New Homes: Walk-Out Ranch vs Two-Story?

[Jer]

So what is everybody's experience with a walk-out or daylight ranch with finished basement vs a two-story home? We're currently debating between the two and while we currently have a daylight ranch, the basement isn't finished and we're suspect that we would use it as much as a true two-story.

Anybody had both and liked one more, or found their expectations with one wasn't met and wished they had the other?

 

[2020cy]

Two story difficult to keep steady temperatures between up and down. If you have elderly guests ranch is better with minimal stairs.

 

[00clone]

Two story difficult to keep steady temperatures between up and down. If you have elderly guests ranch is better with minimal stairs.

He's talking a walkout ranch...essentially treating the basement and main floor as first and second floor of a 2 story...so the temp thing is a push, similarly with the stairs.

We've had a walkout ranch, and a normal ranch with egress windows. Both finished, we actually used the walkout less because the heating wasn't sized right, so the basement was significantly colder than the upstairs, no matter what we did. With our second (the traditional ranch with egress windows), we use it more often, but I'm not sure it'd qualify as 'as much' as if it was a 2 story. I guess, it depends on how you do the layouts. Most true 2 stories are living/kitchen/office on main floor and BR's on 2nd floor, so you will use both floors a lot, but a walkout ranch is typically everything you *need* on the main floor, bonus space/bonus BR's in the basement...so naturally that may not get used as often as a true 2 story.

 

[ripvdub]

A 2 story home is going to be much more cramped than a ranch. Say they're both 1600 sq ft homes, you'll only have 2400 ft between the 3 floors of a 2 story, but 3200ish ft with a ranch.

 

[cowgirl836]

we chose ranch because most of the two-stories we saw had a main floor layout/ceiling height that it turns out we didn't much like. We went in planning to get a two-story. We are also planning (at this point) to stay in our house a long time so fewer stairs is good. We do not have a walkout basement but it is half exposure and while unfinished yet, it looks like a main floor - lots of normal sized windows with lots of light and no tell-tale ledge going around the room.

 

[jdoggivjc]

we chose ranch because most of the two-stories we saw had a main floor layout/ceiling height that it turns out we didn't much like. We went in planning to get a two-story. We are also planning (at this point) to stay in our house a long time so fewer stairs is good. We do not have a walkout basement but it is half exposure and while unfinished yet, it looks like a main floor - lots of normal sized windows with lots of light and no tell-tale ledge going around the room.

That's kind of the reason why we're looking at split level homes (similar to what I've posted below). The master bed/bath, office, kitchen, dining room, family room, etc are all on the main floor, but the kid's bedrooms are on the upper floor. Plus architecturally I just love the style of the house.

 

[00clone]

we chose ranch because most of the two-stories we saw had a main floor layout/ceiling height that it turns out we didn't much like. We went in planning to get a two-story. We are also planning (at this point) to stay in our house a long time so fewer stairs is good. We do not have a walkout basement but it is half exposure and while unfinished yet, it looks like a main floor - lots of normal sized windows with lots of light and no tell-tale ledge going around the room.

Speaking of which....my wife's sister has this McMansion with 2 stories, but the great room has no second floor, so the ceiling is 2 stories tall in that room...you want to talk about temperature differences between main floor and 2nd floor...holy crap that house is BAD...at least with a typical 2 story house with a full 2nd floor, the floor slows the rising heat a bit, it's only free flowing thru the stairwell, but with probably 400 SF of open space, the 2nd floor bedrooms are A LOT hotter than the main floor. It's very uncomfortable sleeping there. You can do zones and stuff with heating to compensate, but you're adding capital expense to do it, and upping operating costs too, to maintain a decent temp fighting that natural flow.

 

[Rabbuk]

INB4 people bash Mark Charter

 

[00clone]

INB4 people bash Mark Charter

Literal LOL...thankfully, no one's nearby.

 

[cyrocksmypants]

Why, you looking for something for coach Prohm, Jeremy?

 

[00clone]

Why, you looking for something for coach Prohm, Jeremy?

Nah, wit all dat moneez from those clickbait threads during hoibergpocalypse, Jerm gon' be upgradin'.

:wink:

 

[cowgirl836]

Speaking of which....my wife's sister has this McMansion with 2 stories, but the great room has no second floor, so the ceiling is 2 stories tall in that room...you want to talk about temperature differences between main floor and 2nd floor...holy crap that house is BAD...at least with a typical 2 story house with a full 2nd floor, the floor slows the rising heat a bit, it's only free flowing thru the stairwell, but with probably 400 SF of open space, the 2nd floor bedrooms are A LOT hotter than the main floor. It's very uncomfortable sleeping there. You can do zones and stuff with heating to compensate, but you're adding capital expense to do it, and upping operating costs too, to maintain a decent temp fighting that natural flow.

yep, we saw several of those and just thought that was such wasted space. They usually then put the master on the first floor which then was the worst of both house styles to me. You still have your bedroom near the "noise" rooms but now your kids are up a flight of steps. Maybe if we had teens, but the idea of having a baby or toddler up a flight of stairs from me every night seemed like a terrible idea. Plus how do you ever change lightbulbs on an 18ft ceiling?!

 

[cdekovic]

Last three homes/town homes have been ranches. Previous two were two stories. Will never understand wn another two story. Spreads out more. Separates space better. Larger footprint so you have more area to work with in the basement.

 

[cytech]

When it comes time to resell it you will find the ranch will be much more desirable. Two story homes seem to be going out of style

 

[CascadeClone]

We have a two story, and I totally regret not doing more a little more digging to have a walk out to go with it. About 1/3rd of the basement is already halfway above ground. Next time will def do the walk out. No brainer, IMHO.

Also, wanted to chime in with hate for the open 2 story great rooms. What a massive waste. Just so dumb.

 

[ISU_phoria]

Had both & we definitely prefer the walkout ranch. A 2- story with finished basement has 3 levels, so 2 sets of stairs and the space divided between 3 floors. The ranch has just one set of stairs and the floor plates are larger.

Plus we really like being able to access outside from either level.

 

[scottie33]

We decided on two-story vs. ranch because we wanted 4 bedrooms and we wanted those bedrooms on a floor different than the main living areas. Also, everyone says you get more SF for the price and numbers I've heard thrown around are $110/SF 2-Story and $135/SF Ranch. We aren't concerned with the stairs from main to 2nd and main to basement but everyone is different.

 

[cyclonesurveyor]

I miss my old 2 story colonial.

 

[AllIn]

Have owned both. Built a walk-out ranch10 years ago and love it. I would recommend putting 9 ft ceilings in your basement. Eliminates the feeling of being in a basement. My kids loved the basement so much that they decided to move downstairs several years ago. We use the walkout to get to the backyard/fire pit. We have a very open upstairs and that is something we prefer versus a more smaller more broken up 2 story. Good luck w/ your decision.

 

[ISUAlum2002]

Look at a 2 story walkout, that's what we bought and there are plenty of them out there on the market. When we were looking for homes a few years ago we found that the bedrooms in the walkout ranch floor plans seemed and were much smaller than those in the 2 story plans. The 2 story walkout plan allowed for all 4 of our bedrooms to be on the second level, 3 of them with walk-in closets, along a walk-in laundry room, master bath and secondary bath. The secondary bedroom in our floor plan is bigger than the master bedroom in most of the ranch plans we were looking at in the same price range.

Only thing I don't like about our setup is that we didn't get a formal dining room. Makes it tough to entertain a lot of guests as the eat-in kitchen takes up a lot of the space on the main level, about 2/3 of the available room.