
- No stairs (the lazy factor)
If you’re a fanatic for exercise, you like stairs. If you’re like the rest of us, stairs are a hassle to go up and down. Some people also have disabilities, and is very difficult to handle with stairs, as we discuss below.
- Less noise (from above)
Noise from above, footsteps included, is not good. The majority of 2-story homes aren’t built with perfect noise proofing between floors – mainly because it is expensive for builders to work with that feature. Some are better than others but I’ve yet to be in a house where I don’t hear noise from above.
- Great for mobility issues
At some point stairs are more than a hassle: they’re an obstacle. Many people with mobility issues sell their home because they cannot go up and down stairs. If you’re building or buying your forever home, this is a good consideration. At some point many of us will not be able to navigate stairs.
- More renovation flexibility
Load bearing walls make knocking down walls a problem. Beam-work can replace a load-bearing wall, but it’s expensive. When you have a rancher, it’s much easier to knock down walls and add on extensions because there’s much less weight to consider. Consequently, it’s easier to create open concept living areas.
- Easy to add skylights
In fact, it’s not only easier, it’s pretty much possible anywhere you like. You simply punch a hole in the roof and create the skylight. This is not possible when you have a second floor. The potential for adding natural light is enormous. This can be a very nice benefit if you like a light-filled home such as a light-filled kitchen or bathroom.
- Easier for exterior maintenance
To maintain a single story home over a two-story home is also a huge advantage. Imagine you cleaning gutters 20 feet in the air, and compare with a 10 feet up (it isn’t so bad, don’t you agree?). Thing goes with washing a house, cleaning windows and performing any roof maintenance.
- High cathedral ceiling
It’s far easier to add cathedral or tall ceilings to an existing single story home than it is to a 2-story home. Cathedral ceilings are very nice interior design features, and you can easily incorporate them in any plan for a single story house.
- More deck/patio potential
With a single story, you have more rooms from which to add a deck or patio. Just create a door and a patio and you’re done. It’s not so simple from a second story. It will be also more expensive to do it in a 2-story house.
Of course you have some “not so good” points when dealing with planing for a single story house. In other post we will talk about that.