11 Major Things To Keep In Mind When Planning A Two Story House
When people think of a two story house they think more money, but that might not be the case. In fact, two story houses are cheaper by the square foot, due to the stacking nature of the house. In addition, some areas the real estate may be more expensive to have a wider footprint, than a taller one.
In this fun article, we will explore other items to seriously consider if you are thinking about a house with two stories.
The best time to think about the characteristics of your future home is when you are designing your two story house plans. As one of the first steps in building a house, floor plans need to be drawn up in order to indicate how the square footage area of the lot will be utilized, and planning how to make the most of the available space.
Some like open plan houses, others wish for more privacy and cut offs between rooms. No matter what a family eventually decides, there are basic fundamentals that need to be borne in mind when sketching two story house plans.
Individual choices are an important component to make the floor plan unique to your preferences. Here are some thing to consider when going down this exciting venture;
Advantages
A two story house provides for an economical usefulness of your plot on which you wish to build your home. It also offers you the freedom to plan for privacy for bedrooms and other private spaces in the house - should you decide to locate your sleeping places upstairs. There are plenty of styles and sizes you can choose from and ask your architect to incorporate a mixture of features you would like to have, into your two story house plan so that you may not only visualize your dream home, but realize it as well.
If you are planning to retire in your home, then what better way than to customize your two story house plan by factoring in all potential requirements that crop up as you age. There are solutions to every prospective problem and the latter can be mitigated even before they arise.
By designing your house in such a way, that you can have the master suite on the main level you can enjoy the comforts of everything on one story, without having to run up and down the stairs all day. To make the most of your two story house, you can even plan for two main master suites - one on each level of the house. This way you can be closer to your young ones at the beginning and retire to the main level when they no longer need your constant supervision. Either of the master suites can be used for guests and grandparents when they stay over and provide for comfortable accommodations to them.
Traditional Versus Tailor Made
Most basic home plans feature living spaces on the main level with bedrooms on the top for privacy. If you want to do away with the traditional way of doing things, then there is the upside down solution, with all bedrooms on the lower floor and having all the social spaces located at the top level which enjoy lovely views throughout the day. This concept is relatively a new one and is gaining momentum in the design trend of simple two story house plan designs. This is because as more and more people incline towards open living, they believe that the bulk of their time is spent either in the kitchen or living areas or both collectively (due to open floor plans), therefore, the views should be given more focus where most time is spent. The bedrooms are considered as spaces for sleeping only.
In either case, whether you go for traditional two story floor plans or the edgier upside down living, the main focus of any home floor plan is to optimize the way the family is going to live in their homes and keep in mind how they would be able to cope with what their homes eventually provide them in terms of design elements.
Mistakes That You May Make When You Choose Simple Two Story Floor Plans And Measures To Take To Alleviate Them
Just because it looks good on paper, does not mean it will work for you. There are some common mistakes that homeowners may make and it is best to look into them before disaster strikes and prove to be extremely costly to rectify.
Not considering your lifestyle when choosing the floor plan
You need to picture yourself in the house before you can say yes to even the most simplest of home design plans. Is an open plan more your thing? Or do you like rooms to be partitioned and segregated? Do you like more stairs or less stairs in your house? Do you want to sleep above stairs or below stairs? All these questions need to be answered before you put the plan into action and before you know it get stuck with a floor plan that does not even suit your needs. Discuss all your apprehensions with your architect before constructions begin, as floor plans can be re-sketched over and over again, but once constructed, floor plans are VERY COSTLY to be renovated and reconfigured.
Looking beyond what the eye sees
If you are checking out model houses for inspiration to simplify your sketching process, then consider the layout of the overall house, and not the eye catching wallpaper or the excellent finishes in the kitchen. These are only upgrades, you may or may not be have in your home eventually. If you want to say yes to the two storey house plan then consider how the home flows from one area to the next and how they connect with each other, from inside out and from up to down.
Not asking questions when needed
It is alright to not know what everything means on your house plans. You are not a professional to understand each drawing and door swing and what not on these sketches. If you are confused, simply ask your architect to help you visualize the eventual outcome of each element on the sketch. If you are not comfortable of how it looks on paper, who is to say you would live with it when it is a reality.
Fit your furniture
Another mistake homeowners make is that they do not realize just home much space your furniture takes up in a room. A room devoid of furniture looks and feels larger but when furniture is brought in, it immediately it looks much cosier. Likewise, on paper a room may seem large enough, but your furniture may still not fit. You have the opportunity to customize the size of each room so make the most of it. Measure all your existing furniture and/or any new furniture you want to add into your new home, now consider how much more space you want around it so that it doesn't look cramped, factor all this in and develop your floor plan.
Safety comes first
Especially when there are children in the picture. When deciding your two story home plan, weigh the importance of safety measures that you should incorporate within the plans as well. Stairs without railings, glass fronted showers and all such upgrades may look great but not feel safe around young ones. Make sure that your floor plans are safe for children to roam around freely in.
Make it a family decision
Making a decision in how your home eventually looks like should be a family decision and not one that should be made in isolation. Each child, or significant other may have their own insight and pertinent input they would want incorporated in the eventual layout of the home. Make it a collective decision otherwise sole decisions may become a very huge mistake on your part.
Location of your lot
The floor plan may very well have an excellent layout, but if the bedroom is located in the nosiest part of the house or faces a road, then it may prove to be a tragedy for the family. Every room should be oriented in the best possible direction which makes the most use of the plot while also providing the family with comfort and ease within the home.
Just Because It Is Small Doesn't Mean It Is Not Comfortable
Another trend that is catching on like wildfire is small living. With more and more people downsizing their lifestyles, there is even more need to be innovative when it comes to designing the floor plan of a small house. Just because the area of the house is small, it does not mean that there needs to be a compromise on the amenities that the home provides its inhabitants. There are home plans for tiny two story houses, which make small living with big opportunities a possibility.
Whether homeowners do it themselves, or rely on professionals to sketch and build their tiny homes, small living has become all the rage and is only growing in popularity. With loft sleeping on the second story, and main living areas below stairs, there are plenty of novel design elements that are incorporated into small footprints which make for extremely comfortable living.
Whatever the ultimate decision of the homeowner, it is very important that all these factors are kept in mind when planning for a two story home. After all planning and constructing a house which lives on is a huge investment and needs the right amount of energies and skills to make it a comfortable abode for a long time to come.
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