1 1/2-Story House Plans (2024)

FAQs

Is it cheaper to build a 1.5 story house? ›

Is it Cheaper to Build a 1 1/2 Story House? Surprisingly, a 1.5-story home can cost more than either a one- or two-story house. Just like a one-story home, a 1.5 story house needs a generously sized foundation. Although the first floor is large, the second floor isn't quite as spacious.

Typically, one-and-a-half-story house plans detail a configuration of the primary bedroom on the main floor while the remaining bedrooms are on the second level. With this configuration, the main floor has a larger footprint than the upper floor.

A 1.5-story home offers you the best of both worlds in a customized house plan design. It allows homeowners the ability to enjoy vaulted ceilings and an airy open floor plan of a ranch, while still having available space for rooms on a second level.

A one-and-a-half story house, or 1.5-story house, is a detached home that has a second floor that is about half the size of the main floor, but is off to one side. This style could also simply be called a “half story house”.

On a per-square-foot basis, pole barn houses and barndominiums are the most affordable at around $50 to $160 per square foot. Other inexpensive home types include modular homes, tiny homes, shipping container homes, and standard one-story ranch homes.

Our customers often ask us this question, so we decided to do an quick analysis on floor plan cost to build based on the number of floors. We analyzed our library of one-story and two-story plans to compare costs and found that two story plans are 14% more affordable to build per square foot on average).

1.5 Story House Plans

One and a half story home plans place all main living areas and usually also the master suite on the first floor. Additional rooms and/or loft space for children, visitors, and flex use are placed upstairs to help provide more square footage without expanding the size of the home's footprint.

The big drawback of a one-story home is the same as its advantage in some ways: Everything is on the same floor, including your kitchen and bedrooms. That can mean less privacy and fewer opportunities to separate a cozy sleeping environment from, say, a bustling kitchen or family room.

A reverse 1.5‑story floor plan means that the master bedroom is on the main level, and the other bedrooms are on the basem*nt level.

What is a reverse 1 1 2 story house? ›

A reverse 1.5 plan, sometimes known just as a reverse plan, is a type of floor plan where the master bedroom and living area are located on the main floor, with additional bedrooms on the lower level.

Is it cheaper to add a second story or build out? Second stories typically cost less than building out, but this depends on the scope of the design. However, you may still have to fortify your foundation when building a second story, so be sure to speak with a structural engineer before clarifying your budget.

A reverse is like a ranch in disguise! Imagine your typical 1.5 style floor plan but, in a reverse-style floor plan, the additional bedrooms are in the basem*nt instead of the 2nd story. With this information in mind, you might be wondering which floor plan style is best for you.

In general, building up tends to be less costly than building out. When you factor in things like digging and pouring a new foundation, building out typically carries a higher price tag (though this isn't always true, and certainly depends on the size of the room and its purpose).

In a study of a dozen cities including SF, the Upjohn Institute's Evan Mast also concluded that more high-end housing decreases competition for previously existing homes, and thus “new market-rate housing construction can improve housing affordability for middle- and low-income households, even in the short run.”