Do you have any thoughts about the merits of one over the other? My mother and I are having a friendly disagreement about the style of home I am purchasing and I am interested in thoughts on this subject.

FWIW, I am a single mother of two children, 2 and nearly 5. We plan to be in this house for 5-10 years (probably on the shorter side of that time frame). Laundry in the foursquare would be upstairs. All other things are equal - lot size, location, school district, etc. The ONLY difference is the type of house that is on the lot.

Do you have one of these designs and you wish you had something different? Do you love your particular design? If so, why? And then specifically, with us in mind, which would you prefer and why?

I know what I want, but am really trying to see it from the other perspective and see if there's something I haven't considered.

Id go with a ranch
I like everything on 1 floor

we lived in a townhouse before with the bedrooms upstairs & i hated it.
I hated taking laundry upstairs (although if it was upstairs it would have been a tad better)

I hated being upstairs & wanting something from the kitchen downstairs. or downstairs & needing something from upstairs.

the upstairs was always hotter also, and the downstairs would be cold.


& I like my kids being able to play in their rooms & be on the same floor as me. & they are forever calling me for something.. Id be up & down the stairs all.day.long if they where on different levels.

& i have a baby. .shes 13 months now & she follows her sisters around everywhere.. but likes to come check on me, then go back to them.
and i like to stick my head in their rooms every few minutes when shes in there with them.
If we had stairs , she would not be able to go play with them in their rooms unless I stayed up there with them.
which wouldnt work.. I use that time shes with them to get cooking & cleaning done.

We have a foursquare. I'm not a huge fan, to be honest, but it could just be our particular house.

Around here a ranch is considered outdated and has a harder time selling. My BIL built one. Its been on the market for 4 years and has always been priced less then it cost to build. It may be new but looks old because of the design.

I would talk to some non interested in the sale agents and see what they have to say.

DH and I lived in a ranch style condo when we first got married. We now live in a 2 story with cathedral ceilings. We just purchased a foreclosed home that is a cape cod.

I really like ranch homes. I'm a practical person that likes the ease of living on one level. When we move into the cape cod, we will be living on the main floor and moth balling the upstairs bedrooms. I seriously CAN'T wait!!!

These are just my opinions as I have lived in both styles of house.

Pros of Foursquare:
-Character
-Bedrooms are separate from living space (nice when you have company)
-You only have to clean up main floor when you have people over since they probably won't go upstairs

Cons of Foursquare:
-Most likely older home with poor insulation (higher heating/cooling costs)
-Stairs+kids (my son fell down the steep stairs a lot)
-Less closet space with older home
-Running up and down when you forget something

Pros of Ranch:
-Everything on one level
-Easier to keep eye on kids
-More closets
-Easier to organize

Cons of Ranch:
-Louder when you have people over (kids sleeping)
-Not as much character

I love American Foursquare houses! The character is great, BUT for us it was not practical as our heating bills were very high and the rooms were very small. Now that we are in a ranch, I can see why the ranch style house was designed. It is more convenient.

Thanks for all the replies.

Both homes are brand new and will be built to spec, so age isn't a consideration.

These are basically all the points we have discussed and I stand by my decision to build a foursquare. The fact that the sleeping quarters are basically private and no one should be up there unless they're living there or staying with us is really important to me.

She swears I'm going to hate the stairs and wish I had bought a ranch, but my gut tells me that I won't.

I grew up in a house that had an upstairs. My parents still live there.

I would love to have that again & when we buy in a couple of months it's what we're going for.

In the upstairs were the 5 bedrooms and a bathroom. It really separates people when they're sleeping from those still up on the main floor. It makes sleeping much quieter when people are up.

Laundry was on the main floor, but we had a big laundry schute. It was big enough that a large adult could go down it if necessary though my mother would have had something to say about that.lol

We had a basement too, so we had lots of stairs in the house. The stairs upstairs were hardwood so they were slippier. In my sister's house & my brother's townhouse they're carpet. The stairs were never a problem.

In my sister's house her toyroom & the family tv is upstairs so when we're there we do spend a bit of time upstairs.

Mom now wishes she'd never built the upstairs, BUT that's only since she got older & her knees creak when going up & down.

I currently have a basement & everything else in on 1 level. I hate it.

As long as there is no one in the household who is unable to do so (elderly, in a wheelchair, etc.) having to run up and down stairs is a plus with regards to your physical health.

I love to have an upstairs to escape to and I find ranch style houses to be so 50's style and inconvenient when you have company. The only positive to a ranch that I can think of is that you'd have a bigger footprint meaning a bigger basement to use for whatever your heart desires.

We're in a four square built in 1922, and aside from the tiny closets and laundry being in the basement, I love it - love the character of the moldings, etc. I've always liked 2-story homes more than single level homes though.

I loved my ranch with toddlers. It was easy for everything to be on one floor. It was however, a pain if you give parties because every single room had to be cleaned. There was no hiding the mess.

I have a up-down house now and I love it. Other than dragging laundry up and down; it is awesome. I can keep the common areas downstairs neat enough to never fear drop in company. I love it.

This is a very individual decision.

I think ranch houses are ugly and a blight upon the architectural landscape and foursquares are classic and delightful. Others disagree profoundly and I respect their arguments for the practical advantages of ranches, especially for the elderly/disabled.

In your shoes, naturally I'd get the foursquare!

Where do you live? Ranch houses are better in warmer climates, and foursquares are better in cooler climates. This is true even if both houses are energy efficient and well insulated.

Personally, I like foursquares better athstetically, but if I lived in the Southwest, and was building, I'd go for a ranch.

Really, the steps aren't a huge deal. Other than the bathroom being up there, I don't find myself running up and down the stairs fifty billion times a day. And even if I did, that probably wouldn't be such a bad thing, you know? Good exercise! I do like having two floors. I don't think I'd want a ranch.

I'm going to pay to have an extra half bath built on the first floor. That way, it is *guaranteed* that no one will need to go upstairs. Let's just say that my family is VERY nosy and I don't trust all of them to keep their grimy fingers out of things they shouldn't be in.

And laundry will be on the second floor, so the only things that will have to be taken up and down the stairs will be kitchen towels.

I think I've really thought about all of these pros and cons and I agree with everything said about a ranch. I know why my mom likes them, but she's also a bit older than me and stairs are a consideration for her. If I was 50, I might think differently, but right now,with my situation, I am not scared of the stairs.

We're in Wyoming, so it's very cold here. I can see heat maybe being an issue on the first floor, but I think I'd have the same issue with a ranch too.

Thank you for your thoughts, it's helpful to read them all.

My vote is totally for four square.

We live in a larger 3 bedroom rancher right now. I hate it. The house is sprawling. It's like a rat maze. It drives me nuts. I prefer the division of a multi level house. I agree that it's nice to have the bedroom separate, and to not have to clean the whole house when people come over.

We have small kids, and in a two story we'd have the stairs gated because of the baby so the kids would just be on the first floor most of the time. In the ranch house that we're in right now, the kids can be anywhere in 1800 square feet, and there's no easy way to do a pass of the house and no logical reason to block off part of it.

We used to live in a four level townhouse (two proper floors, a basement, and a loft conversion). I liked that the laundry and our junk was in the basement out of way. It was a lot of stairs, but honestly, the exercise is good for you. I hate hearing the washing machine in this house, and the fact that the laundry seems to work it's way out of the laundry alcove into the kitchen.

Our townhouse was very narrow, and had stairs to the extreme. I think a four square is nice because you have a good amount of living space on each floor. It's possible to have most of what you need on the main level and not be running up and down stairs with small kids.

Although multilevel houses get hot I've actually found that ours had much better air circulation and it was easy to clear out the hot air and fill the house with cool air in the evening. The rancher we're in has crappy airflow. It's hard to get cross drafts that get all the air in the house moving. I suppose that's less of an issue if you live where everybody has air conditioning.

I also think that two story houses look about a million times better. I imagine that's a matter of taste, though it boggles my mind. Ranchers are all over the place here, and people have no problem paying $400K for them. Our real estate agent actually told us that people here love ranchers and hate split entries.

I much prefer a four square for all the reasons listed.

I love four squares! Beautiful spacious style.

I prefer having the bedrooms separated. Our house is an old farmhouse with the bedrooms and laundry up (added in a remodel). We love it!

I would definitely build what you want. I've never been a big fan of ranches.

I go with whatever has the easiest driveway to shovel

I live in an old foursquare farmhouse, and I much prefer it to any ranch for the same reasons as the PPs.

You are designing your own home, how exciting! One thing I really wish I had been able to do, if I had designed our own home, would be to have a second dishwasher in the kitchen. We have so many gatherings that take up to four loads of dishes that we would probably use the second dishwasher several times a week, and still need to refill. I have heard that it adds to the future marketability to add a second dishwasher and is very low cost upfront, so you may want to consider that.

We have a four square, and I love it. Our house is just over 3400 square feet, and is only 3 or 4 years old. I am not impressed with our architecture, sort of a builder's interpretation of a bungalow. But it's so liveable with children.

It has four bedrooms and three bathrooms upstairs, with one bathroom downstairs.The bedrooms are all upstairs, and the common areas are downstairs. This is very helpful for privacy, since we have a lot of guests. Most guests stay downstairs and naturally ask permission before going upstairs. It's easier to keep the downstairs bathroom presentable than to feel like I have to check all four bathrooms all day. I can do a white tornado downstairs without worrying about the upstairs.

I love waking up in the morinng upstairs. We sleep with the windows open all night for fresh air, and I would never consider leaving windows open downstairs. It's also helpful to have no common areas upstairs. That way, it is easier to use downstairs space when other people are sleeping.
I agree that the stairs are good exercise -- the first week we were here, my legs ached from the new use of muscles running up and down the stairs. They don't hurt any more, though!

The only time the stairs were a problem was when I broke my foot and had to be in a wheelchair. I had to shimmy up and down the stairs or hop up with crutches. Even with that brief period of disability, I never regretted two stories.

However, perhaps that is your mother's concern? Is it possible that she is concerned about her ability to get around in your home in ten years?

PS: I think getting laundry on the first floor is really important in a two story home. Otherwise, laundry makes noise that interferes with sleep and takes away from the sanctuary feel of the second floor with smells and tasks to be done. Even if the actual machine is quiet, the people using the machines, or the closing of the doors and so forth, will be loud. If you put all the noisy stuff downstairs, including the televisions, you can create a quiet peaceful environment upstairs without the smells and chaos of laundry. Your kids might be doing laundry in the future, so would you prefer they do it upstairs or downstairs? I hear what you are saying about the benefits of not carrying laundry, but really, that's not such a big deal once you get used to it. I have read that having special noise insulating walls in the laundry room will help with the noise, regardless of the location of the laundry room, so this may be meaningless.

Enjoy your new home!

Thank you treasuremapper for those thoughts. I hadn't thought about those issues w/ the laundry. They're good points. I'll have to think b/c if I put the laundry on the first floor, I'll lose the half bath down there. Then, people are going upstairs to use the bathroom.

But, I like that thought about upstairs being a sanctuary. Well, we're just starting, so this is something I can ask about. Thank you!

I live in a ranch but am attracted to multi-level houses. However, whenever I take DS to someone's house, I get a panicky feeling about losing track of him and don't know I'd deal in a different setup. I sincerely think I'd have to chill out a bit and just the thought of it sort of breaks my heart, how I'd have to grow comfortable with the distance.

As far as indoor asthetics go, some DIY can put the charm back into a ranch, we put un molding and footboards and designed nooks-and-crannies into our ranch. It bugs me whem people insist that they HAVE to be all 50s. Just replacing the vinyl siding with cedar shingles made a world of difference to our curb appeal. :thumb

But if I were given the choice, I'd probably build the 2-floor house. BUT...I also do find our house way easy and economical to heat. Which is important where I live.

I have a three story townhouse.. sort of.. We only have a neighbor on one side.. and our third "floor" is the rooftop deck.. But still it is is a LOT of stairs..

This is a house I may end up living in for the rest of my life- assuming I get no major windfalls of money or something..

Some things to consider.. in the one house you said the laundry was upstairs. Is that upstairs by the bedrooms, I assume? I would NEVER want a laundry that is on a different floor than the bedrooms unless I had a laundry chute- (well, even then you have to lug the laundry back UP the stairs when its been washed).. I have 4 kids at home and we do laundry every day.. that would be a lot of extra effort for me.

I think the biggest advantage for ranch homes is the sellability factor. Ranch homes are more accessible to more people. My mother is in her 60s and has diabetes. This year she was on crutches for several weeks. Her house is a ranch but still has a few steps to the front door.. even those few were difficult for her. This is something I worry about with my house, but I have at least a plan for that eventuality.. if it is something temporary that inhibits my mobility (like a difficult pregnancy or a broken leg) then I could sleep in my living room on the futon if I HAD to.. if it were something more permanent, I would knock out my stairwell (which is pretty square shaped rather than rectangular- ie I have landings that turn corners) and install an elevator.

Around here ranches WITH attached garages sell super quick (comparatively).. people don't like going up and down icy steps to walk to their cars.

Oh, here is another question.. what is the footprint vs square foot difference in the homes? If the footprint is the same, does it mean smaller lot or is the lot actually bigger on the ranch home so the yard area appears the same size? Generally two story homes have a smaller footprint..

Ranch houses are better in warmer climates, and foursquares are better in cooler climates.

I have not found this to be true at all for the reasons stated above. My mother owns several ranch homes (one she lives in, others are rentals).. and ranches here (when she was buying them anyway) stayed on the market for matters of hours in some cases (garage consideration of course) whereas four squares were a dime a dozen. I know a lady this year that sold her ranch to buy a foursquare. Again, same deal. She could pick and choose between foursquares, her ranch was snapped up.. (she loved her house, but just needed something bigger- expanding her family in this case)

I go with whatever has the easiest driveway to shovel

There are TONS of grants out there right now for energy efficiency projects.. which is how we got our snow melting driveway!

But I agree.. shoveling SUCKs. The ranch we used to live in had a long walkway that we were constantly shoveling..

Ok, the lot sizes are the same, so I'd be getting more yard for my money in the foursquare. The sq footage is actually a bit bigger, but the footprint smaller.

The laundry in the foursquare is planned for upstairs. I thought it was good b/c of the lugging laundry issue, but I now see the merits of it being on the first floor. This is a point I'm going to think about some more b/c I have some time to make this decision.

I'm interested in a snow melting driveway! I'm in Wyoming, so it gets cold and snowy and icy here. Do you have any links to this information? Probably easier to put in now than after the fact?

I'm interested in a snow melting driveway! I'm in Wyoming, so it gets cold and snowy and icy here. Do you have any links to this information? Probably easier to put in now than after the fact?

Snow melting driveways are INCREDIBLY expensive if you try to do them/pay for them yourself.. we got ours because we have a very environmentally friendly home DESIGN (some things didn't turn out as green as I thought they would, but oh well) and we got a grant (not me personally but our development did would be a better word).. Anyway, they dig the driveway down oh, 12-16 ft I think then they back fill with gravel.. then we layed down a metal grid. The plumbers came and installed tubing in a pattern that was tied to the metal grid.. all tubes are about 1 foot away from each other. Then the driveway was installed on top of that.. Ours is mainly pavers with gravel in between, but our walkway is more a solid piece of concrete with a rice crispy look to it.. When it snows, I hit a switch in my garage and set the timer (8 hours, 6, 4, 2, 1) .. and the tubes heat up under the driveway. The snow melts and percolates down through the gravel.. some of the first attempts at heated driveways had people using regular concrete the whole way across the top. This created problems though because then the water runs to the end of the slab and freezes there- which causes ice build up and long term damage.. because our concrete system (the new concrete which is like rice crispies as well as the pavers) is more porous the water trickles back into the gravel more like it would in nature- no runoff.

It works really well, we have no ice build ups and we have used it all winter.. I am still working out whether it is better to run it WHILE it is snowing or after it is done snowing.. I have also found that it takes WAY longer for it to work during colder weather... (we had a REALLY cold snap here for a week or two, and the system didn't seem like it really warmed up very quickly at that time..)

Ultimately though, we don't have to pay anyone to plow (which is really environmentally unfriendly), we don't have to shovel ourselves, and no ice outside lowers our insurance bill (no slip/fall issues).


I will see if I can find a link.. our house was one of the first to use the new system with the new concrete, but I saw another set being installed at a car wash a few months ago.. I would bet ice buildup there would be a big problem.

http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infhvac/infheateddriveway.html

(Ok, here's some info in the link- the "pervious" driveway is the most environmentally friendly way to do this as I stated above).. I was trying to find the article about my house, but I guess it is gone, sorry.

Congratulations on being able to built a home. I hope it turned out just as you wish.

We have a 1914 Craftsman Foursquare. We have renovated most of the home and it is now a great place for us. I do prefer the 2 floor living, private areas upstairs. For a few years we lived in a large apartment (one floor) and I always felt exposed when we had quests over. One bathroom, no quest bath, coats went on our bed, I hated it. Then we moved to a 2 story home and I much prefer that.

If privacy is part of your reason for wanting a Foursquare then you need a quest bath on the main level. There is something about never having quests upstairs that I like. Regular guests I mean, family will still wander upstairs at times to see the kids room or whatever.

I have never had a laundry on the second floor so I can't really compare. But I was determined to get it out of the basement! We turned an old butlers pantry off the kitchen into a combination half bath and laundry. When you walk in it looks like a full bath, but behind the shower curtain is our washer and dryer. There is a small cabinet over the washer/dryer for supplies and storage. I love having the laundry off the kitchen because I spend so much time there it's easy to add a load. Then when the wash is done I go right out the back door and put them on the line. Or if I need to use the dryer, usually at night when I need something for the next day, the dryer does not disturb anyone sleeping.

We do plan to move one more time, probably after the kids move out. Our plan is a Cape with the master bedroom and master bath on the first floor. Done in a way that it is separate and private. Single floor living. Then a couple quest bedrooms and baths on the second floor for our family to stay with us when they visit. Did I mention a south facing level lake front lot? With a back deck and an attached garage. Someday, if I'm lucky.

Do you ever hang laundry outdoors? If so, having main floor laundry would be easier.

I personally do not like ranch houses. I like having separate areas for sleeping. We have a 120+ yo two story victorian. There was no plumbing when it was built so we feel especially lucky to have 1.5 baths. This means we have a half bath on the main floor, where our laundry also is. The laundry is nice because I do line dry outdoors in the summer. However, many guests do not like to use our downstairs half bath because it is right off the kitchen and not very private feeling. I have noticed that our house along with other similar local houses always have their upstairs bath right at the top of the stairs. With bedroom doors closed, no one has to see into any room to use the bathroom.

I did grow up in a house with upstairs laundry and did not find the noise to be a problem. If anything, the white noise kept me from hearing what was happening everywhere else and being distracted from sleep. But really, my mom seldom had the washer or dryer in use when people were sleeping anyway.

One other thing about laundry......

When my laundry facilities are in a more public area, I am far more likely to keep up with it and get it all put away quickly. I know that I would fall into the trap my mom still struggles with having the laundry out of sight and mind. Our laundry room was always a messy, disorganized, pit of clothing. Her washer overflowed one time and the water could not go down the floor drain because there were piles of clothes everywhere. It was not pretty. With mine being right off the kitchen, I have to keep up on it to function. However, we are only a family of three with low laundry needs so it is not much of an issue anyway. Obviously this point would vary in importance based on how organized and on top of things you tend to be by nature.

What I meant by ranches being better in warm areas was not that I have knowledge of all real estate markets. :lol

I meant that, if properly designed and oriented on the lot, ranches are easier to cool and four squares are easier to heat.

I prefer ranch, because stairs are a bitch. I also like that if there were a fire you can climb out of any window, and children sneaking out at night won't be climbing trees to do it.

What I meant by ranches being better in warm areas was not that I have knowledge of all real estate markets. :lol

I meant that, if properly designed and oriented on the lot, ranches are easier to cool and four squares are easier to heat.


whoops sorry. I guess I misunderstood.:o

You could try for solar water heating to do the driveway snow melting.

Since you are building new, check out these links. You can build in details now that will greatly reduce your cost of ownership.

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/homes/passive-house-methods-help-build-future
http://www.toolbase.org/ToolbaseResources/level4CaseStudies.aspx?ContentDetailID=2469&BucketID=2&CategoryID=58
http://www.zeroenergy.com/

I grew up in "foursquare" homes and I have never considered stairs to be inconvenience :shrug. Free exercise :wink. We live in a one-floor apartment and you can *never* get away from the noise. It really causes problems for us when someone wants to work in the home office during the day. I dream about having two stories.

The fact that the sleeping quarters are basically private and no one should be up there unless they're living there or staying with us is really important to me.


This is exactly why I love having two stories. I love the feeling of privacy, and having the upstairs as our private space is very important to me. We often have houseguests, and I feel much more comfortable knowing that our upstairs is our private zone (we have guest quarters downstairs).

Yes, there are times that it would be easier to not have to run upstairs, but, frankly, it's good for me to do so!

oh, yeah, and there isn't a whole lot of places to go in a ranch when the

ZOMBIES ATTACK.

oh, yeah, and there isn't a whole lot of places to go in a ranch when the

ZOMBIES ATTACK.

:rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao: :rotflmao:

My thoughts exactly!

I've grown up in ranch style homes and they've all worked out pretty well. But I personally like the foursquare - it's the character, separation of space/rooms, and the attractiveness from the outside. I would certainly love for our next house to be a foursquare. They do cost a little more, but the resale value is much better.

Even though I want all the noise and common areas downstairs, I would insist on a bathroom downstairs. If you have a guest with a disability, it is essential to have a bathroom downstairs. So -- if that's the choice, it's pretty easy. Even if everyone who visits you is able-bodied now, things can change. I would love to live in a 1914 four square! The windows!

Your discussion of driveways is fascinating. I live in Texas, so it's not an issue for us now. But if we ever get to move up north, I will dig up this thread .

I would love to live in a 1914 four square! The windows!

.

I didn't even know what a foursquare was when we bought the house. I friend came over one day and said "You bought a Foursquare!" my response was, what's that? I have since learned a lot about them them.

I'm working on putting up pictures of our house, if anyone would like to take a peek.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36192884@N04/

oh, yeah, and there isn't a whole lot of places to go in a ranch when the

ZOMBIES ATTACK.

*dying of laughter here*

Mich, your home is beautiful! It has so much soul and love in it.

Mich, your home is beautiful. I wish I had an ounce of that decorating creativity!

I double checked with the realtor last night and yes, there is def a bathroom on the downstairs level (which is a must b/c my grandfather is in his 80's and he can do stairs, but I wouldn't want to make him, you know). We're going to look on Friday and double check that the floor plan I have chosen still sits right with me and then we'll be doing some paperwork signing next week.