Look before you leap: choosing single story or multiple levels

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Published Date 5/14/2019

It’s not uncommon for your Realtor to go down a list of “must have” questions about the type of home you’d like. And it’s not uncommon to be open to a lot of features in the home as well, thinking you’ll know the home you want when you see it. Modern OR traditional? Anywhere from three to four bedrooms and two to three baths? What about levels? Split level, two-story or ranch? The answer to this question is one that, if not made with great care, can come back to bite you. So before you rely simply on a home simply “speaking” to you when you make an offer, let’s look at the realities of levels on a level playing field.

Traditionally speaking, a one level home costs more to build. The larger foundation (and excavation), more roofing, and the footprint it takes up on a home site are all reasons for this. Two-story homes, with their smaller footprints and levels built over one another, are less costly per square foot. Whether this all translates into the cost of a resale home 5, 10 or more years down the line is all over the map. In neighborhoods of mostly single level homes, buying a two-story might be significantly less expensive but also rob you of resale value. In neighborhoods where 2-story homes with large back yards are the norm, a single story with an afterthought of a backyard may produce the same results.

Then there are the practical reasons for levels/no levels. If you are concerned with your home perpetually looking like a daycare, messes are best contained on another level where guests won’t see it. Same for unmade beds and piles of laundry if they are located upstairs. And then there are safety issues. People still do fall down stairs. It is documented that this type of accident is second only to motor vehicle accidents as a leading cause of accidental injury. Of course, with kids you can take precautions with baby gates, carpeting, and lighting. But the risk of falls is still there.

Ever thought about the health benefit of stairs as a great form of cardio exercise? Gravity works against you (a good thing) and the activity strengthens your leg muscles. Heart health and muscle and joint strength are also factors. By the same token, stairs can be a significant obstacle if you have mobility issues or are approaching older age. While there are ways to adapt to a two-story home, like adding a chairlift or elevator, they are costly options. If you are set on a two-story home, however, perhaps it may be wise to choose one with a master bedroom on the main level with room for guests upstairs — a 2-story that would permit you to age in place without the need for renovations.

Those who live in 2-story homes think nothing of opening their upper-level windows at night since any would-be intruder would probably not be using a ladder or shimmy up a drainpipe to enter the property. There is a sense of security that comes from being upstairs. If you sense smoke or live in an area prone to tornadoes, however, precautions must be taken so you and your family can safely evacuate, whereas being on the main floor give you a straight shot to the outside.

Split level homes have some advantages and disadvantages. The levels (short stair lengths between levels) can look quite attractive at first glance. Various levels can create wall space for more furniture and eliminate the need for one huge set of stairs. But it’s wise to study how the levels live. If there are stairs immediately upon entering the home, consider where you might be when the doorbell rings. Up two levels in the master bedroom? There are homes where the middle of the interior of the home is elevated as well. So to get to your front door you may be going up one set of steps to the kitchen and down another, before you can greet your caller or retrieve your FedEx package.

The last element is yard size. If you are set on buying a single story home, make sure you are okay with the more limited back yard size as opposed to its 2-story brethren. The bigger the footprint, the smaller the yard. If you are buying brand new construction and the house is not yet built, make sure to walk the home site with the construction superintendent or builder salesperson and pace of how deep backyards are and how far on either side you will be from your neighbor.

Source: TBWS

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