Bungalow or two-storey: what to weigh on a prairie lot

It is one of the first things we talk through with anyone building. Neither shape is better. They suit different lots, budgets and lives. Here is what we would weigh.

This is general guidance and not a rule. The right answer depends on your plan and your lot, and on how you live.

Cost: it depends on the plan

The shape of a house changes the price, and it is one of the five things that move a new home up or down the range. The reasoning goes like this. For the same amount of living space, a bungalow spreads out on one level, so it needs more foundation and more roof. A two-storey stacks, so it needs less of both, but it adds a staircase and a floor system between the levels.

Which one works out cheaper depends on the design. Anyone who tells you one is always cheaper hasn’t looked at your plan.

Stairs and how you live

• Bungalow. The main living space is on one level: kitchen, living room, bedrooms. That is easier with young kids, groceries, bad knees, or if you plan to stay in the home a long time.
• Two-storey. Bedrooms are usually upstairs and living space below. You climb every day, and that suits some families fine.

Keep the basement in mind. If you develop it, a bungalow has stairs too. The question is which floor you live on day to day.

The lot

A bungalow takes up more of the lot, so you need enough width and depth after setbacks and easements. A two-storey fits a narrower or smaller footprint. Before you fall for a plan, check what the lot allows. Our post on what to check before you buy a lot covers the questions.

Comfort and heating

Warm air rises. In a two-storey, the upstairs tends to run warmer in summer and the main floor cooler in winter unless the heating and ventilation are laid out well. It can be handled. Ask any builder how they plan to do it for the house you are looking at, and get the answer in writing.

Noise and privacy

In a two-storey, bedrooms sit above or away from the kitchen and TV, which helps with shift workers and teenagers. In a bungalow, everything is on one floor, so layout does the work: where the bedrooms sit relative to the living space, and how many doors are between them.

Basement

A developed basement adds living space and adds to the price. Under a bungalow it can add a whole second level of living space on the same footprint. Whether to finish it now or leave it for later is part of the budget conversation, so ask how the plan can leave you room to finish it later.

A quick way to sort it out

• If you want your main living on one level and have the width on your lot, a bungalow is worth a close look.
• If your lot is narrow or small, or you want more bedrooms from the same footprint, look hard at a two-storey.
• If the budget is the deciding factor, ask any builder to price both shapes for your lot, on the same finishes, and compare the two quotes line by line.

Questions to ask yourself

1. Who lives here now, and who will in ten years?
2. How many stairs do I want to climb every day?
3. How wide is my lot after setbacks?
4. Do I want to finish the basement now, later or never?
5. What budget am I comfortable with, and where does it go furthest?

If you are torn, say so when you call. Bungalow or two-storey is one of the first things Erd talks through with you, and it is easier to choose when you can see how each one changes the number. More in what a new home costs here.