen aisles, dishdrawers. We didn't use them, but consider raised toilets.

I've had two hip replacements. (Astoundingly, average age for that is now early 50's.) It's surprising how fast we can decline!

I can't thank you all enough. This is excactly the type of input we needed. I'm still processing all of it...hopefully to make the best decisions for our family.

Laney, your hardwood is to die for...and that view! Wow!

Thanks again for all of you for your advice and experience.

I believe it was famed architect Sara Susanka of Not So Big House fame who observed that half of her clients wanted single story homes because of concerns over aging, while the other half wanted two story homes so that they got more exercise to help prevent the debilities of age.

We think a multi level home with the master on the main floor is a good compromise.

I had a two story plan picked out until the last second, and then we changed to a one story. I do think the one story is going to cost more, but I think it is worth it. I have two girls ages 3 and 5, and I couldn't stand the thought of having them upstairs in case of a fire. Also, if one of them should happen to break a leg playing soccer or something, I don't want to carry them upstairs! We are going to have a finished basement, which was another factor since I didn't want my house spread out over three levels.

Thanks for the compliment on the hardwood. It's actually bamboo. It's the Java Fossilized bamboo from Calibamboo. I think I'm there first residential install on the east coast.

This stuff is absolutely gorgeous and I love it so much so far. We've been in the house a few weeks, just haven't had a chance to update the pics.

I can tell you, whatever you decide to go with will be the right thing for your family.

Facing the disability with my husband, and having it be very real and in our face forced us to look at some very real issues. We have a 12yo daughter. It spurred us to decided to go 100% handicapped accessible. My husband couldn't stand the thought of a future time when my daughter might need him in some part of the house, and he couldn't get there to help her.

The idea of her sick with fever throwing up in the only non-wc accessible bathroom as he sat in the chair outside trying to comfort her...or having a nightmare as he tried to make corners to get to her bedroom. We knew that at age 12 there wouldn't be too many more of those times, but grandchildren will come one day....

He couldn't live with those thoughts... so we made the whole house accessible. Today a paraplegic could move into our house with access to all but the basement, and we are 100% ready to pop in the elevator as the shaft is prebuilt.

However, if he did not have MS...and we only had our minor mobility issues and those of guests to think of...our decision might have been totally different.

My inlaws built 100 feet from us on the same 17acres. They both have serious mobility issues. They lowered the switches, raised the toilets, raised the outlets and made the master wc accessible. The other bedrooms and second bath however are not accessible at all.

At their age, and with their only surviving child and grandchild living next door...the money just wasn't justified.

My grandparents, both just shy of 90 on the other hand are living quite happily in their 2 story home. Nana is blind, Grampa has COPD and a heart condition and needs oxygen frequently. They both can still walk, if a bit unsteadily and refuse any changes. On bad days Grampa sleeps on the sofa downstairs instead of heading up.

I just wanted to give you a bit of generational prospective from my family....thought it might help.

Laney

Here is a link that might be useful: Calibamboo for flooring

I'm a 2 story fan: I grew up in an upstairs bedroom, and love the feeling of light and air you simply don't get closer to the ground.

But I'd never want a house without at least 1 bedroom on the main level since anyone can become disabled-- with luck, only temporarily-- at any moment.

In fact, my new house has a main floor bedroom for my elderly mother who spends a lot of time with me, and a second bedroom right next to it in case she ever needs a caregiver.

As to buying vs. drawing plans, in my area residential architects charge from 10 to 20% of the estimated cost of the finished house. That price gets you no site visits or construction supervision, just the plans.

Frankly, it was too much for me. Too much for a lot of people, given how many house plan websites there are, and how many members here have used them.

Most of the plans you can buy offer at least some level of customization. It isn't hard to move interior, non-load bearing walls, use bigger windows, that sort of thing. As to the exterior, different finishing materials and colors can really transform them.

Best of luck-- its a long, often bumpy road, but the destination is worth it.

It is less expensive to go up than out~~~ But consider your age....everyone gets older and when you do, are you going to be able to do all the steps? Just something to think about.

Years ago we went to a builder and inquired about building a one story ranch (walk-out). The builder could not "hear" our wishes and kept insisting that we build one of his stacked spec houses. He mentioned many times that stacked houses were cheaper to build because of foundation size and materials, also less roof materials. But we really wanted one level so we didn't "buy" what he was selling and eventually bought an existing home that fit our needs perfectly. Saving on materials up-front was not the issue for us.

We just returned from a long weekend at a relatives home (2 levels with a walk-out) and were quite tired of all the steps just after two days. One level living is our preference. BTW, we are in our forties and quite healthy!

If you do go two stories, strongly consider stacking closets that can eventually become the elevator shaft. I have friends in their 90's who need walkers to get around, and they installed an elevator to let them keep living in the place that has been their home for a half century.

I live in Northern California (SF bay area) and over here, building up is *more* expensive than building out; primarily because the existing foundation needs be retrofitted to bring it up to the current earthquake codes.

I am currently in the midst of exact same decision. If our lot allowed us to have a bigger 1-story house and have a decent sized yard left, I would do that even without the cost savings benefits. However, I want to go up primarily to save some yard for myself and my planned fruit orchard :-)

Having said that, I and DH agree that it is best to have at least one BR and one full bath (close by) on main floor, in case of temporary disability and/or visiting seniors, or very young babies who need a nap, etc.

I think that a master on MAIN has a special charm. Nothing like stepping out of your own zone directly into the yard and enjoying the fountain or the view of the pond! Designed properly, you can actually have your own independent corner in the yard where you can relax.

Regarding the original question of stock Vs custom plans, if you like the ready plans and if you are confident that your land will not cause any zoning issues (e.g. you are building on huge lot where it is unlikely to violate zoning ordinances) - then go for it! However, in my area where zoning regulations are very strindent, I have seen neighbors who got plans made from architects from out of the area, and it took a lot of expense AND time to get them approved (because the city forced multiple iterations of design review).

On the whole, it might be a good idea to talk to Architects and ask about their pricing without feeling shy. You might find that for the difference, it is better to get a fully custom designed house, exactly the way you like it.

Hope this helps!