tri level modern, so no real basement, no real attic. Just a mesh of levels, mostly open to each other. Never again. I'm always going up or down stairs!

Two story 1971 colonial with full finished basement!

Two story colonial...but honestly, I'd much prefer ranch style. Everything feels more together!

We've lived in all types but our fav was the split level with a five or six steps up to most bedrooms and down six to the family room. Today we are in a bi-level which is wonderful as the lower level has huge windows so I never feel like it is a basement.

Single storey modern ranch...no basement. Wouldn't change a thing, we can grow old (well mostly already there LOL) here with no worries!

I traded a four level split for a one level with fully finished basement. Everything I need is on the main floor, I don't have to go downstairs unless I want to. My knees are happier for it.

Three bedroom, three bath Ranch with bonus room over garage. We just retired and moved to South Carolina (from Chicago) and it's perfect for us and great when company comes to stay!

It seems to change every few years.

For those of you with two or more levels: do you want a one-story home in the future?

1652sq ft condo apt. One level. Love it. Yes, as you get older one level is the way to go.

Eplans, no! We are in our forever home. It's a 2500 sq ft 2 story with a finished basement, about 900 sq ft down there too. I plan to stay here til my teeth fall out and I die trying to climb the stairs!! :)

Two story georgian plus full basement
We're empty nesters and have just started looking for the "perfect" house to downsize into. I would like a house with the master bedroom on the main floor but it could be a two story with other bedrooms upstairs.

I remember looking for housing years ago with my hubby and we visited one property which had 5 levels Kitchen was in the basement and master bedroom at the top. He liked the property but I asked him to think about going down 5 flights of stairs to get his bedtime glass of milk.

When we remodeled we fought for a setback variance so we could keep it to one story. I have seen my 80 something mother work to totter up short flights of steps too often to want to deal with a second story as I age. Put in a zero clearance threshold in the new shower for the same reason.

I will never again live in 2 story townhouse with an ADHD son trying to torture his sister on whatever level I was not

If you count all the changes in flooring level ... 5. The DR goes UP to the kitchen, but down to the rear hallway, which goes UP to the MBR and UP on the other side to the hall bath, and then DOWN to the laundry area ... and the MBR goes UP to its bath. And the LR goes DOWN to the office and way DOWN to the sunporch.

It's one of those "accumulated" houses and it's quirky.

Single story Territorial/Tuscan. Much more cost effective in the desert.

Two stories and a basement. I can use the stairs for exercise:) My next "exercise" is the landscaping,,was supposed to be done this Fall, but it has to wait until Spring.

1937 Brick Tudor - One and a half stories with a basement :)

We have a two story home, with 3 bedrooms and a den upstairs for the kids, downstairs living area and master suite. I love it!

1937 we-don't-know-what-style, but it was one story, is now one-and-a-half with a 450 sq. ft. attic space remodeled into a most cool room. Have to access through attic stairs(!), but my creaky knees have actually improved by the hundreds of trips made up and down those stairs this summer, plus helped me lose a lot of weight. :)

3-story brick rowhouse - Love it except when I get to the lower level and realize I forgot something upstairs. Oh well...I guess it will keep me in shape. :0)

@eplans - In the future I would love to have a one level modern home. Any suggestions?

Mine is old split level (due to add-ons over the years) farmhouse. Monica I can appreciate your 3 story issue, even though I have a split I am always running back and forth 3 steps down 3 steps up, lol!

@Monica Ellison - Here's a link to modern, one-story house plans: http://ow.ly/qDiXV

Also, here are links to a few of our favorites:

1,719 sq. ft. with open layout: http://ow.ly/qDjhi
1,335 sq. ft. with detached guest suite: http://ow.ly/qDjUi
Sleek narrow-lot design: http://ow.ly/qDkg4
Super-spacious, unique x-shaped layout: http://ow.ly/qDjJo

Getting close?

First home was a split entry raised ranch house - 3 bedroom. It was perfect for us at the time - no kids at first, then 2 little ones. We slowly finished the basement - so we virtually doubled our usable square footage. It was great!
But then we moved cities for husband's work. since then, we have been in 2 story with full basement - both finished.
But in between - we were overseas - in a semi-detached side split - 7 levels from garage to attic!
Now 2 of those levels were just glorified landings. One was the office - big enough for the desk, shelves, stairs to attic and that was it! The other was the 'mah jong room" - game table, 4 benches, the mah jong tiles and a low ceiling as well. But it was fun.

@EPlans: My dream home is a one-level contemporary with an enormous windowless interior room with skylights that would be just for storage and laundry; 5 gigantic bedrooms with an entire wall in each bedroom devoted to closets and built in drawers, 36" doors that run on a top track outside each bedroom, super-wide hallways with closets that run the length of the house on the interior walls, huge windows on the exterior walls, a gigantic master bathroom with one corner being a huge 10' by 10' roll-in wheelchair accessible shower, the opposite corner a Victorian pedestal tub and the third corner a sauna. Since this house would have a huge footprint, I would like the entire roof to face south and be covered with solar panels so my home could run off of mini-split heating and air-conditioners and the energy costs wouldn't cost me a dime. I'd have a detached 4 car garage with the roof facing south with solar panels. Then I'd buy an electric car and have the solar panels charge it and keep a gas-guzzling SUV in one bay and keep two more for a guest's car and gardening storage or a man's workroom.

We are in our 50s and downsized last year to a single story bungalow (in a big city). We had a two story plus full basement (in the countryside) and while I loved that house, we could not have aged in place. I'm so glad we made the move.

One story with one bedroom and a loft for my studio.

Four story town home in Baltimore

Two story. Our first home that has not been a single story. I love to hear the kids bound up and down the stairs. I felt at home the first day we moved in!

A lovely 1700 sq. ft., two story townhome with a combined LR/DR, kitchen, den, loft, 21/2 baths, 2 bds. when I lived in OH, I lived in a three story TH with a finished walkout basement. One advantage with my current home is a second floor laundry. I grew up in a one story where you could see straight through LR and hall right into one of the bedrooms. I wonder if I subconsciously am drawn to having bedrooms/private areas on 2nd floor because of it lol!

split level. Had I known then what I know now, I would not have done a 2 story this way. But we have 5 bd, 3 bath and den.

Three story home with finished basement (so four stories?). Third floor was originally designed for the oldest son of the original owner architect in 1925. It has two rooms, a full bathroom (with a claw foot tub) and a large storage area.

@Eplans - Perfect. My favorite is #2 with the guest suite.

Here are a few of my favorites from my idea book.

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My house is a tri-level.

Single story for us! Retirement home. Just sold a two story colonial, was beautiful. But never want stairs again!

Two-and-a-half story, 1926 Pennsylvania farm-style house with a walk-out basement. Just moved in last year, still trying to make it ours! The large snowball bushes in this photo have been ripped out in preparation for some landscape rework in the spring.

open floor plan ranch and love it!!!! It works for us while we raise our 3 kids and in the future when we aren't able to get around as good :)

1937 two-story with four levels, well actually six level if you count the basement: 1. sub-basement, 2. basement, 3. living room/kitchen/dining room, 4. two beds and a full bath, 5. two beds and a full bath, 6. bedroom that is the "cloud room"

Two story with finished basement. I miss our one story 1950's ranch that we bought as a starter home. Even though our new house has more than twice the square footage, our ranch had much better use of space. My parents were smart not to move out of their 1950s ranch when it started feeling tight in my teen years - it is now the perfect retirement house for them!

One and a half story for us. We are 60 and 70, and it works for us, although I do plan my trips. I get up earlier than my husband, so I bring my clothes downstairs and shower, etc. We do have a one-story in Phx we enjoy!

A wonderful all tiled one story, no basement in Tucson. Having lived in all styles, this is the best for easy living.

Marilyn Fenn Art, I'd give you two thumbs up if I could. Good for you! Adorable house too, whatever it is. :-)

Two story! I'd love a 3 story/2 story with loft. That extra space would be so cozy and a really unique space to chill.

I purchased a 1969 Tri-level this past year …although I joke about it and tell everyone it’s has 5 levels because the office is downstairs (under the main floor) and the basement is another level down past that!! At age 50 I moved out of a ranch home (don’t ask me what I was thinking LOL) all I ever wanted was a home with lots of windows, lots of trees and a creek running through the property and today I’m very happy working on the renovation! (picture attached, though not very good one of it… it sits back away from the road and neighborhood nestled into the property)

We currently have a split level, so it's two stories. When we move, we are definitely getting a one story home. I have bad knees (thanks, ballet lessons in my youth!). The stairs are killers. Also, a few years ago, I took a header down a set of stairs at work (we'd had new, supposedly safer treads installed and the very first day I went sailing). The people who witnessed said they were sure I was going to die of a broken neck. Ever since then, every single set of stairs I go down causes me a brief frisson of anxiety. I'd like to live in my own home without that anxiety.

We do all our living on one floor, which I love, but we have a lower level for when the kids and grqndkids are all here. Bedrooms and bathrooms and game area and tv area and all that STUFF you need for kids. Guess I have a storage room down there, too....might be my favorite space in the house!!!

I've lived in one, two and three story homes, but when I look back, I note that for me its been an age related choice. i.e. the older my legs get the lower to ground I choose to live. So long as the ceilings are high, I built them up to 25 feet high, I'm comfortable at ground level, with the outdoors spilling indoors, on the same level.

I've always lived in ranch/single story houses. I agree with rosecafe... I like feeling grounded. I definitely think it has to do with having a view of things out the windows, rather than just sky...

We have a 3 story 80's contemporary with a finished basement, so four levels all together. It makes for a tall house, and an expensive re-siding project.

When we first moved in many many years ago, my calves became so sore that first week, not used to running up and down the stairs so much. Four levels never really bother me, except when cleaning floors. My husband wants our next house to be a ranch, LOL, but I still prefer two levels plus a basement.