What could be better than your own residential home? Many of us dream of owning such a home. When building or buying a country house, the question often arises: one-story or two-story house: which is better? The answer may not be so simple, so there are a number of factors to consider to make the right decision. The number of floors in a house affects not only how it looks externally, but also the comfortable movement of its residents inside the building, as well as year-round maintenance (communications, heating, lighting, payments, etc.).
In fact, there is no clear answer to the question of which of the two options is better, since they both come with a set of pros and cons.
Two-story houses
Popular two-story house “Legion” - click to view prices and configurations
Two-story homes are very popular for a variety of reasons, including:
- Separation of living and sleeping areas. Many consumers like the idea of having a two-story home to provide some separation between the living room and bedroom. This is definitely a huge advantage, especially because it provides greater privacy.
- Square base. Two-story houses often occupy less space than one-story buildings. They are cheaper to build on a square base, where they take up less space on the site. This allows for a more comfortable outdoor space.
- Energy efficiency. Two-story houses are more efficient in terms of heating compared to one-story houses. In addition, the length of water pipes can be significantly shorter, reducing heat loss in the pipes and therefore energy costs.
One-story houses
Project of a one-story house “Milord” - click to view prices and configurations
There are benefits of one-story houses:
- No staircase is required here. Residents of the house do not need to climb stairs to move from room to room. Not only is it convenient, but it is also a safe alternative for families with small children and elderly people.
- Providing continuous living space. In houses of this type without flights of stairs there is more free space.
- No noise from upper level traffic. There is no second floor, which means there are no noise effects from the movement of residents on it.
- Ease of evacuation. In case of unforeseen situations (fire, emergency), exiting a one-story house will be easier, simpler, and safer. If a fire blocks any exits from the upper level of a two-story home, evacuation can be much more difficult.
- Easy access to gutters. In a house where only one floor is built, gutters are much easier to access for cleaning. It also makes it easier to reach the windows when they need to be cleaned.
Single-story properties may involve higher foundation and roofing costs per square meter of living space, while two-story buildings may have more complex structures at height.
Two-story projects are characterized by some indicators by greater versatility, since they have more attachment points for the porch, connectors and outputs, elements that transform the style of the house.
Which option is better?
The choice between a one-story and two-story vacation home is a subjective one, which ultimately comes down to the personal preferences of each homeowner. The current life situation must be considered taking into account all the pros and cons. When choosing one or another option, you need to remember the long-term operational period, the possibilities of servicing a residential building, take into account the number of family members, and a number of other major and minor factors. However, understanding the potential advantages and disadvantages of both types of homes can help you make the right decision based on your needs and expectations.
We are accustomed to the fact that houses in our country often grow not in width, but in height. This tradition dates back to the time when established gardening partnerships constantly lacked land and people were given catastrophically small plots. Houses were built almost one on top of the other, and in order to increase the modest size of the living space, it was necessary to build upward. But even now, when you can buy a plot of any size, people still continue to build houses with two or more floors.
At first glance, a two-story house wins in many respects, but in construction you always need to dig deeper.
Pros of a two-story house
First- this is, of course, mass participation. We are used to seeing how others build and what kind of houses they build, so we strive to build our own house according to the same principle. The fashion for two-story houses is also supported by modern cinema: in films or TV series we constantly see characters going down and up the stairs of their country house - and therefore in our hearts we also dream of a house with a second floor. This desire, like dreams of a two-story apartment, is constantly fueled by fashion magazines and TV series.
Second. Common belief: It has always been believed that two floors are much “cooler” than one. And it is better to build a small two-story house than a huge one-story one. You will still be greeted by your clothes, or more precisely, by your floor. And only then in terms of footage.
Third. Savings on the cost per square meter, savings on roofing materials and insulation. Sometimes when building a house it is important not to lose a penny. And the savings visible at first glance are in any case more profitable.
Cons of a two-story house
They mainly arise due to the design features of houses with a second floor.
First- in any case, this is a reduction in the usable area of the first floor due to the stairs. Not only will it take up some space, but it will also cost money.
Second. In order for the second floor to be fully functional, a second bathroom will need to be built there. Having a second floor just for game rooms is wrong. When building a country house, it is important to take care of all amenities. Agree that if you want to go to the toilet at night, then walking through the whole house and going down the stairs in the dark is not very convenient.
Yes, we have options for two-story houses (usually small in area), with one bathroom on the ground floor. An example is a house according to the project. However, how convenient it is is up to you.
Third. If it is warmer on the second floor in winter, then in summer you will not be able to survive there without air conditioning. These are additional costs.
Fourth. This is probably the most important thing. Your life in 90% of cases will take place on the ground floor. The second floor will only be used at night or if you have a child for whom the entire floor can become a full-fledged home.
Opinion from one of our customers:
They decided to build a one-story house. Most of the time my wife and I live here alone, why do we need a second floor? And in general, I think that in most cases this is overkill, a waste of money: my mother has a two-story house, so she hasn’t been on the second floor for a year and a half. For older people, it’s 100% unnecessary expenses; no one uses the second floor.
Pros of a one-story house
First. Due to the fact that one-story houses do not have additional stairs, they are much better suited for older people and families with children. The absence of stairs and a second floor, where you can close yourself off from everyone, will help bring the family together. It has been proven that when children are given the second floor, they begin to feel more lonely and feel as if their parents are shutting them out.
Second. In a one-story house, the installation system for heating and all types of communications is much simpler. And most often it comes out cheaper than in a two-story house.
Third. Less expenses for foundation and walls. And if you can still argue about the foundation, since it will be larger in area and, therefore, more expensive, then the walls will in any case be cheaper, since they do not need to be further reinforced.
Disadvantages of a one-story house
First- this is the layout. Indeed, if you have many rooms, then, most likely, you will definitely get into one by passing through a second one. The presence of walk-through rooms does not have a very good effect on life. And most importantly, useful square meters are lost.
Second. In any case, you will have more costs for the roof and, most likely, for the foundation.
Which house is better, one-story or two-story? This is one of the most popular and controversial issues among private developers. Let us immediately note that the designs of both types of houses are reliable and comfortable for permanent residence. The main dispute between supporters of one or another number of storeys in a private house arises when discussing the economics of construction and maintenance. The choice in favor of a 1-story house in order to save money on construction and subsequent operational savings is wrong. See numbers and calculations below. In this matter, only a reasonable choice can be based on taste preferences in the direction of 1-story architecture. Tastes could not be discussed.
Which house is cheaper to build, one-story or two-story?? The best answer to this question is, of course, exact numbers and detailed estimates. Watch and see for yourself: Which house is more expensive: one-story or two-story?. Numbers are marked in green, which are the advantages of the project. For comparison, we present 2 estimates for the construction of houses made of aerated concrete with different number of storeys. All prices are as of 02/19/2016.
| Characteristics | 1-storey house | difference | 2-storey house |
| Project visualization |  |
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| Floor plans |  |
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| Total internal area | 145.1m2 | = | 145 m2 |
| Detailed estimate | |||
| Total construction cost (without attic insulation) | RUB 4,049,776 | > At 245595 | RUB 3,804,181 |
| Total cost of construction (with attic insulation) | RUB 4,224,776 | > At 315,595 | RUR 3,909,181 |
| Building area (foundation) | 177.8 m2 | > At 60.5 | 117.3 m2 |
| Cost of building a foundation with materials | RUB 1,195,077 | > At 335 499 | RUB 859,578 |
| Concrete volume | 88 m 3 | > At 49 | 39 m 3 |
| Reinforcement volume | 4.5t | > At 1.4 | 3.1t |
| Cost of building walls with materials | RUB 815,088 | < На 187 066 | RUB 1,002,154 |
| Total volume of walls | 97.5 m 3 | < На 13 | 110.5 m 3 |
| Wall area for finishing (without windows) | 167.7 (145.7) m 2 | < На 79,45 | 247.15 (213.9) m2 |
| Cost of construction of interfloor slab | 0 | < На 329 124 | RUB 329,124 |
| Cost of building an attic floor with materials | RUB 187,916 | > At 86 167 | RUB 101,749 |
| Attic floor area | 176.65 m2 | > At 76.85 | 99.8 m2 |
| Cost of building a roof with materials | RUB 1,484,586 | > At 547 093 | RUB 937,493 |
| Roof area | 293.4 m2 | > At 122.3 | 171.1 m2 |
| The perimeter of the house - for blind area, drainage, drainage, drainage, finishing, insulation and waterproofing of the basement | 55.9m | > At 13.5 | 42.4m |
| Glazing area | 13,09% | = | 13,47% |
Which house is cheaper, one-story or two-story?- we responded with these calculations: the advantage in favor of a 2-story house is 315,595 rubles at the stage of building the house box.
Thus, a 1-story house is profitable only in terms of the construction of the walls of the house (benefit = 187,066 rubles) and in the absence of interfloor ceilings (benefit = 329,124 rubles).
A 2-story house is profitable for the construction of a foundation (benefit = 335,499 rubles), an attic floor (benefit = 86,167 rubles), and a roof (benefit = 547,093 rubles).
With these calculations, we confirm the fact that the construction of the foundation and roof are the most labor-intensive and costly items in the construction of a private house. In comparison, the volume and cost of work on the construction of walls is much less, which does not provide a significant advantage for a 1-story house.
The table shows the difference in volumes, but does not indicate the figures for the cost of finishing work (an advantage in favor of a 1-story house), as well as the cost of finishing and insulating the basement, installing a drainage system, storm drainage, building a blind area (a significant advantage in favor of a 2-story building). storey building). During subsequent construction, a reinforced concrete interfloor staircase will be added to the cost of building a two-story house (about 60,000 rubles). The cost of engineering work is almost the same for both projects. As a result, the cost according to the estimates with finishing work turns out to be in favor of a 2-story house with a benefit of about 450,000 rubles.
One-story or two-story house pros and cons:
- Construction cost: 1-storey - minus, 2-storey - plus. The calculations are shown in the table above.
- Energy efficiency: 1-storey - minus, 2-storey - plus. A 2-story house will require less heating costs for the house. Firstly, the greatest heat loss in a house occurs through the roof. For houses with the same internal area of 145 m2: a 1-story house has a roof area of 293.4 m2, and a 2-story house has a roof area of 171.1 m2, with a difference of 122.3 m2, which is significant! The calculations are shown in the table above. Secondly, due to convection flows of warm air upward, the areas of the premises on the second floor warm up faster and require less cost to maintain heat. Thirdly, free thermal energy from the sun in winter is transferred to the rooms of the second floors to a much greater extent than to the rooms of a 1-story building, because the latter are more strongly shaded by the roof overhangs.
- Home repairability and maintenance: 1-storey - plus, 2-storey - minus. Maintenance and repair of the facade and drainage system is definitely easier for a 1-story building. For a 2-story house, scaffolding or tower towers are required.
- Home maintenance: 1-storey - plus, 2-storey - minus. More comfortable and safer movement vectors in a 1-story building are associated with the absence of a second level and the need to go up and down the interfloor stairs. This is especially true for older people.
- Occupied area of the site: 1-storey - minus, 2-storey - plus. A 1-storey house with an internal usable area of 145m2 occupies a plot area of 177.8m2, and a 2-storey house - only 117.3m2 with a difference of 60.5m2. The calculations are shown in the table above. On a plot (with the same number of acres) with a 2-story house, there is much more usable area. For small plots, a 2-story house becomes the only right choice. That. a one-story house has a large built-up area of 60.5 m 2 or 0.605 acres. The cost of 1 hundred square meters in Moscow on the popular Novorizhsky direction up to 30 km is approximately 500-600 thousand rubles. Accordingly, when building a two-story house, a private developer will save about 300-360 thousand rubles.
- Panoramic visibility of the surrounding area: 1-storey - minus, 2-storey - plus. If there are beautiful natural landscapes within sight of the site: a forest, a lake, etc., then it will be an undeniable advantage to build a 2-story house, because From the windows of a 1-story building, only your own garden will be visible.
Which is better, a one-story or two-story house?- based on the above pros and cons, we conclude: 4:2 in favor of a 2-story building.
In any case, each private developer himself determines the important features of building a house, depending on the number of floors. There will always be developers who consciously, knowing all the above features, will choose the architecture of a 1-story house, just as there will always be customers who are supporters of two-story construction. The Full House company builds both 1- and 2-story houses, since the designs of both types of houses are reliable and durable.
After a long break, it's time to start updating the blog. According to the results of voting for the most interesting topic, which hangs in the upper right corner of the blog, the greatest interest was shown in the topic “Which is better - a one-story or two-story house.”
In fact, “what is better” is a rather individual and not new topic. It is easy to find materials on this topic, so I will not delve into it, focusing on an issue that is closely related to this topic, but much less covered. Namely - “what is cheaper to build, a two-story or one-story house”
But I’ll start in order, with what is better, because partly this question will be related to what is cheaper.
Which is better - a one-story or two-story / attic house
Probably the main argument, not related to price or subjective feelings, when choosing a one-story or two-story house is the area of the site and the building. Of course, it will be difficult to build a one-story house of 150 square meters on a plot of 6 acres. Therefore, for small plots, a two-story house will be a more sensible solution than a one-story one.
Otherwise, the question is largely individual and subjective. Some people like to have a staircase and a second floor in their house, where they can retire from the family bustle going on on the first floor. Some people like the sloping walls of the attic, especially with dormer windows, which create a peculiar feeling of coziness of a “living attic”.
On the other hand, a one-story house is more convenient in terms of living. Because constantly running up and down stairs gets boring quickly. And not only does it get boring. We will all get old sooner or later, and going up to the second floor can become not just annoying, but also a physically difficult operation. In addition, whatever one may say, the staircase, even the most convenient one, is a dangerous place in the house. And not only for older people, but also for children, who mainly love her. I think each of us, at least once in our lives, fell on the stairs, turning awkwardly, or twisting our ankle. This also needs to be taken into account.
I met a lot of opinions of people who built a two-story house and said “if I were building it now, I would have built a one-story one.” And in 90% of cases, this opinion was due precisely to the fact that running up and down the stairs gets boring pretty quickly. Whatever the staircase, think about how often you will have to climb it
Therefore, when choosing a two-story (I will also classify an attic as a two-story) house, you need to be very careful about choosing the layout so that you have to run up and down the stairs as little as possible. For example, one of the important conditions for a comfortable existence is the presence of at least one bedroom (guest room) on the first floor and the presence of a bathroom on the second floor, if we are talking about a house with all the amenities.
A room on the first floor will be useful for the older generation, who find it difficult to go up to the second floor, and suddenly in the middle of the day you yourself want to take a nap or “read a book” alone and inside the house. And if you sleep on the second floor, and at night you suddenly feel the urge to go to the toilet, which is only on the first floor, then by the time you go up the stairs, the whole dream will have passed. Or you will suffer painfully because you don’t want to get out of a warm, cozy bed for the sake of a long hike :).
On the other hand, a two-story house has its advantages. For example, a view of the surrounding area, if the house is located in a picturesque place and the very feeling of being “cut off” from the land gives a certain emotional comfort. Very often in debates about “one-story or two-story,” the question of a balcony arises. The fact that many people want to have a balcony on the second floor to view the surroundings from it.
Let me digress a little to the question “is a balcony needed in a private house?” I remember one lady gave the following argument:
And I like to go out to the balcony in the morning with a cup of coffee and soak up the sun.
Is there such a thing? Of course yes. But don’t compare a balcony in an apartment with a balcony in a house. Imagine the above situation in reality. You woke up, went down the stairs to the first floor, where the kitchen is located, poured yourself some coffee, and with a hot mug climbed back up for the coveted balcony. Will you do this? Especially if on the ground floor you have, say, an open terrace, where you can just soak up the sun with that cup of coffee, and which you can access directly from the kitchen-living room?
Practice shows that in 90% of cases, the balcony in a private house is not used at all. Except that in winter you have to go out there to remove snow. This is exactly the case when “mental desires” diverge from reality. At the same time, a balcony can significantly increase the cost of construction.
Another argument in favor of a two-story house is the desire to have a “second light” when there is no interfloor ceiling above the kitchen/living room, completely or partially. It's difficult to argue here. The feeling of spaciousness and airiness that second light gives is difficult to replace. Although in a one-story house it is possible to create a semblance of a second light, in this case the ceiling is usually not made horizontally, but along the rafters, as on attic floors. The effect is comparable to a second light, although such a design will most likely cost more than a conventional horizontal ceiling. But the “second light” has one implicit drawback. It greatly reduces the acoustic comfort for those in the second position.
Usually the “second light” is placed above the living room. Imagine a situation when guests have arrived and the living room is in full swing, but you are tired and decide to retire to the second room. With “second light” you are unlikely to be able to take a break from the cheerful company, since the sound from the living room will be perfectly audible in the bedrooms on the second floor.
Acoustic comfort is probably the last argument that comes to mind, in the debate between one-story and two-story. On the one hand, on the second floor you can retire from the hustle and bustle of the first. On the other hand, soundproofing wooden floors, which are done in 90% of cases in private homes, is not such a simple matter. And residents of the first floor, on the contrary, may be disturbed by noise from the second (for example, children running around) - that is, impact noise, which is the weak point of any wooden floor.
In summary, based on the totality of its qualities, a one-story house will be safer and more comfortable to live in than a two-story house. But the 2-storey building also has its charms. Therefore, you must first focus on your needs and desires. With this, let's move on to a more pragmatic question - what is cheaper to build, a one-story or two-story house.
What is cheaper to build - a two-story or one-story house?
Let's start in order
total area
Usually, when it comes to price, the old stereotype comes into play - a one-story building has twice the foundation and roof, and these are the most expensive elements in construction, so a one-story building is much more expensive.
But is this really so? The first mistake is that in this calculation, with the same number and area of residential premises, a one-story house will be smaller in area than a two-story house.
Why? Yes, very simple. If the staircase is not made completely “added”, then the staircase itself will take up at least 4 m2 on each floor. But in reality, about 5m2. That is, it is 10 m2 of the area of the entire house. Then, in front of the stairs, you will 100% have some kind of halls that will require at least 10 m2. Total - 20m2
The halls on the first and second floor are almost 20m2 and another 8 on the stairs. Total 28 m2 out of 135 building area. At the same time, there is not even a wardrobe for clothes in the halls.
Of course, in a one-story house you also cannot do without “useless” square meters spent on corridors and halls, but with proper and rational planning their number can be reduced to a minimum. And in a two-story building you won’t be able to get away from them.
There is an opinion that it is easier to make a rational layout of a two-story house than a one-story house. This is partly true, but the question of the rationality of planning is not at all simple. I came across two-story domestic projects, where the total area of all the halls and corridors reached 40% of the area of the entire house.
The total area is approximately the same as above, but in addition to 3 larger bedrooms, we have a sauna, a 2 times larger living room of 30 m2 and utility rooms. Moreover, the total area in this house includes almost 15 m2 of terraces (actually another room)
Therefore, if you want to build a two-story house of 150 m2, then a one-story house of the same usable area will most likely be 120-130 m2. And the extra 20-30 m2 in the construction of a house can result in a significant amount. In fact, this is the area of a studio apartment or a small one-room apartment.
In addition, the staircase itself, if you don’t go to extremes, also costs money. A beautiful and comfortable staircase will cost you from 30 to 120 rubles.
Design features
Let me warn you right away that the issue of design features is considered exclusively in the context of frame houses. Where, in essence, the walls and roof and ceiling are made from the same materials and using the same technology.
In addition to the area, you need to understand the various design features of houses, which can also affect the cost. For example, it is more difficult to properly insulate an attic roof than a “cold attic”. Dormer windows are much more expensive than regular ones, and installing them well so that there are no leaks in the future also costs money.
If you do not want to get a “trampoline” and “drum” in the form of a second floor floor, the interfloor covering in a 2-story house will be much more material and labor-intensive than the attic covering of an unused attic. This includes an increased cross-section and pitch of the floor lag, and the “pie” of the floor itself. Well, if you also want to make improved sound insulation of the interfloor ceiling or make a ceiling over the living room, where the spans will be 6 meters long, then in general the price can jump sharply due to the design.
Even if we take the thermal insulation characteristics. You can lay at least 500mm of insulation in a cold “attic” without any problems. Your costs for this are the cost of the insulation itself and the work of laying it in the open horizon, which is very simple. In the attic floor, when insulating the roof, you are limited by the cross-section of the rafters, that is, as a rule, 150 or 200 mm. Want more? You will have to increase the height of the rafters or make several battens for additional insulation - and this means money for materials and money for labor.
A “cold” attic of a one-story house can be easily insulated with at least 50 cm of insulation.
The load on the walls of the first floor and the foundation in a one- and two-story house will also be different. In turn, this may lead to the need for a reinforced type of foundation or first-floor wall structure than in a one-story house.
There can be quite a lot of such constructive “little things”. Perhaps each of them separately will not cost much, but together they will make a very noticeable difference.
In addition, a one-story house is simply simpler and more convenient to build. Builders are much more willing to build a one-story house than a two-story one. Therefore, the cost of the work itself may vary. Although in reality this is not always the case, nevertheless, the estimates may easily include extra charges for the height of the work and the like. In turn, with a one-story house it is much easier to get a discount on work, precisely because the work is often simpler.
Agree, doing the same roof at a height of 3-4 meters from the ground and 7-10 is not quite the same thing. There are both banal risks associated with safety precautions and physical effort associated with lifting materials.
Work on a 2-story house will necessarily require the construction of full-fledged scaffolding, but with a one-story house you can get by with trestles and small scaffolding.
Engineering Communication
Another quite important point. In a one-story house it is much easier and therefore cheaper to install utilities. For example, if in a two-story house you have bathrooms on both floors, and they are not located on top of each other, then the task of installing sewer pipes becomes dramatically more complicated. Water and sewerage will have to be laid in the interfloor ceiling, which in turn will complicate its design. The same can be said about heating.
If you want to make a fireplace or solid fuel boiler, then the length of the chimney will directly depend on the number of floors. Accordingly, the cost of the chimney and its installation and the creation of fire penetrations in the ceilings.
And the biggest difference will come in ventilation if you suddenly decide to make a full-fledged system, with air ducts and a supply and exhaust unit. Ventilation ducts have a significant diameter and it is not so easy to distribute them throughout a two-story house. And in a one-story house, all ventilation is simply carried out through the attic. Moreover, it can be done later, since there is always access to the attic.
Probably, of all the engineering communications, only the electrician will cost more or less comparable in implementation in a one-story and two-story house. All other communications in a two-story house, as a rule, are more expensive.
And engineering communications, a thing that in itself makes up a significant share in the construction of a house.
Two-story or attic
A separate issue that is worth touching on is a house with a full second floor (cold attic), half-attic (when the outer walls of the second floor are lower than a person’s height) and attic (when the walls of the second floor are shifted inside the house).
A two-story house will have the maximum usable area, while in the attic it will be the smallest. The same can be said from the point of view of ease of use.
At the same time, the attic or semi-attic floor has its own “charm”, which many people like. But this is a subjective assessment.
If you look from the point of view of economic benefits, then the construction of an attic floor does not provide significant advantages “in terms of money” in general construction work, since savings on space are often compensated by a more complex design, despite the fact that you significantly lose in living space. True, the attic can partially save your money on the reduced area of exterior and interior decoration.
So what should you choose?
If you were looking for a definite answer about what is better and cheaper - a full-fledged two-story house, an attic, a one-story house, then I cannot give you this answer. If only because you will never be able to find 2 identical houses. Only one would be one-story, the other two-story. There will be different areas, different design features and, accordingly, prices.
According to my personal observations, the cost of building a one-story or two-story house “on a circle” will be comparable. It all depends on specific projects. A one-story house can cost less than a two-story house, or maybe more. But the difference will most likely be within 10-15%.
about the author
Hello. My name is Alexey, you may have met me as Porcupine or Gribnick on the Internet. I am the founder of the Finnish House, a project that has grown from a personal blog into a construction company whose goal is to build a high-quality and comfortable home for you and your children.For every person, the dream of his own home in which his children will grow up depicts the most comfortable place where he wants to return again and again. How to build such a house? Single-story or two-story: which one is better?
This question arises especially acutely before the start of construction. You don’t want to make a mistake that is difficult to correct later. And this question mainly worries those who have limited funds. People who have enough money may only be concerned about the convenience or inconvenience of any elements of construction.
Therefore, let’s consider the situation for people with average and low incomes and compare one- and two-story houses.
An important factor influencing the choice: one floor or two is the size of the land plot. If the plot is small, say, 6-7 acres, and the house is being built for a family of 4-5 people, then two floors will help solve the problem of living space, and there will still be an area for a garden.
In the case where there are no problems with the territory, you need to more specifically consider all the advantages and disadvantages of both options, compare them and choose the optimal one - close to your soul and acceptable in terms of material capabilities.
We often hear from residents of two-story houses that if they could turn back time, they would build a one-story house. Basically, this is what older people say and the main reason is the need to go up and down the stairs many times a day. Having two floors also separates people and makes it difficult to connect family members together.
How many floors should I choose?
Let's consider all the pros and cons for each option separately.
Flaws:
- The need to travel up the stairs to get basic necessities located on the first or second floor becomes a problem with age.
- When the common room is on the first floor, and personal rooms are on the second, it is often impossible to gather all family members together, especially when the children are already grown up.
- For convenience, a bathroom should be provided on the second floor.
- In the future, it will be more difficult to carry out external repairs: there will be a need to build special scaffolding.
Advantages:
- For a young family, two floors will help solve the problem of living space and create separate bedrooms for children and a playroom on the second floor, as well as create a study for the owner of the family. While on the ground floor, in addition to the living room and kitchen, you can equip a guest room.
- The second floor makes it possible to feel like the owner of a large house, as well as privacy if the need arises. The view of the countryside from the second floor balcony is always a pleasure.
Advantages:
In a one-story house, problems with stairs and family separation do not arise. Everyone and everything is naturally in one accessible space and, as a rule, the whole family gathers in the living room during free time.
External repairs can be carried out independently using a regular ladder or low scaffolding.
Flaws:
The only psychological disadvantages of a one-story house include the lack of opportunity to admire the view from above and privacy from the rest of the family.
How many floors is it cheaper to build?
This question is very important and it is not possible to answer it unequivocally. It is necessary to consider materials and construction methods and only then make comparisons.
The most expensive and important parts in the construction of any house are the foundation and roof. For a one-story house, the foundation area should be twice as large as for a two-story house, as well as the roof. We can say that a one-story house is much more expensive than a two-story house. But the second floor requires strengthening the walls of the first floor and the foundation, which also makes them more expensive. Therefore, calculations need to be made here.
The area of the walls of a one-story house and a two-story house is the same, so there is no difference in the cost of insulating them. Insulating the floors of a one-story building will be more expensive, because both the floor and ceiling need to be well insulated. A two-story building has a part of the ceiling between the first and second floors that does not require much insulation and the basement area is much smaller than for a one-story house.
As for communications, the work of wiring all systems in a two-story house is considered more expensive than in a one-story house.
Experienced builders say that there is no particular difference in costs when building one- and two-story houses. On average, the construction of a standard one-story house with an area of 110 sq.m. costs 1.5 million rubles.
Therefore, the main factors when choosing a house are land area, family circumstances and personal preferences. On a small plot it is better to build a two-story house; on a large area, a one-story house has a clear advantage.