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That way I have space, not much more expense than just a one story. If you are looking to build your one-and-only home, a single-level floor plan will suit both your current life and your life as you get older. When you only have one story, you don’t have to worry about bearing walls and support walls. This makes it easier to customize and make alterations during the design phase, such as incorporating more open spaces and custom window changes. You won’t have to sacrifice square footage to accommodate staircases. Besides, one person’s drawback can be another person’s advantage or non-issue.

But if you plan a basement, you're stuck with a stairway down to it, so the additional wasted space of a stairway going to a second level is substantially reduced. When single-story houses, commonly known as ranch-style homes, first debuted in the 1930s, they weren’t especially popular. Then, after World War II, as GIs returned and started new families, they became the hottest type of single-family housing. In the 1980s though, according to CBS News, they went out of fashion.
Floor Plans and Available Homes
Finished lower levels present opportunities for creativity. Both the size and age of your family are important to consider when choosing a home. So, we’re here to help make the decision-making process easier.

In Colorado "Rancher" homes can be any elevation style. If you’re from another part of the country, you may have a different idea on what a “Rancher” is. Other State’s soils and elevations require completely different foundation types, which means they have completely different floor plans.
Have you decided which is your favorite? Tell us about it! We are looking forward to building your ideal home.
Many one-story homes have the master bedroom on the opposite side of the house from the other bedrooms as well, giving you the quiet space you long for after a busy day. There are Two-Story homes in Colorado Springs with the master bedroom on the main floor, but they are typically larger homes with higher price tags. Also, each decade had its different design styles, so you canask your Realtor for advice on what parts of town offer the most homes with designs that fit your style. You can save a lot of time and energy focusing your efforts on the neighborhoods that best fit your design needs. Because two-story homes tend to have a smaller footprint than ranches, they might boast more outdoor living space (e.g., larger backyards). When you live in a rancher, you don’t have the issue of having the laundry room one or two flights of stairs from the bedrooms where most laundry must be delivered.

This can be a big factor in neighborhoods where the homes are closer together on smaller lots. Many times, the backyard in a Rancher will be close to half the size of a yard in a Two-Story home. Ranch style homes with windows above 8 feet high in the living area can be very helpful in letting natural light in. In the Winter time, the South facing windows will get the most sun, so the placement of the home on the lot also affects the amount of natural light. Natives to the area usually prefer a home that faces North or South so that they can get the maximum sun exposure on the front or the back of the home. Lighting can affect your mood, your energy level, and even your overall health.
Easier escape
For safety and comfort, we can design and build a safer stairway rise under or near 7”, with the run over or near 11”, using those formulas. You lose SQFT in the floor plan, which isn’t much space compared to the total home’s square footage. Especially when you look at the corridor space used up in many floor plans. In ranches, the lower level is larger, meaning there is more space to work with. If you are thinking of buying or building a new home, at some point you will have to consider the pros and cons of a single story Vs two story home. There are advantages to both styles of home so it’s important to know which style would work best for your family and lifestyle.

The confusing part for home buyers coming from areas without basements is that our “Ranchers” technically have two “Stories”, if you include the basement. In Colorado, the basement is not considered a “Story”. Another point of confusion is that In other parts of the country the term "Rancher" refers to a specific elevation style.
In neighborhoods with small lots, you’ll notice more Two-Story homes because the small foundation footprint provides more yard for the home owners. A single level, open plan house might be heatable with a single minisplit, whereas the same square footage on two levels might need two. Many lots aren’t wide or big enough to build a large rancher . With 2 young kids, outdoor space is important for us; we would not sacrifice outdoor space for house unless the lot was fairly large (i.e. 15,000+ square foot lot).

If yard size and affordability are more important, then a Two-Story may be the best fit for you. Become a GBA Prime member and get instant access to the latest developments in green building, research, and reports from the field. All content provided on this site is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal, tax, accounting, financial or other professional advice. Homebuyers should contact an accountant, attorney, tax professional or other advisor to discuss their particular circumstances prior to making a purchase or financing decision. Depending on the home’s design, ranch plans may allow for greater ceiling height.
McKee Homes offers a great selection of single story, two story and three story floor plans. Many of our single story floor plans have an option for a second floor guest suite which is the best of both worlds. If you are more interested in two story home floor plans, please visit our main floor plan page. Two story homes, especially those with a downstairs master bedroom, may be more ideal for those with teenagers living at home. There is more separation between the upstairs bedrooms and bonus rooms and the downstairs living space.
Sign up for a MyMcKee account today and start saving your favorites, view personalized recommendations and more. Require less foundation, roof, plumbing and wiring which can lower cost per sq. Less expensive to add on to the structure of the home. Have toddlers or an elderly parent living with you who might not be able to safely handle stairs? A one-story home means fewer risks of falls and accidents.
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