You should pick or design a floor plan for your new home that completely satisfies and accommodates your family’s needs both now and into the future. There are several things that should be considered, from block size and layout of the home to budget, taste, preferences and lifestyle needs. A major consideration that is usually always up for discussion in both the real estate and construction industries is single storey and double storey building plans. Getting a scope on the advantages and disadvantages for both building types will help you align your preference in order with what is most suitable to you and your ideal home.

Block Size

Deciding on building a single storey or double storey home largely depends on the size of your block and considering the trend in block sizes is that they are getting smaller and narrower with more subdivisions around Australia, a double storey build seems to be the new way to adapt with house and land packages being offered to customers on narrower lots of land. Building up allows you to still achieve a spacious home and often times a larger yard than if you build single storey on a narrower block.

It is common for bigger blocks to attract a premium price and so therefore asking the builder whether the block of land is more suited to a single or double storey build is important. With single storey homes generally making a larger footprint, it is beneficial to build a two storey to save the need to compromise on spaces such as your outdoor area or sacrifice rooms/sizes.

Stage of Life

Following on from block size, a corresponding factor to choosing/designing your building plan is the current phase of life you’re in as well as considering your future life plans. This will ensure you create a house that meets your ever changing demands and grows with you and your needs. For an individual with children or a dog, a larger backyard is considered more essential and therefore might determine that a second storey build suits better to those specific lifestyle requirements. In contrast, an individual who has potential mobility issues, is of older age or just struggles to use stairs in general might be more suited to a single storey build based on the current stage of life they’re in.

It also helps to consider how far into the future you need your home to service you for. Is it a short term residence or is it your forever home? This will greatly differentiate your overall needs and help shape your inclusions and budget. Often-times our first home, will not be our forever home, so depending on your plans and situation you want your home to be built with longevity in mind, but the lengths to which you go may differ.

Home Layout

Your home’s layout is crucial and you must consider what is ideal for you based on your requirements when deciding between a contemporary single-storey or double-storey home designs. If your home is located with attractive views or you wish to capitalise on the privacy of separating distinct areas such as your living room and kitchen from your bedrooms then choosing a double storey build may be more suitable to your needs. One of the many perks of a double-storey home is the ability to effectively ‘zone’ your home. Depending on how you choose to live, when entertaining or hosting guests, they may never need to step foot upstairs with everything they need contained to the lower levels. You can also create separate child and parent floors if you like.

Location

Depending where you are able to purchase your land may impact your decision to build a single or double-storey home. Whether your home will be situated on a corner block may mean that there are certain requirements within design guidelines to build a double-storey house. Along with this, deciding between the two varying floor plan types also play a role in overall curb appeal.

You want to ensure your house is positioned against its neighbours in a complimentary way and that the properties within the immediate vicinity are evaluated before making your final decision. Different councils also have different requirements so these must be considered when choosing your ideal home. It is also worth seeing what other homes, specifically newer builds are in the suburb and which way they tend to skew as this will give you an idea of what approvals are going through and what council is more likely to approve.

Budget

At the end of the day, this decision, like many others can all boil down to budget. There is no surprise that building a two-storey home is more expensive than remaining at ground level. On average, those building double-storey homes can expect to pay up to 30% more than a single storey home of comparative size. Other costs that come with building a double storey home are mostly construction based and can include things such as structural steel, scaffolding, stairs and balustrading. However, single storey homes of comparative size will require a larger block, which will be more costly, so these extra construction costs can be offset on the land price. In addition to this, there is the increased construction time to account for as well as the ongoing costs such as heating and cooling.

Of course both home types, single and double-storey builds have their pros and cons, however the end decision ultimately comes down to one’s own personal preference and budget. To get a better feel for what you might prefer, you can check out our custom home designs page where we have an array of different designs to choose from!

If you’re not quite sure what you want yet, our designs are the ideal place to start since they are all entirely customisable and can be adjusted to suit you. It all starts with a conversation. Get in touch with us today.