The good, bad and ugly on 2 story houses

[freckles and boo]

Going up and down stairs all day long is a hassle but I have a "no wasted trips" philosophy. There are baskets at the top and bottom of the stairs to gather things that need to go up or down. The laundry is in the basement so there is always something that needs to be moved. I suspect I would weigh twenty pounds more if I didn't get all this exercise.

My biggest problem with our house, besides hauling the laundry, was safety when my girls were babies. We had to be vigilant about baby gates. We have maple floors and stairs (I detest carpeting), so a tumble would have been very bad news.

 

[kacaju]

going up and down the stairs is exercise!!
I have always lived in a two story with all the bedrooms upstairs. I can't imagine having a bedroom downstairs with the kids upstairs when they were young.
God forbid there was ever a fire at night, I would want to be close to my kids.

 

[tzolkin]

We live in a single-storey house that we built 2 years ago. Last year something happened that caused me to realize that I'd never buy or build a house without at least a guest room on the first floor.

Almost exactly one year ago, I injured my knee and had to have knee surgery followed by being on crutches for several weeks. This really helped me to see firsthand what decreased mobility is like for people. If all our bedrooms had been on an upper floor, I would have been sleeping on the couch for probably 3 months.

This was the only thing I was going to mention as being a possible issue with a two-story house.

We are fortunate to have a large house with many rooms and are able to have a guest room downstairs. This has been absolutely necessary since MIL visits at least 3 times a year and she has severe knee problems. Walking up the three steps to get into the house is about all she can do.

It's also nice when we have other guests because I only have to worry about the downstairs being perfectly clean and they're far enough away that we don't have to worry about running into anyone in their underwear in the middle of the night.

 

[MichelleVW]

I hate two story houses. I really don't like running up and down the stairs all day. I have a bonus room upstairs that is the kid's hangout and I pretty much never go up there. If we have company I just shut the bedroom doors...no big deal.

 

[VickiVM]

If you can, get 2 ac units one for upstairs and one for downstairs...we have two and our overall operating cost is very reasonable.

 

[golfgal]

If you can, get 2 ac units one for upstairs and one for downstairs...we have two and our overall operating cost is very reasonable.

That is good advice. I want to put in a small window unit in our sitting room but we have crank out windows and can't.

 

[castleview]

We really haven't felt the bad of a two story home because we're still young enough to go up and down without a problem. I struggle to keep the house clean, so having the living space upstairs totally separated is nice. It's also nice to be able to "get away". I grew up in a small raised ranch where the bedrooms were on the same level and had very little privacy. By luck, we scored a 2nd floor utility room and now I can't imagine not having it up there. It's kind of like central air, a garbage disposal and an attached garage - you can live without them if you've never had it; but once you have it, it becomes essential.

 

[HOGFAN]

great if you love exercise. up and down. Personally I would prefer a large rancher, especially as I get older.

 

[DMickey28]

I grew up in a two story so it has always seemed to be the "norm" for me. We have lived in multiple single floor apartments and rented a two floor house.

I prefer the two story house. I prefer the bedrooms to be upstairs. We just had an offer accepted on our first house and one of the things we wanted was all the bedrooms upstairs. Many Many homes we looked at had only two bedrooms upstairs. I would do a 1st floor Master with older kids but not a toddler and newborn. I can see the draw with the pre-teens and teens though.

My problem with the one floor apartments that we have had is that my DS's room was always too close to the living space so that after he went down we are tiptoeing around the rest of the house. I think that having the bedroom cuts down on the social noise in the first floor of the house.

The only thing I didn't get in this house that I would have liked was the laundry to be on the first or second floor rather than the basement. I do not look forward to going up and down two flights of stairs 8 months pregnant to do laundry. I also would like a Master Bath but not many homes in our price range had them in the first place so that's ok.

 

[minkydog]

We live in a single-storey house that we built 2 years ago. Last year something happened that caused me to realize that I'd never buy or build a house without at least a guest room on the first floor.

Almost exactly one year ago, I injured my knee and had to have knee surgery followed by being on crutches for several weeks. This really helped me to see firsthand what decreased mobility is like for people. If all our bedrooms had been on an upper floor, I would have been sleeping on the couch for probably 3 months.

For most people, situations of impaired mobility probably will happen after middle-age. But I was only 37. It's been a year, but I still struggle with stairs. I can go up them at work, church, etc., but I have to use my arm strength with the rails to help pull me up because my knee still doesn't work quite right. I'm likely to need further surgery. It was a complete pain being on crutches in a single-storey house.

I sympathize totally. We live in a two-story. I worked at home from my office in the basement. I broke my ankle and had to spend 6weeks with NO weight-bearing, which meant it was just about impossible for me to get around my house. All the bathrooms are upstairs. My office and the laundry are down the stairs. There are 2 flights of stairs down to the driveway. I was in a world of trouble. I had one rolling chair on the main level which i used to motor around from room to room. To go to the bathroom I had to crawl up the stairs, crawl into the bathroom, pull myself to standing and go. Then I had to crawl back to the stairs, slide down on my butt and get back in my little chair. I just about killed myself with my crutches--fell off the sidewalk twice, rolling around in the pine straw.

I'm 52. We'll probably sell the house in another couple years and move into something one-level. DH gets too fatigued going up and down the stairs and DS is so off-balance he has a hard time on the stairs. I can see the writing on the wall.

 

[dollarmite]

Here in Australia 2 storey houses are the exception, rather than the norm, mainly due to cost. We have a 2 storey house and I love it!

Upstairs we have 4 bedrooms, an ensuite, family bathroom, toilet and large loungeroom. Downstairs we have a kitchen, dining room, TV room/lounge/family room, formal lounge and dining, playroom/rumpus room, laundry, bathroom, and an office that could also be used as a 5th bedroom.

Some days I don't go upstairs between getting up and then going to bed, which means I don't have to look at the mess, lol.

As 2 stories are a bit of a novelty here, I find visitors are rather curious, and the staircase is an absolute magnet for visiting children. Keeping them from heading up there as soon as they enter the house is the only drawback I have come across to having a 2 storey house. As 2 stories seem to be more common in the US this 'novelty factor' may not be a problem for you though.

I would never willingly go back to living in a single storey house.

 

[englishteacha]

We have a Cape style home, I guess what some would call a 1.5 story. Our 2 bedrooms are upstairs, and our living room/dining room and kitchen and only bath are downstairs. It's tiny. I've already told my husband that the next house we own will have a bathroom on the same level as the bedrooms. I hate going downstairs in the middle of the night to use the bathroom, and it's horrible if one of us is sick. When I'm sick I really want to be curled up in bed, and it's just too far from the bathroom! I do like that I can keep the upstairs separate when company comes. (I usually just toss all my clutter in a basket and hide it in the bedroom!) I grew up in a one-story house with a finished basement. Unfortunately, it was a "raised" type of house so there were stairs to get to the main living area. When my father got older, my brother built a ramp to get in, but it still was a chore for him.

 

[Sparx]

this is a weird question. what is the banister like?

my parents house was built by the people we bought it from, and the children's rooms were upside. the banister down the stairs was a half size, and it wasn't really a problem we noticed at first.

when i was 12, i slipped at the top of the stairs, and i wasn't able to catch myself on the banister, since it was so low to the ground.

after i fell (and the hospital stay and stitches that ensued) my mom installed a second banister against the wall (at a normal height)

so if the banisters are short, you may want to just go ahead and install a new one just in case.

 

[Alice28]

we have a 2 story- 4 bedrooms up, plus a playroom/bonus and laundry. downstairs is a den/bedroom, kitchen, dining and living area. 2 bathrooms up, 1/2 bath down. I love it. Like PP said, I love that my kids STUFF is mostly all upstairs. Downstairs is the 'nice' part of the house that I can keep nice without too much trouble. I LOVE HAVING THE LAUNDRY UPSTAIRS!!!!!!!!

Cons- I want to buy a 2nd vacuum cleaner cause I hate hauling mine up and downstairs. I would have bought one by now, but I want Dysons- not cheap, so I haul the one I have up and down. I agree with the mobility issue- I have blown my knee out a few times and the stairs stink when you've hurt a leg. I also am not sure what we'll do when the kids all move out. (granted, my kids are 11, 8 and 4....we have awhile). Probably downsize to a ranch. Esp because the 3 kid's bedrooms are small. They would work for a guest room or a craft room I guess.

I do love our home tho- it's the perfect fit for us. GOod luck with your choice!

 

[dollarmite]

I'm fascinated by the fact that so many American homes seem to have the laundry upstairs. I've never heard of such a set up before. Is this common?

What happens when/if you want to hang something outside on the line? Isn't it a pain to have to drag heavy wet stuff through the house, particularly over carpet?

In most Australian houses the laundry opens straight out into the back yard, close to the clothes line.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I'm fascinated by the fact that so many American homes seem to have the laundry upstairs. I've never heard of such a set up before. Is this common?

What happens when/if you want to hang something outside on the line? Isn't it a pain to have to drag heavy wet stuff through the house, particularly over carpet?

In most Australian houses the laundry opens straight out into the back yard, close to the clothes line.

We don't hang up our clothes on a clothesline. So that answers your question. They go in the dryer.

Now I would love to have some land where I could have a clothesline, however here in the burbs it is against the rules in your neighborhood.

 

[DawnCt1]

I have a 2 story-but the Master is downstairs-which we love-kids are far away from us.


My sis hated her house with all the bedrooms upstairs and just moved into a one story house.

My house also has the master bedroom downstairs. I love it. When the kids move out, I would never have to go upstairs. I would NEVER want my laundry room on the second floor. I spend most of my time on the first level. I would hate to run up and down stairs to do laundry particularly since I use a clothes line during the nicer months. I can't think of a bigger inconvenience.

 

[december]

Dollarmite, Lots of people here in the country still hang their clothes to dry. My grandmother doesn't have a dryer. My mother does, but hangs her clothes out anyway. I dry most everything, but dh hangs his hunting clothes outside to dry. He actually has a friend that sold his house in a subdivision a few yrs ago after he got a letter telling him NOT to hang out his hunting clothes!

Now I'm fascinated by the way you listed your rooms-you listed family bathroom and "toilet" separately. Please explain!

I'd love to have a 2 story one day-dd9 is obsessed with them. But I'd want my master and the baby's room downstairs. I wouldn't mind dd9 and ds12 being upstairs, but there is no way I'm sleeping on a different floor than the little one! And I want my bedroom downstairs so I won't have problems when I'm older.

 

[dollarmite]

Dollarmite, Lots of people here in the country still hang their clothes to dry. My grandmother doesn't have a dryer. My mother does, but hangs her clothes out anyway. I dry most everything, but dh hangs his hunting clothes outside to dry. He actually has a friend that sold his house in a subdivision a few yrs ago after he got a letter telling him NOT to hang out his hunting clothes!

Now I'm fascinated by the way you listed your rooms-you listed family bathroom and "toilet" separately. Please explain!

LOL, the ironic thing is my dryer is located right next to the laundry door that leads outside. I am usually too lazy to open the door so end up using the dryer more than I should.

I think there may be a handful (if that) of master planned communities around that ban clotheslines, but they are the staple of most backyards. Even some unit (apartment) blocks offer an outside clothesline, depending on the set up of the building.

As for the toilet/bathroom thing - in most houses the bathroom contains a shower and/or bath (or spa) and a sink/vanity unit. The actual toilet itself is located in a separate room, usually right next door to the bathroom. Depending on space there may also be a small sink in there as well.

Most ensuites contain the shower/bath, sink and toilet all in one room, but in general the more 'public' facilities are in 2 separate rooms.

If an American visitor to my home ever asked to use my bathroom I would wonder why they wanted to take a shower or bath, when in actual fact they really want/need to use the toilet.

 

[MushyMushy]

I've never NOT lived in a two story home. I love having the bedrooms on a whole separate floor where they are more private. In a big old house like ours, you don't hear much between the floors. Stairs don't really bother me because I grew up in a 2 story house and never spent any amount of time in a ranch. It's just a fact of my life.

What did really stink was one house we lived in several years ago. There was no bathroom in the upstairs -- only one down off the kitchen. I'm one who gets up a few times in the middle of the night and it was a pain in the neck having to run downstairs to the opposite end of the house to use the toilet!