Two-story house plans are the most popular story configurations for primary residences. A traditional two-story house plan features the main living spaces—the kitchen and living room—on the main level, whereas all bedrooms are upstairs. A modern two-story house plan has the master bedroom on the ground floor, while guest and kid rooms are upstairs.
The primary benefit of a two-story house plan is that it can help you cut costs by reducing the size of the foundation. This house plan is often used when building on a sloped site. In addition, two-story house designs offer less roof area compared to their single-story counterparts, making them more efficient, particularly in cold areas.
What Is the Benefit of a Two-Story House?
Two-story home plans do an excellent job of fitting more interior living space on small plots. Although some families with seniors or younger children may prefer not to have stairs, you might want to consider the many benefits of a two-story house floor plan, mainly because there are many designs for a two-story home.
For instance, stacking square footage offers you more value for your money because it condenses the most expensive parts of a house—the roof and foundation. Another primary benefit of a two-story home plan is privacy.
For example, suppose you live with your older children or aging parent, and privacy is vital. In that case, two-story houses offer a perfect opportunity to separate the bedrooms, having your bedroom on the main level and the other bedrooms on the other floor. Alternatively, having your bedroom on the second floor separates your living quarters from communal areas, such as the kitchen and living room, offering a bit of solitude and quiet when necessary.
In addition, two-story houses offer huge living spaces on small footprints, making way for a larger backyard and other outdoor spaces like a sun deck or swimming pool. Further, because of the height of a two-story house, there are expansive views, making this house plan perfect for lake houses or beach houses.
How Is the Spacing Different From a One-story?
A single-story house features a large footprint. Thus, it requires a larger piece of land for construction. However, if you ever want to expand your home, building a mother-in-law suite or sunroom, adding square footage to a one-story home is easier as long as there’s enough space. A one-story house can be built with fewer bathrooms because space in an open-plan ranch house is communal. Further, combining functional spaces, such as mudroom and laundry room in a one-story house, is easier, adding square footage to spaces that matter most.
Also, two-story houses offer large living space on smaller footprints, making way for a larger backyard and other outdoor spaces like a sun deck or swimming pool. Also, because of the height of a two-story house, there are expansive views, making this modern home design perfect for lake houses or beach homes. To learn more about spacing in two-story homes, click here.
What Is the Most Efficient Way to Create the House Plan?
A house plan is a planning tool that real estate agents, pro builders, and interior designers use when they’re looking to sell or design a new house. House plans help home buyers envision a space and how it’ll look after construction and renovation. When creating your own house plan, you must know what you want in a living space.
Creating an accurate house plan starts with taking accurate measurements. These tips can help measure your space and create an accurate floor plan:
- Begin by measuring the exterior walls.
- Knowing the measurements of interior walls is essential for all floor plans, whether it’s for home design or commercial houses.
- Measure your entryways. An accurate house plan shows all entries' height, width, and length.
- Measure your windows. Determine the direction the windows should face to establish how much natural light a room will receive.
- Measure your doors. Measure your door’s width and height, then indicate the direction they’ll swing.
What Will Make the Exterior of a Taller Home More Modern?
There are many ways you can modernize the exterior of a taller house, including:
- Investing in windows. Swapping out your home’s small old windows with taller, modern ones with dark-bronze frames can instantly modernize your home’s exterior.
- Set the tone of your home’s exterior with a door. Your front door is perfect for making a bold about your house’s modern style. For example, a four-panel, walnut-and-glass door with sidelights can add a contemporary style to your house’s exterior.
- Choose new paint. Paint is the best way to modernize a house’s exterior. However, it’s all about simplifying the color palette and allowing your architectural style to speak for itself.
- Give your landscaping a modern look. Adding a simple jog to your house’s walkway and removing overgrown hedges is ideal for updating your front yard’s aesthetic. Focusing on simplification will also allow you to appreciate your home’s architectural style and the beautiful trees in your yard.
How Can I Modernize My Interior Around the Stairways?
In most houses, the staircase is often one of the first things you see when you enter a house, so you must ensure it looks beautiful. These staircase ideas will help you modernize your stairway:
- Use dark paint to accentuate your stairway. Painting your staircase with inky gray paint can help create a bold look on your stairway. Offset the darker colors with lighter ones on the walls and warm details with picture frames and lighting fixtures.
- Add fabrics. Stair rugs or runners can freshen the look of your stairway, offering you a comfortable place to put your feet. The secret is to use stair rugs or runners with a sticky back, whether a simple glue product or a pad safe for stairs. In addition, you must keep the fabric addition secure to prevent falls and protect your stairs.
- Paint your steps. If your steps are unattractive, you can paint them to create uniformity and modernize the style of your steps. Often, white paint can help you open up space—even if it’s just stairs. Also, experiment with different colors besides white for a pop of color to upgrade your staircase.
- Paint your walls. Painting the walls behind your stairway can create a dramatic change, adding transition. For a contemporary look, paint the stairs and wall with a bold color to create a focal point, or keep things simple with a beautiful neutral color. Either way, fresh paint will refreshen the vibe.
How Can You Create a Modern Feel in a Duplex?
A duplex home interior design is pretty tricky because of the many facets of duplex houses. However, with the perfect duplex house plan, you can have a beautiful home that’ll wow your guests. Remember to strike a balance between more and less.
A stylish stairway can help create a modern feel in a duplex house. A duplex is a double-story house design, so going for an elegant stairway can add a modern appeal. The staircase in a double-story house design is a pivotal point because it connects the two floors. For a classy and modern duplex home design, choose a wooden staircase. Paint your walls with a color that balances your steps. For symmetry, you can put a mirror on the wall next to your staircase.
Further, transparent glass railings with reinforced steel stairs are a trending design. A modern stairway will do wonders for your modern duplex home interior design. It’ll give your house a modern look and dramatic effect.
The entire look of your duplex house will also depend on the colors you choose for your house. For instance, these color schemes can help you modernize your duplex home:
- Select lighter shades of blue to add tranquility to your house. Darker hues of blue combine perfectly with other lighter hues, allowing you to use a dual color scheme to create an elegant and modern look.
- White is the color of cleanliness, purity, and tranquility. You can combine it with any other color. For example, use white on the walls and ceilings of your duplex home design to make your rooms look spacious.
Here are more duplex home interior design ideas that can give your house a modern look:
- Dining room: Pick a modern dining table design to create a modern dining area. Traditional stone or wooden dining tables can also add a beautiful charm to your dining room. Use lighter colors if you want your dining room to look spacious.
- Living room: Add an elaborate sofa set in your living area to add luxury, or use a small elegant sofa set for a minimalist vibe. Add interior decors like center tables, vases, and bookshelves to complete the look.
What Are the Best Modern Designs for Two Stories in 2022?
Some small double-story house plans with balconies could be an inspiration if you plan to build your house in that style. Here are popular small double-story house designs with balcony options:
- A two-story house with a modern balcony,
- A simple two-story house design in the form of a box. This contemporary design is perfect for those looking for a modern double-story house.
One of the most popular modern designs for a double-story house is contemporary and minimalist house designs. Also, small modern two-story house plans are pretty popular.
Two-story house designs with three bedrooms are also popular. A floor plan for this type of house plan features three rooms on the second floor and others on the ground floor. In addition, this type of design commonly features three washrooms in the house.
How Can Modern Aspect Help Me Find My Best Fit?
House numbers make it easier for guests and mail carriers to identify your house. However, they can do much more. When carefully selected, house numbers and mailboxes can give your house’s exterior some flair, setting your house apart from the others. In addition, our customizable home addresses and mailboxes make it easier for you and other homeowners to add a personal touch to your home addresses.
At Modern Aspect, our curb appeal products like stylish and customizable mailboxes and home numbers will come in handy if you want to upgrade your house’s exterior. For instance, you can showcase your green thumb and home address by decorating your house’s exterior with a house number that performs double-duty as a wall-mounted planter. Take inspiration from our Greetings Wall-Mounted Mailbox. This planter and address plaque is available in neutral colors that will match the colors of your exterior decor.