When selecting the design of the house, curb appeal is just one element to consider. House designs have to be practical enough to accommodate the inner workings of daily life. One design that does just that is single story house plans. This design consists of house plans where the primary living spaces are situated on one flat floor. As a result, single story houses tend to be comfortable and spacious, as there is no separation of living spaces by an upward flight of stairs.
This design has also cultivated a great deal of interest due to the ability for a plan to be designed to flow from the kitchen, to the family room, to other bedrooms, other living spaces, and to the outdoors. With this, a single story house design can fulfill the daily needs of any living situation.
Another reason this style of design has cultivated a great deal of interest is due to the multitude of architectural styles it is designed to fulfill ( ranch style homes, farmhouse, cottage, contemporary,).
What Are Single Story House Plans?
Single story house plans are house plans where the primary living spaces are situated on one level. They may also be referred to as **one story house plans** or **single level house plans**. It is practical living without having to navigate a flight of stairs to any of the primary living spaces.
Some plans may incorporate a basement or a bonus area, however this will depend on the property and the building method.
You will find single story homes appeal to a wide audience because of their workarounds for the issue of vertical space.
Less Adaptive Living
If you live in a home without vertical separation you have better access to all the areas of the home and you don’t need to carry groceries up stairs. If you live in this type of home you should be able to supervise your kids easier and there is less of a problem with easy movement throughout your home.
More Adaptable Living
The use of the open-concept floor plans works in and of themselves to create a larger living space.
Convenient Outdoor Living
If your outdoor space is on the same level as your living area you will be able to extend your living area even farther and create outdoor living/dining spaces. Outdoor entertaining spaces are most wanted to be in a great room that has sliding/folding doors leading out to a covered porch.
Plenty of Variety
The floor plan of a single story home lends itself to many different designs, layouts, and shapes.
You aren’t just limited to one style of architecture.
Ranch House Plans
The most apparent example of single-story living is the design of a ranch home.
These tend to be wide and relatively flat in nature, with open living spaces and bedrooms placed to the sides or off the main entertaining areas. Several ranches plans also incorporate wide front porches, attached garages, and rear patios.
They work best on lots with plenty of space where the home can maintain its horizontal width.
Single-Story, Modern House Plans
Homes of this style feature a horizon-scraping flat roof with large, vertical windows, and open interiors.
Massive kitchen islands and living spaces combined with large outdoor patios and access from almost every room, and reduced hallway space, characterize the designs.
Single-Story Farmhouse Plans
Farmhouse designs may be characterized similarly to modern plans, but include more storage and bedrooms to the side or rear of the house.
Exterior designs combine conventional and contemporary materials and methods to provide greater overall flexibility for rural and suburban use.
Small-Square Footage House Plans, Cottage Style
Prefer something in the cozier side? Cottage style plans may fit best for you.
Cottages work wonders to provide all the basics, yet remain efficient, even on smaller lots.
They are perfect for vacation homes, small guest homes, and small home owners.
Luxury Single Story House Plans
Single-story homes do not have to be small.
Multi-wing luxury plans can spread out across large lots using the extra length to incorporate multiple bedrooms, private suites, big kitchens, work and recreation spaces, outdoor kitchens, pools, and over large garages.
Some single story plans utilize the extra horizontal space to create separate bedroom wings along with large indoor outdoor living spaces.
Current plans have designs that range from small 3,000 square foot layouts to large luxury plans throughout their collections.
Popular Single Story House Plan Sizes
The size that works best depends on your family, lot, budget, and how you actually use space.
Small Single Story House Plans
Smaller plans tend to be less expensive to build and maintain.
A small plan will have:
2 or 3 bedrooms
1 or 2 bathrooms
An open plan for the kitchen and living area
A small laundry area
A covered porch or patio*
A single car or small two car garage
When planning a small house, good design does not necessarily mean making the house smaller. It means making better use of the space.
1,500 to 2,000 Sq. Ft.
This range works well as a balance of space and cost.
Most plans including 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms place a pair of bedrooms (the secondary bedrooms) on one side of the house with the primary bedroom on the opposite side, and the kitchen, dining and living areas in the center.
There are a number of collections of one story plans around 2,000 sq. ft. with plans for ranch, farmhouse and open concept layouts.
This size provides options, such as:
Three or four bedrooms
Two or three bathrooms
A large or extra-large kitchen
Walk-in closets
Home office
Mudroom
Two, or even three car, garage
Large living spaces on the exterior of the home
This often works well for families.
This size provides enough space without having a large footprint.
Any footprint beyond 2500 square feet provides more space and flexibility in design options.
These larger single-storied homes bring a number of design options to include large private and shared spaces.
One common design is to put all the primary bedroom(s) on one side of the home, and the secondary bedrooms on the other side. They then put the central gathering space in the kitchen, dining room, and great room.
Large single-storied houses are primarily Ranch, Farmhouse, Modern, and Open Concept styles.
A great design is an open kitchen space connected to the dining room, and the living room.
Modern family living is simplest with this design. An open kitchen provides ease in entertaining. An additional kitchen island can provide seating and additional space for food prep.
A primary bedroom should be as far away as possible from all the other bedrooms, regardless of how they are configured.
A good design choice to consider is including a flex room regardless of the number of rooms.
For example, the master bedroom could be in the back of the house while the kids’ bedrooms or guest bedrooms could be in the front.
This is a good arrangement to give members of the family living in the home more privacy.
Central Great Room
Another example is to put the Great Room in the center of the layout of the house and have rooms that are more private and bedrooms branch off of it, while the main gathering space connects to the kitchen.
Mudroom Near the Garage
If a garage is connected, having a mudroom or utilities between the garage and kitchen would allow everyone easy access to the daily essentials, like shoes and coats, and groceries, without having to traverse the rest of the living area.
Laundry Near the Bedrooms
Having the laundry area up close and convenient to the bedrooms would be a more logical and time saving location, rather than having it tucked away in the further corners of the house.
Bedroom Single Story House Plans
A layout with 3 bedrooms is the more flexible and practical choice for a family.
A layout with 3 bedrooms could consist of a private bedroom with it’s own bath and a walk in closet, plus two more bedrooms that share the second bathroom.
A good design could arrange the bedrooms so that the privacy of the master bedroom is not impeded, while the other bedrooms are maintained near the main living spaces.
Look for extra storage space, greater flexibility for office space, a bigger laundry room, and an open kitchen.
Bedroom Single Story House Plans
Four bedroom plans are needed when there is a need to accommodate more people and more room to accommodate multiple uses per room.
One of the bedrooms can be used as a home office, guest room, hobby room, or study.
The placement of the bedrooms is the most important factor to consider. A plan that places all bedrooms along the main living space is not the most desired because it leads to an overstimulated living space. A better plan may place bedrooms along their own hallway or wings.
Single Story House Plans With Garage
A garage can be placed on either side or on the back of a single story house.
The most common garage placement is in the front of a house and works well in most suburban settings. Side-entry garages can work well with a wider lot because of their placement.
For larger lots, a garage can be placed at the back of the house to allow backyard access and storage.
When looking at plans, note the garage dimensions and how much storage it includes, and not just the number of cars. A garage can include a workbench for storage or a place to store tools or bicycles.
Single Story House Plans With Open Floor Plans
Wall flexibility is important with open floor plans.
One wall of a living room can be the kitchen, with a dining area at an adjacent wall to the kitchen.
Natural light can enter an entire space with large windows.
The rest can be planned with balance as well.
An open floor plan should have dedicated areas for cooking, eating, relaxing, and entertaining. Too much open space can lead to clutter if there is not thoughtful use of storage and furniture placements.
How to Choose the Right Single Story House Plan
It’s important to consider your practical needs before appreciating a single story house plan’s exterior and interior.
Lot Size and Restrictions
Measure the space you can build on in accordance with the local restrictions like setbacks, driveway space, easements, etc.
A house plan that looks perfect online may not fit your property.
Number of Bedrooms
Do not select a larger house plan simply to provide more bedrooms. Think about how the space will be used. For example, if you work from home, a flexible office space may be more important than another bedroom.
Your home should be flexible enough to accommodate possible changes within the next five or more years.
An adjustable bedroom might be turned into an office. Space in hallways might be used to accommodate traffic flow. A level entryway is nice to make your house suitable to your accessibility needs and to accommodate your family and guests.
Flexible design does not mean your home will look less appealing. It means your home is able to adjust to suit your needs in the future.
Are Single Story Homes More Affordable to Build?
The answer is not a simple yes or no. The design, site, materials, labor, and conditions in the region will impact the cost of construction. Single story homes have the benefit of having simple construction, but if you spread all of the rooms out on one floor, the single story home may actually end up costing more to build than a two story home with the same room count.
It is a mistake to think that all single story homes are less expensive to build.
To analyze the construction cost of a home, the entire design needs to be considered, including the size of the construction footprint for the building, the roof design, foundation, garage, building materials, and the site.
Ignoring the lot: Plan the design to fit the property.
Underestimating storage: Lovely rooms become irritating when there are no storage solutions for everyday items.
Choosing too many rooms: Extra bedrooms are not useful if they take space away from areas your family uses everyday
Forgetting furniture: Ensure your existing furniture will fit comfortably.
Poor bedroom placement: Bedrooms next to noisy gathering areas become little to no privacy areas.
Ignoring natural light: Where the sun lights the interiors of the house.
Skipping a professional review: Just because a stock plan is complete, doesn’t mean it doesn’t need changes based on your lot, local codes, climate, structures, etc.
Final Thoughts
The best single story house plans are not necessarily the biggest or most impressive ones. The best plans make everyday life feel easy
A good one-story layout includes comfortable bedrooms, ample storage, an inviting living area, good traffic patterns, good indoor/outdoor flow and adjacencies.
Whether you are looking for a small cottage, a three bedroom ranch, a modern farmhouse, or a large luxury home, there are thousands of one -level floor plans to consider. Start by considering your lot size, room requirements, budget and architectural style preference. Then compare floor plans based on how well they support your actual lifestyle.
The plan should ‘look’ good, but it should also ‘feel’ good to you when you imagine living there.
