One and a half story houses are a great way to get the best of both single and two-story homes. They offer a ranch-style base blueprint, meaning that the master bedroom and main living areas are on the ground floor while providing some extra space and separation for kids’ rooms and guests with a partial upstairs. If you’re considering building one, here are a few of the perks to having one.

A Fit for Now and Later in Life

Thanks to the ranch-style layout, you essentially have a complete house on one floor of the house that can remain consistent throughout different stages of life. Some people buy invest in large two-story homes while they’re raising kids and then worry later in life when the stairs become a challenge to go to bed. Having a layout that includes a ground floor master bedroom alleviates the worry by preplanning an accessible home. Unlike a fully ranch style home, a one and half story home makes space for kids rooms upstairs so that you don’t have to pay for all the extra foundation.

Privacy Between Floors

In a standard two-story home, all of the bedrooms are centralized upstairs. This can be a nice option for people who like the extra security of sleeping on an elevated floor but can be disruptive if you’re a light sleeper with noisy kids or want a little extra privacy from visiting guests. Whether you stick the in-laws downstairs or keep the space for yourself, you can rest easy knowing there’s some extra peace and privacy between you while you sleep.

Large Living Space

Since a one and a half story home does not have a full second floor, it opens up options for vaulted ceilings, large windows, and overhanging lofts. If you’ve ever dreamed of floor to ceiling windows or having a large library, the added height one and a half story homes allows could be just the ticket.

Creative Nooks and Crannies

With the flexibility of this kind of floorplan, people often manage to find interesting uses for space. Some people love the option of having additional storage space in the roofed-off overhead. It’s not uncommon for people to build a bonus room over the garage either, creating space for a game room, bar, or second living room.

Curbside Appeal

With only a partial second story, these types of homes often have more visually creative roofing structures. You can play with them, along with contrasting siding textures and colors along with the different divisions of the home, to create some unique looks to impress your neighbors and guests (and yourself, because why shouldn’t you appreciate the home you live in?)

If you’re curious to see a one and a half story house plan from a previous project, you can check out the Heck Home and the McCarty Home.