Putting a new roof on a two-story house should cost less than on a one-story house. Aging in place is much easier in a one-story house.

Yes, senior will be easier to live in one story house.

A two-story house requires climbing stairs. A one story does not.

That is both a pro and a con.

We have to move in a few years due to all the stairs in our place. It really depends on your age and how long you want to stay in the home. If I were 50 and buying a home the last thing I'd want is mutli-level

For the equivalent square footage, a two story has approximately 1/2 the roofing and 1/2 the foundation, which reduces the construction cost. It is also easier to fit on a small lot.

Most other pros and cons are related to personal preferences. For example, if you are over about 50 and/or plan to retire in the house, I would strongly recommend at least a 1st floor MBR, and possibly a 1st floor guest room (I assume many guests will be a similar age).

Bruce

Personally like a 2 story for our stage in life, [me, hubby, and 5 children]. All sleeping quarters/bathing/dressing is upstairs. All living areas are on the main level. I don't care for the single story that is spread out and all over the place. But when our children are grown and we are older, {many, many years down the road :} I imagine we will downsize to a smaller single story for aging reasons.

We built a ranch last year and I am so glad we did. I'm not elderly but have developed a bad knee. Even the few steps up to the front porch hurt. Something to consider.

I've owned one level, split level, and two story homes plus homes with basements. There are pros and cons to all of them. A lot comes down to lifestyle, phase of life and the layout of the house. I don't think going up and down stairs is inherently bad or terribly inconvenient, in fact it promotes good health. Multi-story homes can provide good separation and privacy. OTOH, once you reach a certain age a single story house -- or at least a master suite on the main floor -- makes a lot of sense.

One trend I'm seeing in urban builds in my city are townhome-style houses that are all stairs -- very small building footprints with multiple floors of living space stacked one on top of the other. The entry is a flight above street level, then half/whole flight up to the kitchen/dining area, then stairs both up and down to bedrooms, bathrooms and living/family rooms. Seems like a big old PITA to clean, haul laundry, schlepp groceries, change diapers, etc. plus all those stairs take up a lot of floor space. Seems like a decent option for 20/30-somethings without young kids but anyone else??? Not so sure. Good luck with your home search.

I think there are two drivers to whether a 2 or one story gets built: region and potential buyer. I live in Maryland and in my area 2 stories are the norm. You would be hard pressed to find communities that are only single story homes. Certainly those types of houses exist but they are mixed in with lots of 2 stories. New communities are almost exclusively 2 stories except for those that target a retired potential buyer. There is a community near me that started out building smaller one story homes on tiny, low maintenance lots for downsizing retirees, but it quickly switched to a mix of two and even three story single families and townhouses. I think its just what is expected here.

Pros and cons? Well, having only lived in two story houses I don't have any other experiences. But my husband's family is from Southern California, and lemme tell ya, they HATE our stairs. Its always a subject of discussion when they visit, no matter what the age of the visitor. I have heard that stairs are unsafe, will injure your knees with repeated climbs and will cause your house to lose value. Having taken a tumble down hardwood stairs with a cat underfoot, I can attest that they can occasionally be unsafe, but as someone who climbs them dozens of times every day, I generally do not sustain any injuries. My knees have not suffered any damage as far as I can tell and the value of our house does not seem to be negatively impacted against others in the market. Though to be fair, other houses in our market very likely have stairs as well....

IMO: A one story house designed with the design de jour of "open spaces" is a noise echo machine. If the adults have company, you must close all the bedroom doors and pray the kids will be able to sleep. If the bedrooms are on the second level the floor acts as an insulator keeping the noise separated. Don't both writing about how wrong I am. This is my opinion and my experience. One story, noise, two stories, less noisy. One story, easier on your knees, two stories, better for your heart and cardio system.

Two story houses can be equally noisy/ uncomfortable if they have open loft spaces into which all the noise and heat rises.

We have a 2 story. it may not be a forever home but one thing I like about it is that it takes up less space on the lot. So we have more yard. We have a big lot but still like more outdoor space.

I can see the benefit of aging in place options with a 1 story. I think 1 stories are seen as more desirable for resale In this area.

I like 2 story houses, 3 story would be even better ( with a finished attic). I love historical houses that have 2 sets of stairways, 3 sets of stairways would be even better ( with an outdoor stairway to a 2nd floor decking). Guests can stay on the 1st floor during short visits, parties, away from 2nd floor living quarter. Stairs can keep you in shape, and they are good for your heart and cardiovascular system, you'd live longer. :-) A new roof would be cheaper for a two story house than a same sized ranch. Property tax would be cheaper too. For new builds, a ranch costs more per sq ft than a 2 story home. There are gutter covers can keep gutters clean forever.

@summers we are buying a house with a formal front staircase. servant kitchen staircase, a secret attic staircase and a finished basement with an exterior "Dorothy " walk out and interior staircase. I personally think its the coolest house ever but am just waiting for my so cal.in laws to blog about how awful all these stairs are 😉

It's less expensive to build up then out so you can get more square footage in a two story than one story. We've lived in a 2 story for 20 years and it's been great to raise kids. All bedrooms upstairs.

We are building our empty nest home 1.5 stories. 2 bedrooms down and 2 bedrooms up and a basement .

Once kids are finally out [they are going to college and still stay here summers holidays pandemic] we will not have to go upstairs unless company, etc.

Is1114, that sounds lovely! We are also in the process buying a historical home that has a 2nd stairway, and a walkout basement. We might finish the basement later. I wish there is a secret stairway to a finished attic. What's a "Dorothy " walk out?

After you buy a 1 story house you will have a 2nd story to deal with.

As mentioned above, biggest reason contractors build 2-story homes is cost. For similar square footage, a 2 story home will be less expensive. Our builder told us it would cost us more to have a ranch with an unfinished basement than a 2 story with a finished basement. Since we don't have more money than we know what to do with, it wasn't a hard decision. I love a well-designed ranch, but I also appreciate having sleeping quarters on a separate floor - keeps the private areas of the home private. Plus climbing stairs is the only exercise I seem to get these days so at least that's something.

We are also having this debate for our build. If we decide to build two story, we would put on elevator in. I'm wondering if the cost of the elevator negates the cost savings of two story over one. I don't know what we will end up deciding. There are definitely pros and cons of both.

I'm definitely past 50 and we moved into our new build home 2 years ago. We are on a narrow 9100 square foot lot. To get all we wanted, we wound up building a two story but we also put in an elevator for the future if needed or for guests who need it since the guest bedroom is upstairs. My studio is also upstairs and I actually like having to climb the stairs 20-30x a day as it helps keep me fit. Our master is on the first floor.

Our previous house was a true two story with bedrooms and bath upstairs, public spaces on the main level and family room, mechanical and laundry in the basement. It worked well with a young family. Now we are empty nesters and current house was originally a one story with full basement until the walkup attic was turned into a master suite several years before our purchase. This setup works for our phase of life with a fully livable main floor with only two short steps to the deck level with the house floor. I hope we will be able to live in the master suite for years to come, but if we tire of doing the stairs, there are two nice sized bedrooms on the main floor. If we reach the point of not doing stairs at all, I have a closet next to the bathroom which can be converted to hold a stacked washer and dryer set.

If I was designing a house from scratch, I would prefer to put the master suite on the main floor and secondary bedrooms upstairs. In the 1920s and 1930s, the walkup attic space for later use was a common design in my area so main floor bedrooms with private baths are rare. I like the 1 1/2 story as gutters are accessible for cleaning with a ladder I can manage. Our two story required a 32 ft ladder for cleaning the gutters and that is not a task for your average homeowner.

What a discussion, Thanks! I am not yet 50, but close, currently living one story, we like it, but our two daughters always want two story, it will be about ~15 years for both to leave and make a living for themselves. We are now thinking to move to a bigger / nicer house. So, all discussions are about stairs, anything about the difference of maintenance and long term cost ?

Holiday decorating, window washing, and gutter cleaning are all easier with a single story house. Smaller roof on a two story so somewhat cheaper to replace but interior work is easier on a single story house. I would search by location, price, features and age and see what is available in the market.

Since I live in a city with fairly narrow lots, compared to many other places, I would never want a one story home because it would eat up too much of the lot. For our current family dynamic having two story plus basement is perfection. I won't live in this house forever though and I think I could see myself having a master on the main in my next home, once I ditch the kids, and get to live it up ;)

Like I said, in our town, newer houses are more two story because of lot size shrinking, so, I either take two story or looking for older houses but quite upgrades. I am in Texas, rarely heard house has basement, I guess Texas soil can not do basement ?

What kind of lot sizes do you have? How does that compare to house size on the lot?

Do you have kids? If so how old?

So many personal things impact our house choices.

@sheepla, an elevator is only $20k plus cost of finishing the interior.

I doubt you can make a blanket cost statement like that!

"... but as someone who climbs [stairs] dozens of times every day, I generally do not sustain any injuries. My knees have not suffered any damage as far as I can tell ..."

How old are you now? How many years have you been going up and down stairs "dozens of times every day"? I'm now 70, and we've lived in this two-story house for 30 years. I have severe bursitis in one knee, severe arthritis in the other knee, arthritis and bone spurs in one hip, and arthritis in both ankles. I now go up and down the stairs as few times as possible each day - once down, and once up.

I am in Texas, rarely heard house has basement, I guess Texas soil can not do basement ?

There's a lot of soil variation within Texas. :-) Just in my area alone (Central), there's solid alkaline limestone on one end of the spectrum (underground basements in this case would require blasting, I assume; usually cost prohibitive), and then there's heavy, expansive clay on the other (which exerts a lot of pressure on concrete basements, resulting in higher engineering and building costs).

It really is a shame that there aren't affordable ways to build basements here, being in tornado alley and all. :-( Above-ground safe rooms are an option, as are small underground bunker-type structures.

To address the original post, I strongly prefer living in single story houses, but I love the aesthetics of two- and three- story houses. For a multiple-story house to truly make me happy and not cause daily frustration, I would need several items that would likely negate the savings over a single story (tiled risers; storage under every stair tread; pulley-system dumbwaiter for transferring large laundry loads between floors; 1st master suite up and 2nd master suite down). It would just be too much. :-/

Nothing that a personal elevator can't fix, its shaftless so it's easier to get in and out lol...I'd get one for sure, it looks really cool. Our MBR is on the 2nd floor, allows me to scan the horizon with my IR sniper scope.

https://www.stiltzlifts.com/residential-elevator/

Compared to a 1 story house, a 2 story may have 1/2 the roof, excavation and basement slab but it has 2/3 of the foundation. More importantly, a 2 story has 1/3 more exterior wall and window opportunities for better ventilation, light & view. Also fewer corridors and better security. Also many more architectural opportunities.

A good compromise is a 1 1/2 story house with a bedroom/bath on the ground floor used as a den or for guests that will allow you to later age at home and have bedrooms for your children and grandchildren.

What I dislike is trying to make a 1 story look like a 1 1/2 or 2 story with fake dormers or towering hipped roofs.

I've' only been asked to design one single story house but I made the attic dormers real. Before it was finished the owner's daughter asked to move in and we added more dormers for guests. By the time the finishes were half done the owner was engaged.

If you build it, they will come.

We really liked our 1 1/2 story, 2 beds, 1 bath and storage on 2nd floor. MB/bath, powder room, living, kitchen dining/study, eat in area adjacent to kitchen walk-out deck, basement, main floor laundry and 3-car garage. Could have been forever home except for location. This is a great option for age and space utilization. However, the open concept of second floor to the first floor did not allow for as much privacy.

Two story houses hold value better because young families mostly like the idea of separation of sleeping and living areas. They are also the biggest driver of housing prices.