hi all,

I am looking at building my first house and while I will be contracting the big stuff I do plan on doing all drywall/trim/cabinets.

My biggest question while reviewing plans and getting ideas is it more cost effective to build a one or two story home? or does it matter to a contractor?

A 2 story is generally more cost effective to build since there is less roof, the foundation is smaller, less concrete for basement floor, less excavation, etc.

So, drakthule, what "green" features are you planning to incorporate in your new home? Do you have any specific building envelope systems in mind? Any questions about products that you're considering? The previous poster is correct regarding the 2 story/1 story issue, however here are a couple of things to consider. The stairs in a multilevel home do take up typically a minimum of about 50 sq ft +/- of space on each level. And, an owner builder, working with minimal help, may find that its easier to build a one level home for obvious reasons. Good luck!

Yeh, that works until you get old and don't want to climb or clean, stairs.  It also can make heating and cooling more expensive and less effective!

Something else to consider if you would rather have a ranch, is building a raised ranch with daylight windows in the basement (or walkout basement) and finishing the basement at the same time OR at a later date (your property taxes may be higher if basement is finished at same time as building house since that is consider finished living space). You could have additional bedrooms in the basement, bath(s), bar area, theatre room, living room, etc. Finishing a basement for usable square footage is cost effective to do.

Posted By Jere on 26 Feb 2010 12:22 PM
Something else to consider if you would rather have a ranch, is building a raised ranch with daylight windows in the basement (or walkout basement) and finishing the basement at the same time OR at a later date (your property taxes may be higher if basement is finished at same time as building house since that is consider finished living space). You could have additional bedrooms in the basement, bath(s), bar area, theatre room, living room, etc. Finishing a basement for usable square footage is cost effective to do.

you beat me to it.  accepted 'wisdom' is that 2-stories are cheaper, for the reasons given about roof, concrete, etc.  But if you factor in a finished basement, the numbers can change a little.  Let's say you want a total of 3000 sq ft of living space.  To keep it simple, I'm going to assume the entire basement is finished (even though we know there'd be some unfinished space, in reality)

I'll throw out a couple assumptions -

Two story house - $100/sq ft
Ranch - $110/sq ft
Basement finishing $25/sq ft

You could build a 2 story with 1000 sq ft on each level, for a total of 3000 sq ft
2000 ft (1st & 2nd levels) @ $100/ft - $200,000
1000f t in basement @ $25/ft - $25,000
total - $225,000

You could build a 1500 sq ft ranch with 1500 finished lower level -

1500@$110/ft - $165,000
1500 @ $25 - $37,500
total - $202,500

As mentioned, if you have daylight windows or a walkout, the basement is "official" square footage.  If you don't have the egress windows, you can't really advertise the basement square footage if/when you sell. 

The #1 biggest factor is "what do you want?".  It sounds dumb, but if you build a 2 story because it's cheaper but after a couple years you're tired of going up & down stairs, was it worth the savings? 

As the folks above have stated, the conventional wisdom has always been that 2 story homes were less expensive than 1 story. But as the designs have changed, with more and larger bathrooms, more extensive electrical and HVAC systems, I am almost to the point of believing that one story homes are easier, and less expensive, to build.
Now, I don't have any hard numbers to back this up, but I know that from my point of view, as designer and builder, this is true. And I would certainly think that for the owner/ builder this would be ever more true.

The basic shape or configuration of the house can be a cost factor too, whether ranch or 2 story. A basic rectangle will be more cost effective than a house that has a lot of areas that bump out. The more bump outs, the more outside corners and more lineal footage of exterior walls. If you can try to minimize the number of exterior corners and exterior wall lineal footage, this would be more cost effective as well.

A finished basement and one story above is about the most cost effective way to get square feet, but just be sure everything you NEED is on the main floor. If you end up in a wheelchair or otherwise unable to climb stairs, you are still going to need to do laundry, and access one bedroom, the kitchen, and the living or family room. In my upcoming house build, the only things that will be downstairs in my finished basement are extra bedrooms, a home theater, office, and shop, things that I don't really need to get to when I am older.

Thanks for all the input

. @sipper I am doing a active and passive solar system. tankless water and might try and work some wind power in there (but that depends largly on the lot that i choose) i am sure you like the sip wall system which i have considered and depending on final cost and knowledge of the system with the local contractors in Durango CO I will either do that or the 2x6 stick. I am most likely going metal roof but might be able to get a deal on the new gaf slate, nice stuff.

For those that are talking about a basement for me it isnt practical. I want 4 bedrooms on one lvl and doing that in a basement would leave a few bedrooms without natural light which isnt an option for me.

Posted By wes on 26 Feb 2010 01:41 PM
As the folks above have stated, the conventional wisdom has always been that 2 story homes were less expensive than 1 story. But as the designs have changed, with more and larger bathrooms, more extensive electrical and HVAC systems, I am almost to the point of believing that one story homes are easier, and less expensive, to build.
Now, I don't have any hard numbers to back this up, but I know that from my point of view, as designer and builder, this is true. And I would certainly think that for the owner/ builder this would be ever more true.

Wes;

you are correct and especially where there is no full basement, a one story is more cost effective

Hi Drakthule,

Depending on the slope of your lot, etc. you might re-consider bedrooms in the basement. My wife and I built our home with the master and a guest bedroom upstairs, and 3 bedrooms for the kids downstairs. The basement is basically for the kids (bedrooms, bath and family room). The main level has everything we need including the laundry. I even allowed space to add a small elevator in the future if needed.

As far as natural light, the basement gets plenty. Each of the kid’s bedrooms has a large window. There is a large terraced embankment 10' away so lots of light is allowed in. The family room is a walkout with lots of windows.

So, you might be able to design what you need and take advantage of the lower cost of basement rooms.

But, be aware, the appraiser will probably not give you credit for any bedrooms in the basement!!

I once owned a home with the master bedroom in the basement, which was a great place to sleep in the summer, so the kids get the best bedrooms!

Do you really want to haul all of the kids dirty clothes upstairs to the laundry? Put a clothes chute in for your clothes and do the laundry in the basement.

Just as a matter of interest, and really not trying to be a smart a____, but Drakthule has made it clear that he isn't interested in having a basement, he's looking for advice in connection with one, or two, above grade levels.

I would really consider how many and ages of children if there are any or will be any. With small kids, a one story is a godsend to keep an eye on everyone and hear what is going on. As the kids get older, it becomes awful to have a one story as the noise from the kids can drive you crazy and you want some separation. I would strongly take this into account. I have 5 kids close in age and loved having a ranch when they were little. Now that they are between 10-15 years old, we have nowhere to escape the noise and would love an upper level that is separate and quiet for sleeping or working or whatever.

With small kids or anyone starting a family, I highly recommend all bedrooms for the kids on the same level as parent bedroom. I feel much better knowing I can hear my kids at night in case of illness or a nightmare, and that they are nearby. We are building a new home but the only place for my son's bedroom now is in the finished attic over the garage. It is at the opposite end of all the other bedrooms, and even though his brother is in there with him, my son ends up in my bed almost every night as he does not like to be far from me. When his bedroom was near mine, he had no problem staying in his own bed at night.
Lastly, if your lot size is not so big, you may want to build up just to get a bigger backyard or fit a pool etc.

drakthule,

Just thought I'd throw this at you. I supplied the SIP walls and roof for a two story home in Fairplay, CO. They had a concrete center supporting wall that was heated by a solar water system on the roof. The design engineer was sure that this would supply 90% of the needed heat for the home. The designer felt that the great insulating properties and air tightness of the SIP's and the thermal mass of the concrete wall made this fairly easily achievable. I think it's pretty much a given that going up (second story) and down (basement) is the least expensive per sq/ft. If you decide on a basement, don't skimp on insulating that area. When you're down in the basement watching TV or doing other activities and you're nice and comfy, you won't regret it.

Steve

GrandCountySIPs.com

Multistory is better than single story, in terms of resources consumed per habitat.
Downside - stairs. However, planning a space for an elevator would mitigate that drawback.
As previously mentioned, acoustic segregation is an added plus for growing families.
Stacking bathrooms can reduce plumbing costs and simplify the "wet wall".

To prevent stratification, don't forget sniffer ducts to draw down warm air to lower levels.

Ouch,
I think Lindseyk just put the smack down on several of us on this forum who consider ourselves construction professionals. There are a lot of different shades of 'green', and I think most everyone on this forum are at least pale 'green'. We don't always espouse the green mantra, but focusing on building strong, comfortable, long lived homes that save 30-50% of conventional energy useage seem awfully 'green' to me.

I am not familiar with your area of the country, being from the Southeast. I have completed both one story and two story homes in the recent year. While building a two story home, you do come out a little less expensive, maintaining and living in a two story home is more expensive. Generally, where we are, it costs more to cool an upper level than it does a lower level. You need two separate HVAC systems running to cool different areas. This depends alot on whether or not your second story is built into the roof.

Other things to consider when looking at plans: what material are you going to use for stairs? Stairwells can be a real pain to get right, and can be really expensive. Also, I use an I-joist system or lvls even on the upper floor. the 11&7/8" is a pain to compensate for, but 2x10, trusses or 2x12s just pop and crack no matter how well attached and insulated. It is little things like this that can drive a decision.

My dream home would always be a ranch with a basement. If the client can afford 3000 ft2 I always recommend a rancher. Larger footprint, but everything is much easier to layout, plan, build, etc...

Hope this helps.

If you want to save money, you also need to reduce the complexity of the build. Think large square open barn like structure vs a complicated multi roofed complex plan. IE: Look at the actual cost of a simple rectangular 3000 ft slab with radiant piping installed in the pour, a simple 10' wall and simple roof plan vs a two storey home with the concrete pour looking like a maze and a roof to match, along with more expensive HVAC, etc. I find builders tend to focus on sq ft pricing, and cost overruns usually go with complex tasks.

If I did it again our envelope would be simpler.

We have 4 bedrooms, but the kids are not on the same floor as us. This can also save a bathroom. As kids get older they LIKE the downstairs separation! Our place is a bungalow for the adults.