Senior Transition
How do I know if a single-story home is right for me?
By Steve Lockhart
The short answer
A single-story home is right when stairs have started to shape your daily choices: which bathroom you use, where the laundry can go, whether you carry things up or leave them down.
Full answer
A single-story home is right when stairs have started to shape your daily choices: which bathroom you use, where the laundry can go, whether you carry things up or leave them down. It is right when you want to stay in your home for many years and you know your knees, your back, or your balance will not get more forgiving. It is also right when you simply prefer a simpler layout for everyday life, and you are willing to pay for it.
The honest tradeoff is price and lot. Single-story homes typically cost more per square foot than two-story homes, because the roof and foundation cover more ground for the same living space. They also need a larger lot, which matters in Las Vegas where lots in newer communities can be narrow. You are not buying less house; you are buying a wider house, and the market prices that.
The way to test it is to think in decades, not in seasons. Walk through the house you are considering and ask: which rooms do I enter every day, and are they all reachable without stairs? If the answer requires a trip upstairs for the bedroom or laundry, that trip is a daily decision, not a rare one. Some two-story homes solve this with a downstairs master suite and laundry, which can be a strong middle path.
If you are comparing single-story and two-story options, I help you price the real difference at your price point and your neighborhoods, including maintenance, cooling, and resale. The right floor plan is the one your body will thank you for in ten years, not the one that photographs best this weekend.
Go a little deeper
Frequently asked
Questions people often follow up on
Are single-story homes more expensive to buy?
Per square foot, usually yes, because of the larger roof, foundation, and lot. The total purchase price can still be lower than a larger two-story home. The question is what you get for the difference: daily ease, aging-in-place potential, and a layout you will not outgrow.
Can a two-story home work if I plan to move my bedroom downstairs?
Often yes. Some two-story plans include a downstairs master suite and laundry, which captures most of the practical benefit of one-level living while keeping the extra upstairs space for guests, an office, or storage. If that is the pattern you find, it is worth weighing seriously against a pure single-story home.
The Lockhart Method
The Lockhart Method
Your Home | My Strategy | Proven Results
My strategy: match the floor plan to the next decade, not the next five years. We look at the stairs you use daily, the rooms you actually live in, and the adaptations you may someday need, then compare single-story, downstairs-master, and townhome options at your price point.
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