One of the first and most important decisions you will make when designing a custom home is whether to build a ranch or two-story home. While both options offer many possibilities, the right choice depends on far more than appearance. Your lifestyle, budget, future and how you use your home every day should all play a role in the decision-making process.
At Prestige Builder Group, we help homeowners throughout Northeast Ohio evaluate these factors early in the design process, ensuring their home not only looks beautiful but functions perfectly for years to come.
Below are some of the things to consider when choosing a floorplan:
Benefits of a Ranch
Ranches feature convenient, single-floor living and are ideal for homeowners planning to stay in their home for many years. They provide easy accessibility by eliminating the daily use of stairs.
Ranches also naturally lend themselves to open floor plans with seamless transitions between rooms. Since most rooms are on the main level it is easy to incorporate outdoor living spaces like covered patios and outdoor kitchens. Ranch style homes also lend an opportunity for architectural designs like vaulted and tray ceilings.
Ranch Considerations
Ranch homes typically work best on wider lots as they require larger foundations and roof structures, which can also lead to higher construction costs.
Hallways may also be longer in a ranch style home and privacy between bedrooms and living spaces requires a thoughtful design.
Benefits of a Two-Story
A two-story home separates living and sleeping spaces while maximizing use of the lot. Building upward allows for more yard space while accommodating larger homes on narrower lots. Two-story homes require smaller foundations and roofs than ranches of the same size, so they are often a more cost-effective build.
The bedrooms in a two-story are typically located upstairs, creating greater privacy from the main living areas. Two-story homes have the architectural flexibility to create dramatic foyers and striking curb appeal.
Two-Story Considerations
Stairs become a part of everyday life in a two-story home and may become les convenient over time. Moving furniture between floors also requires more effort in a two-story home.
Heating and cooling systems may require zoning for maximum efficiency.
Cost Considerations
While every custom home is unique, ranch homes often have higher construction costs because they require larger foundations, more roofing, more excavation and additional exterior materials. Two-story homes can often achieve the same square footage with a smaller foundation, making them more cost-efficient from a structural standpoint.
Questions to Ask Yourself Before Choosing a Floorplan
Think about these questions before you decide which style of home is best for you:
- How long do you plan to live in this home?
- Do you want all of your daily living spaces on one floor?
- Is preserving backyard space important?
- Will your lot accommodate a large ranch foundation?
- Do you frequently have guests or entertain?
- Will your family’s needs change over the next 20 years? 30 years?
Thinking about building a custom home? Whether a consultation with our team leads to a spacious ranch or an elegant two-story home, our objective is the same: creating a home that is designed with uncompromising attention to detail.