Single vs Double Story: What No One Tells You

Hey everybody, it's Jimmy and Bill. Bill, what we're talking about today is what's better a one-story house or a two-story house? Okay, so I'm like it's a good debate. Yeah, nobody talks about it really there's no videos on it And I'm like well, how long could the video be? It's it's isn't it just preference. What do you like a monster or two-story? Right, but really there's actually probably more that goes into it if you really start to break it down and think about Lower pros and cons for one-story versus two-story think long-term stuff, too Yeah, because in Florida there is a lot of one-story houses ranches and the reason why is because you know more elderly people prefer Well, yeah, I prefer one stories Yeah in a sense like my house has I like a bonus room upstairs, but my bedrooms are downstairs. It makes life a lot easier so After doing all the research, I'm like there is a lot more to this I didn't even realize some of the things so stay till the end because if you think about buying or moving There's a lot more to it Especially when it comes to like resale and stuffs things like that in the meantime if you like this kind of kind of do me a favor consider subscribing we put a lot of effort into these channels and It really really helps out and takes a second. All right, Bill first thing All right. Let's talk about Cost and value generally one-story homes cost more to build per square foot One story homes, right? Yeah, because the footprints bigger. Yeah bigger foundation bigger roof, etc. Yep Yeah, just more volume. You're not can you know contained into a smaller footprint that just goes up That's why I'm noticing in some building sections I'm noticing more two-story homes because they could actually advertise and sell more square footage But keep their costs down right and in a lot a lot having a you know your land your lot You can get a few more properties on and that's a pretty big number when you think about it an extra one or two properties per you know side of the street, you know on a Subdivision is a pretty big deal when you add it all up Two-story homes are more space efficient same footprint more livable space. That's we were just talking about Land use is a factor two-story lets you have a bigger yard on a smaller lot. Think about it if you want 2,000 square feet and You're gonna have a smaller footprint. You have a bigger backyard maybe room for a garage Right, yeah. Yeah, you could it could you could yield some more yard space for sure But you know, here's nothing maintenance costs may differ roof repairs and painting second story exteriors are trickier Yeah, it's a big deal. You know, you're you're talking some Just when you get anything done to your house, if you've got to go to that second story, you're talking more time You know in his car as far as labor costs go paint, you know, it's not as easy You might need scaffolding. You might need a small crane or something along the lines if you're replacing the roof Getting an air conditioner up, you know to the second floor could be a little bit more money depending on how you Actually, you just hit the nail on the thing HVAC costs very two-story homes can be less efficient without dual zones, right? Yeah, definitely dual zones are kind of a big deal when it comes to two-story houses with one unit Yeah, like my room upstairs has its own air conditioner because it's more efficient. Mm-hmm So that costs more money you're running two air conditioners, right? You know Insurance may differ more Variables with stairs and roof height. I didn't realize insurance companies take that neither did I that's interesting. Okay, according to this article Resell value depends on buyers demographic families might lean to two-story homes retirees want Single level. Oh, yeah, it makes perfect sense. How many people as a realtor? How many people come to you and say hey, you know what? I want a one-story or two-story house or do they even care most of the time? They don't particularly care the only time I see Issues with that from a listing standpoint is typically when it's an older demographic or there's a you know Some sort of a an injury or something along those lines. Those are things you got to think about You know if you can't go upstairs anymore Regardless of age if you just can't go upstairs because there's a lot of people I you know They can't go upstairs and they're younger. It's just you know, because they've had an injury or an accident of sorts But that's a factor that you really need to think about Yeah So tell me if this is true because you did a lot building by you custom brush track build homes two-story Plans are common big development. So you noticing a lot of two-story homes in the it's pretty mixed. It's max Yeah, it's pretty mixed because builders know that not everybody wants a two-story house and Most people really do want I would say just no data, but I would just say just from looking at so many Homes all the time. I'd say one story takes the cake All right. What about this one in some markets one story homes are harder to find making it more desirable That makes sense. That does make that make sense. Okay, so that's a big thing Florida's Pacific pricing trends, especially with hurricanes and slab on grade construction. Okay, so Especially with hurricanes and slab on grade construction. I guess when you're a floods on you really don't want to be One-floor house, right? Yeah. Yeah so, I mean there are some things that are coming up now where if you are in a Like a high hazard zone or along the coast you cannot build a ranch style house meaning Oh, you know one store. It's got a it can be a one-story house living space, but it needs to be on stilts true Alright, we're gonna switch over to daily living and lifestyles Okay, but before we do that if anybody is looking for a home inspector in a Tampa Bay area or a realtor anywhere in the Country we built up pretty good network. The link is below. Just click on it fill it out and we'll get back to you ASAP And make sure you put your email in there and your phone number so we know who to contact All right Daily living lifestyle no stairs easier living especially for seniors little kids or anyone with mobility issues We talked about that. Yeah. Yeah, it makes sense. Okay, so that's a good thing Better flow in one-story homes often more open and connected you agree with that for one stories Yes, yeah for sure. They're definitely more connected, but some people want that disconnect from the living You know the sleeping spaces, you know Maybe upstairs and the more the living spaces and activity zones downstairs, which is kind of the appealing factor to things That's true. Okay Two-story homes offer more separation of space bedrooms living and living that so you just hit it noise separation is a huge Yeah teenagers upstairs great loud TV downstairs. No problem. Yeah, it makes sense. I mean it really does All right. Let's continue then Easier to clean on one floor, especially if you're the one vacuuming Yep, yeah, you don't have to worry about vacuuming the stairs or mopping your stairs Lug in the vacuum cleaner up the stairs things like that. I guess if that was a laundry, you know, what depends What do people prefer if it's two-floor house? Do they prefer the laundry room to be upstairs or downstairs if the main living spaces are upstairs? I would think they would want the laundry upstairs. It would just make sense Where's the most you know? Because a lot of times what I see is, you know The primary living the primary bedroom is maybe on the first floor and in the you know The second third and fourth bedrooms are up on the second floor and then it's kind of a split You know, I see in these the houses where they'll have the laundry downstairs So you've got to go upstairs grab the laundry baskets what have you or maybe have the people who live up there bring them down, but I Yeah, I don't know if I lived if all my living space like in my two-story house all my living space was Upstairs and my laundry was downstairs. So I always had to go up. There was no sleeping quarters downstairs. Everything was upstairs So that was kind of a pain. All right, what about this one more natural light on? One-story homes windows can go all around the home true or not true I Don't think that really makes a difference because a one-story house It's got a roof on it and you can still put windows on all Walls if you wanted to even with two-story, what about this one views are often better upstairs even on a flat land You see farther. It's true because my bonus from my office. I have nice views of the well, but that depends on the view It could just be a roofs. Yeah, like I'm watching cattle. Yeah so that's office and the pond and right but it could depend on your view so that could be a Good thing or a bad thing like you and I talked about once before is You know, if you're sitting on your window, you know, you're two stories and you've got a one-story next to you Maybe you're seeing down into their yard or two-story two-story and you're looking through windows, you know, even though they're offset All right. What about this one outdoor connection single-level homes often have better patio and backyard access true or not true? Probably because they probably have Because of the footprint of the home, they're gonna have a little bit wider space for a patio If that makes sense, that makes sense furniture and appliances deliver easier in a one-story home Even if you tried hauling up have you ever tried hauling a refrigerator upstairs? I don't think I've ever seen a kitchen upstairs Well, I saw him in stealth houses. Well, that's yeah still houses make sense. But yeah, that's But it like in a two-story what I'm talking. I'm thinking more of a traditional two-story house Yeah, but I mean you got to think about that your furniture in and out. It's not as easy It's not just the you know, whoever's helping you move or you're the mover that you hired They're definitely gonna charge more for that. Sure. All right, let's go on to safety for pets and kids stairs can't be hazardous I guess if you're gonna fall down the stairs Yes, the stairs can't be dangerous falls and real concerns for kids and older adults. How about this one? Easier to evacuate during emergencies in a one-story home think fire safety. I might know a little bit about that one So is it true or not true? Yeah, so if you have a two-story home, you've definitely got to think of Alternate means of egress because you might not be able to the fire may be blocking between the stairs and Your the room that you're in so you're gonna have to think about another way out All right, this one I agree with second story leaks or damage can affect lower floors water travels down. Absolutely I see that all the time and ranches You know, you don't have that issue Cleaning a second-story window ladder life or pay for a window service clean the windows Okay, okay Roof made it's on two-story homes. It's more complex and more expensive. That's true. Yep Pest control is easier on a one-story home full access around the perimeter. I Guess that would make sense. Yeah All right, what about this one I agree with this one to HVAC struggles with temperature differences, especially in older homes I'm a two-story home. Yeah, I would say that there's you know, almost every house that you go into There's gonna be one or two rooms that are a little bit warmer or cooler than the others it's just the nature of the beast, but I think you know because Typically like you would have a block one story to except for a few builders But then you would have a wood frame second story and then you have your attic space. So that's gonna be you know hotter Yeah, one thermostat really works on both levels. Yeah, it's hard. It's hard, you know One story of homes may be more storm Resilient is resilient, especially in hurricane prone areas. I don't know if that's true. I think it's true because a lot of these homes You know, especially in some areas, you know, the bottom floor is blocked. The top floor is wood You know, they're more prone to hurricane damage I've just never you know Through the different hurricanes that I've been through or been out responded out to all over the state You know, I saw a pretty equal damage across the board. It didn't really it didn't go. Well, there's those are two stories So they took more damage than the one story per se It was it was that was pretty equal across the board. All right, what about this one easier? DIY, you know DIY projects, you know doing yourself, you know painting hanging lights even changing filters one story is easier All right, I know we're doing a rapid fire, but we're trying to get you a lot of information quickly, okay So design and privacy considerations. Yeah, we kind of touched on some of those two stories homes allow for more architectural creativity vaulted ceilings dormer split levels You can't get more curb appeal variation with a multi-store story design true or not true. I Guess if you will, yeah, I guess you could because you could do some aesthetic things to the second floor versus just having a flat wall in the front or something Privacy is easier the one bedrooms upstairs with bedrooms upstairs. No one peeking in that's true. That is true. Yeah Noise isolation for work from home setups ideal to have an office upstairs or downstairs Yeah, like a den or something Yeah, you can convert a lot of the new construction houses have that that I see out by me Two story homes usually have more wall space great for art shelves, etc You know, especially I see a lot of well used to do a lot more put all the photos going up the steps Yeah, yeah, I remember that. Yeah, they don't do it as much anymore. I guess everything's digital One story homes may feel more Expansive in the bigger, you know the wider halls fewer walls No, that's a hundred percent true because it's you know, the footprint smaller because you're going you have a vertical aspect of it Exterior design verity might lean towards a two-story in a newer community So just like it just says exterior. There's different choices. You can make each house look a little different than single-family Yeah, I don't know if that's necessarily true I think you can still make the you know If you if you've ever been through the build centers or look down some of the neighborhoods that aren't the cookie cutter neighborhoods You know, they try to like the neighborhood I used to live in you couldn't have the same Front for five houses in any direction. Oh, wow So you couldn't have the same colors fronts, etc, and they had different elevations, you know And that was all one story and two story houses So tell me if this this is true open concept works better in a single-story layout fewer structural walls needed. That's true I don't know about the structural walls thing But I just know that an open concept is probably a little bit easier with a what I'll call a full two-story You know a two-story with it has like a bonus room upstairs. Maybe not but I mean, there's some of those Like Taylor Morrison homes that they've their two stories and their full open concept, you know But then if you go to like ICI homes as an example where you do have a lot of design flexibility as long as it fits in the footprint you can do pretty much whatever you want because they are a custom builder and but They're a track build You know, they're a lot of their homes are a little bit more skinny, but that's just the way they design their houses Backyard design can differ patios versus balconies. Sure. That's pretty much you're saying garage Connection and laundry room locations can't feel more natural in a single level home. We kind of touched on that. Yeah So, okay final thoughts Alright, it really depends on your lifestyle family and future plans. Each person is different. Of course in personal preference I like two-story houses Younger families. Yeah but if I'm thinking ahead to the future, you know, if you're not planning on selling and Or even if you are it's just something to think about, you know Do I want to deal with it at some point in time in my life? I'm not gonna be able to go up and down the stairs. Well easily even I bought my house what 10 years ago 11 years ago But I still didn't want a two-story house because I was planning to be there for a long time, right? Yours is a nice setup though because yours is like a bonus room upstairs. Yeah, so if you don't go upstairs and Tanya Refuses to walk up those steps, so it's even better for me because I have my privacy You know, it's soundproof. They got a door at the top, you know, yeah, so she's like I'm not climbing those steps like okay, right Hey, you know and I go up and down the steps all the time. Well, you got to think long-term That's what you really do. You have to really think long-term when it comes to One floor two floor like you said you prefer a two-floor house. I prefer a one-floor house, right? Yeah a bonus room is great, yeah, I got what exactly what I was looking for but think about it like let's just take a Easy situation like when I broke my leg if I had a two-story house where all the living spaces were upstairs You know how hard it is for me to go up the steps You know It's like you almost have to sit down and scooch up the steps because I couldn't move my leg because I was in a full Leg, you know from ankle to hip Yeah, but some people are like planning to I'll just buy a ranch and then or I'll expands, you know Check zoning, you know, yeah, and that's not as easy as you think it is, you know that those kind of things I've seen those projects go on but you got to beef up the footings to make sure that they're you know enough to support The additional weight and stuff and that's a that's a pretty hefty undertaking now. You're taking a roof and moving it up That's that's a big deal. I just think that in Florida, especially I think that it's better Investment on a single-family home. Tell me if I'm wrong No, you're asking them are you asking me I'm asking you well, I'm asking you to just comment below I Think I do think a single-family home is a better investment. I Think it's I think they're equal to be honest with you. Just it depends on your preference and it depends It really just what's the mark of the man? They're pretty much the same. I mean just go to any build center That's your kind of your plus look around the neighborhoods if you look back at the houses that were in the 70s and such Most of them in like the Clearwater area. They were single-story homes you go to homes in Like like st. Pete as an example I see a lot of two-story homes in st. Pete comparatively to you know, the Clearwater area just in certain pockets So I think it's just what what is your buyers saying when you first meet? They don't care So they don't even tell you if they want a single-story or a two-story. No, there's no preference They don't know I've never had a very rarely have somebody go I don't even want to consider a two-story house It's very rare Wow. It's very very rare What do you prefer a single-story house or a two-story house? Actually, I'll put a survey out. I like those surveys. Yeah, you love those I'll put it up But anyways, like my buyer that I just had now right now you the house you inspected We looked at a whole bunch of one stories and we looked at a whole bunch of two So I'm just like rolling back through I like this one story house is better than two stories Jimmy don't like the steps. Yeah, but I get my exercise I actually I actually count the steps on my watch to see how many so I'm like Oh, this is a 5,000 step house or this is a 8,000 step right, right, you know, that's how that's gonna be a rough day today It's an 8,000 step house. Yeah But tell us what you think one story two story. What's better in the meantime do me a favor consider subscribe It really does help out the channel. I don't just say it just to say it. It really doesn't it's very motivating Channels growing really good. Thanks to you guys. Also watch this video right here I picked it out just for you guys and we'll catch you in the next one. Thank you and have a great day Thanks for watching. We'll see you on the next video