Rancher vs. 2-Story House: Pros and Cons (PLUS Take Our Poll) (2023)

FAQs

Is it cheaper to build a ranch or 2 story house? ›

Advantages of Two Story Homes

Cost less per square foot to build. That's because the most expensive elements of home-building — excavation/foundation and rafters/roof installation — are being built on a smaller footprint. Plus, you'll have less roof area to maintain. More fuel efficient.

It's important to note that while most ranch style homes don't feature a second floor, many do have finished basements. Serving as an additional floor, the basement increases the overall space available in the home and works great as an area for a home theater, a home gym, or additional bedrooms.

A two-story home is typically more expensive to heat and cool than a ranch-style as well. That's because hot air rises and cold air falls, making it more expensive to keep even temperatures throughout the home.

Whether your focus is the practical or the beautiful, ranch style homes are made to be forever homes. They're functional, easy to maintain and easy for most homeowners to personalize. With a low profile and accessible spaces, ranch homes have it all.

Ranch Homes

A home with a simple and concise layout is the cheapest type of house to build. Ranch homes are typically single-story structures with attached garages. They're easy to find construction plans for and highly customizable, so you can find a home that fits your needs and budget.

Most ranch-style houses average between 1500-1700 square feet, but construction depends on space availability.

Having bedrooms and your laundry on the same level is also a great time saver. No trudging up and down the steps with baskets of laundry or cleaning supplies. Easy Access to the Outdoors – Ranch homes offer up much more potential for deck space and outdoor living.

Along with a lower selling price, smaller ranch homes potentially have lower heating and cooling costs, as well. If your ranch home is well insulated and has energy efficient windows, heating a compact home is always more cost effective than trying to heat larger, rambling houses.

This temperature imbalance between floors can affect more than just your family's comfort. Heat rises to upper floors and cold air sinks to lower floors. This means that your air conditioning will generally work harder upstairs during the summer months and your heating downstairs will work harder during the winter.

Typically, single-storey floorplans are the most energy efficient. With less rooms to heat, they are easier to maintain an even temperature through winter whilst staying cool in summer.

Are 2 story homes harder to sell? ›

If you are thinking ahead toward a time when you might consider selling, it's important to note that single story homes tend to resell easier and quicker due to their popularity with home buyers.

Why Two-Story Homes Can Have an Edge, Energy-Wise. The largest, most often overlooked advantage of two story homes as it applies to energy efficiency is surface area. A two story home of the same square footage as a single is going to have a smaller footprint.

Ranch homes are more expensive than regular houses due to high build costs and the large plot of land they are built on. Ranch homes typically need larger foundations which is expensive. Other factors driving up the cost of ranch homes are extra roofing, wiring, and plumbing costs.

Owning a ranch can provide intangible benefits such as uninterrupted family time and the enjoyment of nature. Choose your property wisely and manage the land carefully, and ranches can provide tangible benefits as well.

Ranches are always profitable. Even if you don't plan on developing or planting crops or raising livestock, you can still earn money by having your property leased. This provides a passive revenue stream that requires you to do nothing while earning an income at the same time.

In general, buying an existing home is cheaper. According to the National Association of Home Builders and the U.S. Census Bureau the median cost to buy a house today is $410,600 which is $28,800 less than building one.

Is it cheaper to build or buy a house? As a rule of thumb, it's cheaper to buy a house than to build one. Building a new home costs $34,000 more, on average, than purchasing an existing home. The median cost of new construction was $449,000 in May 2022.

Rectangles, arches, and triangles are the most common shapes used to build big structures. The weight pushes down on the rectangle and causes the top side to bend. The weight presses down on the arch and is spread outward along the curve to the ground below.

Ranch Home Colors

Neutrals such as beige, brown, or gray provide an aesthetically pleasing exterior color scheme that works well with low-to-the-ground houses. Natural stone adds texture to the facade of this ranch, while the roof, front door, and garage door work in agreement with the dark brown trim.

What is one advantage of a ranch design house? ›

Ranch style homes offer flexibility as they age because the single-storey layout allows spaces to be used in the ways that best suit the homeowners at that time. Bedrooms can easily be transformed into an office, a home gym, a music room, or an arts and crafts studio, for example.

What size house sells best? But in reality, the larger the property, the longer it stays on the market. The places that sold the quickest—on average, 86 days—were between 1,500 and 2,000 square feet and priced at about $194,000.

In some parts of the country, ranch style homes are built on larger than average tracts of land and therefore have to pay higher taxes. This may make them less attractive to buyers. In other areas, say with an aging population, the desire for homes with no stairs is high, lending ranch homes significant resale value.

By the 1950s, ranch style homes made up nine out of ten houses in America. Nowadays, the style is still common in most states.

ranches are the safest structure during one. Easier for parents with small children – Small children usually mean many times getting up at night. With all the bedrooms on one level, you aren't going up and down the stairs and fighting a baby gate all night. You can do this with a 2 story with all bedrooms up too.

According to ENERGY STAR, setting your thermostat to 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) when you're home is the ideal balance of comfort and energy efficiency.

Do Not Count Out A Two-Story Home. The roof is responsible for a lot of heat transfer and when your roof is smaller, as it usually is in a two-story home you have less of this transfer. This allows you to save more energy than you would in a one-story home.

Set the first floor's thermostat to your desired temperature, and then decrease the temperature setting on your thermostats by two degrees as you go up. Warm air on the first floor will rise and make the upper floors more comfortable.

In reality, however, the front door is the weakest point. Although there are two main reasons as to why the front door is the weakest point in the house, it is important to understand that, home security is the first step towards protecting you and your family.

Improved efficiency. Single-story homes require less energy to heat and cool. If you are concerned about the environmental impact of your property and want to keep your utility bills down, a ranch home may help you achieve that goal.

What houses get broken into the most? ›

Homes on the outskirts of neighborhoods are more vulnerable, because fewer neighbors will be able to see if a crime is being committed. This includes dead-end streets, cul-de-sacs and locations with few outlets. Any house that's secluded may also be a target. Corner homes are iffy.

The kitchen and the master bathroom. Buyers tend to show more interest in these rooms than any other in a home.

Ranch-style homes are common in most of the United States, though they're most common in California, North Carolina, Ohio, and Texas.

Stone and brick houses last the longest. If you are using wood, choose a hardwood for durability. A one-storey house will last longer because it is easier to maintain. Steel-frame techniques are also more durable for building houses than traditional stick-framing techniques and can last for 100+ years.

Compact house forms, rather than sprawling, multi-wing designs work best in hot locales. Home designs with shaded porches, wrap around porches or plans with courtyards that create a shaded open area within the building are ideal.

To make the most of the sun for warmth and natural light, your home's main living areas (or any rooms you use a lot) should face north. The main glazing in the house, such as windows and glass doors, should also face north. Anywhere between 20°W – 30°E of true north is fine.

Pros and Cons of a Two Storey House

If the area you're looking to invest in is densely populated or just has small block sizes, a two storey house is a good investment idea because it lets you maximise the space you have helping you attract prospective renters. Additionally, two storey homes tend to have larger yards.

Two story homes also provide greater security and privacy. Because bedrooms are often on upper floors, they are more difficult to access by burglars and others with malevolent intent.

PRO: Potential views: a second-story can mean beautiful views in picturesque areas. CON: Stairs: constantly climbing stairs can be exhausting and cause injuries for children or seniors. Look for a home with an upstairs laundry room to make life easier.

Why is it cheaper to build a 2 story house? ›

Two-story homes are more cost-efficient to build because they offer more space without adding more foundation or roof costs, so the cost per square foot is often less expensive.

Building out is significantly less expensive than building up. On average, it costs between $140 to $180 to expand your home's footprint outwards. When you build a second or third floor onto your home, you can expect the costs to range from $180 to $250 per square foot.

Potentially more expensive: The cost of a 1.5-story home may be more expensive than a two story home option due to the larger foundation and roof coverage area.

Two story homes also provide greater security and privacy. Because bedrooms are often on upper floors, they are more difficult to access by burglars and others with malevolent intent.

How do you know if your foundation can support a second story? The only way to be sure about the strength of your home's foundation is to hire an engineer to do a structural assessment of your home and determine what reinforcements will be needed to carry the additional weight of a second-story addition.

Adding A Second Story To A Ranch House

Ranch houses tend to be the most common type of housing that people want to add a second story to. It's easy to see why as ranch houses are traditionally single-story homes, and adding a second story can double your living space.

Finishing a basement, attic, or garage is one of the more inexpensive ways to add a room to your home as you won't need to add a foundation, roof, or structural elements.

(1) Stairs may not be your friend – While stairs can be aesthetically pleasing and help make your home look larger, walking up and down stairs can become difficult, especially as we age. It can also be a safety issue for you if young children or senior citizens live in the home.

Average House Size for 2- and 4-Person Families

For instance, a 4-person family living in a 2,700-square-foot home will have about 675 square feet per person. For a 2-person family, that number would double to about 1,350 square feet per person.