Browse Forums Building A New House Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 2Jun 25, 2008 11:33 pm We have a small block of land so really had no choice.
With a two story home you get to keep more of your yard. My preference would probably be for a single story if we had a big block as I don't like stairs, but on the other hand it's nice to have upstairs as the "family area" as we have a living room and our bedrooms upstairs with kitchen, dining, family study and guest room downstairs. Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 3Jun 25, 2008 11:41 pm I have lived in both. Couldn't fault either.. You have to consider your budget, size of block, access, family members with disabilities etc but at the end of the day it boils down to 'choice'. Sorry for being a 'fence sitter', both are great.
If I were you, I'd spend a weekend and visit display villages and spend time in both. It may help you decide. Izzys Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 4Jun 25, 2008 11:46 pm I personally prefer a single story home, but haveing said that I am building only a middle size house and I have a relatively large block (700m2) so plenty of yard space left for garden etc. Living in the country, land blocks tend to be bigger and land prices are much cheaper than in capital cities, especially Melb or Sydney so didnt have the dilemma others have of haveing to maximise limited land area. Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 5Jun 26, 2008 12:02 am I actually prefer single storey as I used to live in a double storey house with my parents and i LOATHED the stairs!!! Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 6Jun 26, 2008 12:10 am Double storey any day.
The downstairs can be kept neat and nice for visitors. Less noisey too.. if you have visitors or TV downstairs can its still possible to work quietly upstairs. ( of course this does not include a big party!) Raz If you think you can, you can. Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 7Jun 26, 2008 1:51 am I would love love love to have a double story home. Unfortunately we dont have enough $$$ to build a dble story house, so it looks like I will be forever doomed to live in a single story dwelling
I agree with Raz downstairs neat, upstairs not so (esp with my kids ) and think of all the exercise you will get going up and down those stairs, its gotta be a bonus Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 8Jun 26, 2008 7:36 am It is a personal choice, land size is a big problem these days and if you want enough rooms for the family you sometimes have to go with a two storey. I have lived in both and would hands down choose a single storey, especially as I have young children. I am constantly running to their rooms to change nappies, change them, punish them I couldn't imagine doing that all day up and down stairs. Although I would have a great but Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 9Jun 26, 2008 9:17 am Jet79 I couldn't imagine doing that all day up and down stairs. Although I would have a great but mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 10Jun 26, 2008 10:53 am I think it comes down to how big you want your house to be, and then whether your block has the room to suit.
Our place is 30sq, so single storey on our block leaves us with a 13mx17m backyard...plenty. If we wanted to build a 40sq+ home, then we'd have to either have no backyard or go upwards. As we only wanted a "modest" sized house (can you believe 30sq is modest these days??), 2 storey is simply unneccesary. Although I still wonder why anyone without 7 kids needs a 45sq house..... Alan and Thuy in Melbourne Building a second time! Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 11Jun 26, 2008 11:06 am I've lived half of my life in single storey houses and the other half in double storey ones.
Single storey is definitely more convenient, but this is outweighed by several other advantages in a double storey.
* A double storey allows you to take full advantage of the views, if you have any * A double storey requires less land than a similar sized single storey, so you can either have a bigger yard, or build in a more expensive suburb * Builders usually include some extras as standard in a double storey, compared to a similar sized single storey - high ceilings, extra toilet/ powder room, an extra living area etc. * On a full cost basis (i.e. including cost of land required), a typical double storey ususllay works out cheaper to build than a similar sized single storey (unless you are building in an area with low land values) We decided to go for a double storey because of these advantages (except the one about the view, ours don't have any ) Your choice will depend on your situation and preferences. Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 12Jun 26, 2008 11:19 am Quote: As others have said you can keep upstairs more private and quieter while keeping downstairs neater. Several posters have mentioned this point. Could you not acheive the same thing with a single story if you had the right design?? ie one in which the bedrooms (and study/ childrens activity, whatever else you want in this area) is sectioned off and you can close the door on that section, haveing it separate to main living areas of house? I think the benifit of quiet upstairs would partly depend on the type of stairs too - my parents have an open staircase and noise does travel up/down the stairs quite a lot. Another thing to think about in your design. Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 13Jun 26, 2008 11:23 am Helyn my parents have an open staircase and noise does travel up/down the stairs quite a lot. Another thing to think about in your design. Good point....also my four year old uses them as a monkey bar i.e. climbing the back of the stairs..... ....but they do open about the stair area up and allows light to spill around. mmm....donuts Homer Simpson 1956- Links: Site Costs Ready Reckoner | H1 Addiction Medical Advice | Château TDL: The Backyard Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 14Jun 26, 2008 11:27 am Another thing to remember for those with 2 storey houses is the location of the upstairs toilets…it can create a good talking point with visitors when directly below one and it gets used. Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 15Jun 26, 2008 11:30 am I've lived in single storey all my life, and now we are building a double. My reasons for choosing double (apart from the fact I have always wanted to live in one ), really comes down to the size of our block, and still being able to maintain some back garden. Although, with the inclusion of the alfresco it works out to be about the same 'footprint' as our existing single storey.
We are also doing this with the kids future in mind, so they have some space to play and study when they are older. We like entertaining, and have a rather huge extended family, so by having all the entertaining areas downstairs, they are kept away from the bedrooms and the kids play area. I'm hoping I won't get too sick of the stairs...I'll just think of the exercise! The only problem I can envisage at the moment is getting larger furniture up and down and around the bend without scratching the walls! Secretly, I love the idea and convenience of a laundry chute, but unfortunately, H3nl3y won't put one in Henley - Wilshire Mk 3 ... I love my house!! Site start: 4th Feb 09 Handover: 10th Sep 09 Blog: http://stormygirlscastle.blogspot.com/ Build Thread: viewtopic.php?t=7166 Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 16Jun 26, 2008 11:37 am At the end of the day it comes down to personal preference and cost. Putting the cost of the land aside a 50sq single storey home is a lot more expensive than a 50sq two storey to build. I’ve seen many people build two storey homes on acreage and without views, purely because of building costs. Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 17Jun 26, 2008 12:30 pm Stormy I've lived in single storey all my life, and now we are building a double. My reasons for choosing double (apart from the fact I have always wanted to live in one ) I'm with you - for all the reasons you pointed out. Mostly cause I always wanted to live in one... it seems so secret when my clients go upstairs when I visit them... I always felt left out... I got no backyard in the new house either... the alfresco extended to the pergola area and bobs your uncle, no more garden... Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 18Jun 26, 2008 1:02 pm Stormy Secretly, I love the idea and convenience of a laundry chute, but unfortunately, H3nl3y won't put one in At least one project builder offers a laundry chute in some of their designs ... not sure who it is, could be s*monds from memory On second thought, a lift would be nicer Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 19Jun 26, 2008 1:53 pm Duminda On second thought, a lift would be nicer A lift would be great!! We lived in a 2 storey townhouse when my son was first born. The stairs were wood and unfortunately I slipped and fell while taking him downstairs when he was only 3 months old Though I managed to keep hold of him, his head hit a stair behind me. He was fine but I was scarred for life, we moved to a single storey not long after and vowed to never live in a two-storey again! Well at least while we have little peeps around... It does mean we have a smaller back yard, but there's still room enough to kick a footy, and we are willing to put up with that for our peace of mind. Simone Re: Double storey VS Single Storey house 20Jun 26, 2008 4:39 pm Yes, i am a bit worried about the kids and stairs. We have always lived in a single storey but we couldn't find a design that will fit into the shape of our block so we have to build double storey instead. It has a smaller footprint. Hello All 🙂 We are planning to start our journey of construction our first home. We zeroed down on Metricon and henley homes based on design suitable for our lot and… 0 1100 Hi Kristy Around $1.7-1.8m or around $4,600/sqm. if you PM me your email I will send you a break up in a spreadsheet so you can get an understanding of the costs for… 1 590 1 2470 |