When looking at different styles of homes, another style of home to consider is the two storey home. A well designed two storey can offer a good amount of usable square footage while using a moderately sized footprint. Given the same sized lot as a bungalow, the two storey will give a greater amount of yard space. 

A two storey house lends itself to flexibility in floor plans, from a small cozy layout to a plan with much grandeur and elegance. The most common two storey has the kitchen, dining room, and main living areas on the main floor with the bedroom and main bathrooms upstairs. Of course, the larger layouts could have a guest room, den, or other multi purpose room on the main floor. Additionally, there may be some bonus spaces upstairs. Many two storey houses have attached garages for convenience.

Because of the raised elevation of the second storey, there could be some impressive views, depending on location. Upstairs security is better with a two storey house, as windows may be open with a lesser chance of intruders through an open window. Of course, if someone really wants in, they will still find a way to get in.

In some locals the two storey homes are built from the ground up, whild other locations will still dig below the frost level to build the foundation and will make a basement at the same time. The basement will usually be of a lesser size than that of a bungalow with a similar amount of square footage. This can give the house even more options for separate use rooms.

Although a two storey house has numerous wonderful features, there are some ‘challenges’ that people need to be aware of. The biggest one of these is the stairs.  Stairs up and stairs down.  Stairs to go to bed, and stairs to have a meal.  Stairs to get changed and stairs to go out. This tends to make two storey house less preferable for aging people as well as those with disabilities. In addition, numerous people have had the misfortune of stumbling on the steps and having an unfortunate accident.

Another challenge that may not be as noticable while considering a two storey house is the noise factor.  Many 2 stories transfer a very noticeable amount of noise from upstairs to the downstairs, especially if there is a person who tends to thump while they walk. So the quiet conversation on the main floor can be disturbed by someone stomping around upstairs. 

Maintenance can also be more challenging in a two storey house. Washing windows can require a long ladder, as will cleaning the rain gutters. Of course, these can be contracted out, but at a cost.  

An additional expense in a two storey house is the heating and air conditioning. We all know that heat rises and cool air drops. This can lead to a warmer upstairs while trying to have a comfortable heat range on the main floor. Or if the air conditioning is on to cool the hot upstairs, then the main floor could become cold.  Because of this, some believe that a two storey home is more expensive to heat than a one storey or bungalow. 

There is another style of two storey houses that are seen in some locals and seldom in others. This is the two storey house with the garage built in. In this style, the entrance is at ground level near the built in garage. The main living areas such as the kitchen, dining room, living room, and bedrooms are upstairs with the family room, extra bedrooms, and possibly laundry are on the entrance level. Of course, bathrooms can be on both floors as well. Again, this style may be popular in some locations and not others. 

The two storey house may be an excellent option for some and be not the best for others. It is good to be aware of the advantages and disadvantages before making a decision on which style of home to consider purchasing.

 This post is for those who are looking at real estate and trying to decide what kind of home is best for them. In a number of future posts, I will address a few different kinds of houses. In different parts of North America, and indeed, the world, there are different names for similar types of homes. 

One style of home that is becoming popular for those who are maturing, is the bungalow or rancher style of house.  One of the big advantages to this house is the lack of stairs.  There is a ground level or slightly raised entry so that when one is in the house day to day activities can be done on one level with no stairs to climb. Because of this feature, this style of home is ideal for the aging as well as those with disabilities. Typically there  is a larger great room with kitchen and bedrooms off to the side. 

With all the usable rooms on the one floor, this style of house tends to have a fairly large footprint or square footage, leading to a higher cost per square foot to build. This does tend to decrease the popularity for some people.  On the other hand, a larger footprint also suggests that a bungalow will be on a piece of property that is large enough to accommodate it, sometimes a larger piece than is required for a two story house. Those that own a bungalow are also quite pleased at the ease of washing outside windows.

In colder climates where the foundation needs to go down below the frost level, it sometimes makes sense to excavate just a bit deeper and make a basement at the same time. While this does add stairs, all the living needs can be on the main floor while the basement provides extra space for storage, a furnace or utility room and maybe an extra bedroom or games room.  There is a bit of loss in having no stairs, but a gain in having more useable square footage.

Another item for discussion in considering a bungalow is security and privacy. Basically, if they want in, they will get in whether it is a bungalow or a two story. Today's security systems are a help in either case. As for privacy, trees and bushes can provide a greater level of privacy for a bungalow than some other styles of homes. Also, in case of an emergency, it is much quicker to find an exit, either through a door or through a window if the window is suitable for egress. 

More styles of houses to come in future posts.

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