give me a one story ranch forever. just my personal preference.

I've lived in both, but I much prefer a one story. Those stairs get old...not only walking up and down them, but vacuuming them. We just bought a new house 2 years ago, and we bought a one story.

I've had both. Have split 3 story right now and love it. BUT, all things considered, with a one-story all rooms just seem more easily accessible.

I fell down the stairs in the only 2-story I ever lived in. Back still has issues. Never again!

My husbands 75 year old mother lived with us for a year and it was the most eye opening experience. when we were ready to buy our forever home it was one story, or at least everything on the main floor with basement, and we will be doing renovations thinking about aging in place.

Why so many polls? Just post your questions.

I’m tired of 2 stories. My back yells at me when I run up the stairs too often.

We purposely bought our house so that if the need ever arose where stairs would be bad we can live on the main floor of our 1956 MCM ranch and the walkout can be converted to a very nice rental suite.

One story. When we lived on one floor, everyone flowed between bedrooms/home office and the living areas more freely. Now in two stories people end up camped in one or the other for long stretches--negatives whichever place they're parked. And all of us end up storing more stuff downstairs near the entry, instead of in bedroom closets.

We do get a lot more yard though. That would be great if we lived somewhere warmer and drier.

Aesthetically--two stories. Practically--one story.

Though I do like it when the bedrooms are upstairs when you have company over and don't want noise waking folk up.

The dream is a U-shaped one level--no basement. Access points easily flowing between inside and outside.

2 story! I like the division of upstairs = private family spaces (bedrooms, main bathroom, office) and downstairs = common area and the part of our home where guests visit. But I grew up in a 100+ year old house and now live in another one, both in a city where square footage of property is at a premium, and I'm attached to the character and formality of older houses. In a new build with all-new everything I wouldn't be as attached to the 2-story setup.

One story is more family friendly and accessible than a two-story. Family members, especially with laptops tend to retreat upstairs for privacy. Then again a two-story is better for those who need more privacy and separation from public areas.

One story requires less of everything--furniture, cleaning supplies, vacuum cleaners. Laundry is closer to bedroom in most cases so no hauling laundry up and down. Cleaning in general is more efficient.

In a one-story, people can hear each other, join in for a second, stick their heads in the living areas from their bedrooms in a one-story, go back to bedroom without going up and down stairs.

Outdoors, if there are nice yards, are more of an extension of a one-story home.

2 stories don't have that much privacy though if you have an open stairwell. Dream house is a 2 story with an enclosed stairway (have to open a door to access stairs), or 1 story with an actual door separating living areas from hallway of the bedroom wing.

In my old house the stairs are on one side of the house and are only open on one side for the first 3/4 of the flight, after which they take a 90 degree turn and disappear behind a wall. No door needed and the downstairs is completely invisible from the upstairs.

as a first time homeowner i also appreciated having a ranch house, as it was very easy to do DIY renovations having direct access to attic above and basement below.

I chose one story. I've never lived in a two story house, and I've never lived in a house that had a basement - I am surprised that so many people mention basements. I've only been inside one house (in Vancouver BC) that had a basement. I have a hard time imagining what that would be like.

2000 square feet does not seem very large for a two-story house. The houses I have now are both 1535 sq ft, but it would be nice if some of the bedrooms were larger. Each house has two bedrooms that are around 10' x 10-11' (not including closets), and I prefer 13' square for a minimum.

It is mostly CA and FL that don't have basements, but that has changed in CA, now that there are building methods that can be used to withstand earthquakes. When we lived in LA we built a guest house in 2011 and added a full basement under it with 10 ft ceilings. Most new homes in my area of LA were being built with large basements that included a media/bonus room, gym and a guest bedroom and bathroom. Land is expensive, so a basement space adds profit for the builder. It costs less to build than above ground space, but in LA you can sell it for the same price as above ground space.

FL still doesn't do basements due to the high water table in most areas of FL.

We have always had basements and 2-stories above, except for our new house in FL which has no basement and is 1-story!

My husband and I have lived in a 2 story house for over 40 years. We are in our seventies. If we ever move, I wouldn’t mind a 2 story as long as there was a bedroom and full bath on the first level. Going up and downstairs is good exercise for us. So far no knee or hip problems!

@Lars in dense cities with high property values basements make a tonne of sense. This definitely applies to Vancouver. In Toronto, where I live, most older homes were built with rough, unfinished and relatively low-ceilinged basements, but as property values have risen more and more homeowners have expanded their living space through finishing the basement space, often including excavating them deeper below ground at significant expense. It's a great way to add more square footage on a small piece of property!

We went from a 2 story w basement to a 1 story in Florida. The 2 story was great when the kids were little and messes and quiet sleeping time were an issue. Our home now is were we will age. We recently had a guest in a wheelchair for a week and our entire home, including the lanai and bathrooms, were all accessible for him. The beauty of our home now is that we use the entire space, its an open concept so there arent any rooms that we do not use. I guess it all depends on the time that you are in your life and future plans. If youre planning on staying forever, id consider a single story.

1 storey connects better with its surroundings(if properly designed)

denkyem, I was living in San Francisco when I visited Vancouver, and SF was denser than Vancouver and more expensive, and we did not have basements.

I grew up in Texas, and no one I knew had a basement there - it would flood in Houston, but even in central and south Texas, I never saw a basement. I've never seen any in California, and I think they might not be a good place to be during an earthquake, although they would probably be a good place to be during a tornado.

I think it is a regional thing and that they are more common on colder climates.

@Lars probably both climate and geology too! I'm fascinated to hear basements aren't a thing in SF. I always assumed they were!

A little googling tells me one major reason we northerners have basements is that foundations need to be below the frost line so that annual freezing and thawing doesn't shift them. That generally means you need to dig down at least 4 feet, and at that point might as well continue to a depth of 8-10 feet and turn that into usable living space!

We live in a three story, over 100 yo home.....our next home will be one story...maybe a walk out basement. I do think where you live in the country makes a difference

I live in a one story home and love it.  Easy to clean - no lugging a vacuum upstairs.  Easy to have furniture delivered and also easy to move furniture from one room to the next.  Great for limited mobility ( broken leg, growing old...).  Wonderful connection between inside and outside spaces.  The downsides:. A one story home is more expensive to heat.  You need either several hot water heaters or to wait for the hot water.