Who here has a downstairs Master Bedroom?

[FreshTressa]

I was looking at house plans and it seems to be the big thing now.

What is the advantage? I kind of don't get it.

I took this course in college about how housing styles reflect what is important to society at the time. Very interesting.

I'm trying to figure out what downstairs master bedrooms mean!

 

[sara74]

DH thinks the advantage of a downstairs master BR is that the kids can't sneak out of the house without getting caught! That's how his house was when he was a kid. My parents had an upstairs master and our bedrooms were downstairs. We were just trustworthy kids I guess. I am always looking at home plans and I will say that a downstairs master is a dealbreaker for me. I want to be on the same level as the kids and I want to be able to entertain downstairs without worrying about making my bed!

 

[Planogirl]

My whole house is downstairs.

I had a friend who lived in a two story and the master was downstairs. She was a bit of a wild child and just went down the trellis.

 

[Pugdog007]

My house has a MBR on the main level, all other bedrooms on the 2nd level. All new homes built in this area have main level MBR's. Usually large suites with large baths with a whirlpool tub.

I think it's because most adults want some privacy and separation from the kids.

The few older homes I looked at when house hunting with all BR's on an upper level - had been on the market a long time and the realtor advised against buying any with the layout. They can't resell them.

 

[Snow Brite]

The downstairs bedroom is very popular with older(ish) folks. No stairs on the old creaky knees! As the Baby Boomers get older and start to think about buying their "last" homes, this becomes a big selling point. The same with the roomy bathrooms that are large enough for a wheelchair or walker.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I have heard that access is important. As the homeowner ages--a downstairs bedroom would be more suitable if they have physical impairment.

While we have lots of families here--we also have a large elder population--though the youngin's are catchin up!

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

My MBR is downstairs. I go to bed later than my kids, so they can get better rest without me walking around the floor around them. I also like having a floor that I don't have to see...as they have toys out constantly. My downstairs stays pretty straight, and my bed is made every day. My kids' beds may or may not get made depending on the day.

There is that privacy issue for parents, but that's only one small part of why my MBR is downstairs!

 

[poohandwendy]

Are we talking about main floor master bedroom? Because I have a ranch with a finished basement...which holds my son's bedroom. So 'downstairs' to me is the basement level. Not sure I would want my bedroom there. I wouldn't want to go up steps to get to the kitchen.

If it is main floor, yes, that is where our master bedroom is.

 

[HaleyB]

I don't have one but I wish we did now, sort of. I didn't want it when the kids were little my dd was only 6 months when we bought this house. I didn't want to have to run upstairs to get her if she was up in the night. I also did not want my 3 year old to have to come downstairs if he needed me.

Now they are a bit older and we sort of wish we were on the main level. Partly because dd who is now 8 has gotten into the habbit of climbing in our bed around 2am. I think if we were downstairs this never would have happened. It would also stay cooler in the summer.

 

[FreshTressa]

I wonder if it is so mommy and daddy can get freaky, lol.

 

[Mishetta]

They call those type of homes Split Levels here in MI. The ones with the master bedroom suites on the main level & the rest of the bedrooms upstairs. I would love a home like that so that we'd have a little more privacy as well as thinking when the kids are gone, my house could be a "ranch." In other words, I would just be living on the main level & not have to worry about the upstairs until the kids came back to visit. We currently have a colonial (all bedrooms upstairs) & the stairs are killing me. Up & down all day long. I forget things & have to keep going back & forth. My left knee makes a crazy noise too each time I go up & down those stairs!

 

[CPM]

All our bedrooms are downstairs.
When we lived up north, all our bedrooms were upstairs.

If I ever build a house again I will have the master downstairs and the kid's bedrooms upstairs. This way I don't have to rush around cleaning their rooms when people come over!! I can just keep the guests downstairs.

My ideal would be the two kids bedrooms with a bath in between and an open loft style family room outside their bedrooms, all upstairs.

 

[kimmikayb]

To me it would mean
1) not lugging all the laundry up and downstairs (kids can carry their own up)
2) easy access when I get older
3) hear the coming and going of anyone in the house
4) putting the kids to bed in quiet while my activities can continue
5) so I can have a hot tub outside my bedroom patio door


what bothers me is not being closer to my kids if there was something wrong....sick kid, bad storm, fire, etc.

 

[disykat]

I always assumed it was so you could live on one level when the kids grew up. We live in a ranch. Since so many of the new builds are two story (smaller footprint), ranchs are in very high demand when they go on the market - especially in the empty nester market.

 

[makinorlando]

Ummm - I do - but my house is a one story - split floor plan though. My bedroom (MB) is off the living area of the house, and the other bedrooms are on the other side of the house at the end of a separate hallway (I used to call it the "EAST WING" - when we first moved her my DD insisted on sleeping in my bedroom - so no one ever used the 2nd and 3rd bedrooms unless we had guests...).

The majority of two level homes in the sub divisions in the area I live outside of Orlando seem to have the MB downstairs with the other bedrooms upstairs along with a loft type area.

 

[CrazedDisFan]

We have a ranch, however we would not buy a house without a first floor master bedroom.

We *almost* bought a 2 story with all bedrooms upstairs a few years back. It's a good thing we didn't. We never anticipated dh having a knee replacement at 36 and we would now be selling that house.

A first floor master is a necessity, in my opinion, if you plan on staying until your older or have any health problems.

 

[powellrj]

DH thinks the advantage of a downstairs master BR is that the kids can't sneak out of the house without getting caught! That's how his house was when he was a kid.

I know first hand that if they want out bad enough, they will get out! My DS can tell you all about it. It involved a ladder, his sisters window and pushing a car down the street. Our bedroom is downstairs and the kids rooms are upstairs. I like it because it keeps their stuff out of the lower level of the house, I don't have to lug our laundry upstairs and the kids can take their own, and my knees are shot so it makes it easy on them!

 

[FreshTressa]

So many people with knee probs!! My mom just had knee surgery.

So...the anthropological explanation is that we are a generation with knee problems.

 

[Snow_White]

My husband and I have a downstairs Master Bedroom, but we really don't like it anymore. We really want to have kids soon and I definitely do NOT like the fact that they would be upstairs and we would be downstairs. Also, I just don't like sleeping at ground level....makes me feel unsafe or something. I also feel like there is a major lack of privacy being on the first floor w/ our floor length windows at the front of the house. Having said that, we plan to buy a new house soon though, so it won't be an issue (we bought our house for 202K in 2002 and now it's worth 475K+.....we just found this out yesterday and we've been bouncing off the ceiling ever since!!! holy CRAP!!!).

Having said that, it's DEFINITELY a huge selling point for older people (who we will be marketing our current home towards).

 

[LoveWDW]

We have a ranch, so all bedrooms are on the same floor, but my neighbor has the master bedroom on the ground floor and child bedrooms and playroom upstairs. She doesn't have to worry too much about keeping the children's area tidy when company comes. And when the family matures, it will be fewer steps for them to climb and overnight guests will have their privacy.