Two-story houses get you more living space with a smaller footprint compared to a single-story house. That’s the appeal. There are far more 2-story houses than single-story. We have a very carefully selected collection of stunning 2-story house floor plans. Check them out below.
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 2,652 Bedrooms: 4 Bathrooms: 3 Stories: 1 Garage: 3 Welcome to photos and footprint for a 4-bedroom two-story rustic craftsman. Here’s the floor plan: Board and batten siding, stone accents, multiple gable peaks, and exposed trusses embellish this 4-bedroom rustic craftsman. It features an oversized side-loading garage and a wraparound porch that …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 3,602 Bedrooms: 4-5 Bathrooms: 3.5 Stories: 2 Garage: 2 Welcome to photos and footprint for a 5-bedroom transitional two-story European home. Here’s the floor plan: This two-story transitional home showcases a European flair with its steeply pitched roofs, contrasting siding, distinctive curves, charming dormers, and decorative arches framing the portico and front …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 2,665 Bedrooms: 4 Bathrooms: 3.5 Stories: 2 Garage: 2 Welcome to photos and footprint for a 4-bedroom two-story modern Tudor home. Here’s the floor plan: This two-story modern home showcases Tudor vibes with its steeply-pitched gables, stone and siding, and a centered shed dormer resting above the covered front porch. Upon entering …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 2,743 Bedrooms: 3-4 Bathrooms: 3 Stories: 2 Welcome to photos and footprint for a New American style 4-bedroom two-story farmhouse. Here’s the floor plan: This New American style farmhouse features a symmetrical facade graced with a board and batten siding, timber-framed gable, exposed rafter tails, large windows, and an expansive porch that …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 2,221 Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2.5 Stories: 2 Garage: 1 Welcome to photos and footprint for a 3-bedroom rustic two-story cabin. Here’s the floor plan: This 3-bedroom cabin shows off a rustic charm with its beautiful wood siding, a stone chimney, decorative timbers, and twin gable dormers sitting above the entry porch. Upon …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 1,703 Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 3.5 Stories: 2 Garage: 2 Welcome to photos and footprint for a modern 3-bedroom two-story mountain home. Here’s the floor plan: This 3-bedroom modern mountain home features a reverse floor plan where the bedrooms lie on the main level and the living space is located upstairs. The first …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 2,212 Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 3 Stories: 2 Welcome to photos and footprint for a 3-bedroom contemporary style two-story home. Here’s the floor plan: This 3-bedroom contemporary home is embellished with stucco siding, slanted rooflines, and a multitude of windows that bring an abundant amount of natural light into the interior. Upon entering …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 2,655 Bedrooms: 3-5 Bathrooms: 2.5-3.5 Stories: 2 Garage: 2 Welcome to photos and footprint for a modern 5-bedroom two-story farmhouse bungalow. Here’s the floor plan: Metal roof accents along with sleek windows and doors give this farmhouse bungalow a modern touch. It has a double garage and covered porches in the front …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 3,404 Bedrooms: 5 Bathrooms: 4.5 Stories: 1 Garage: 3 Welcome to photos and footprint for a two-story modern style 5-bedroom home. Here’s the floor plan: This 5-bedroom modern home offers a sprawling floor plan featuring a courtyard entry garage and an expansive terrace with a poolhouse and bathroom perfect for outdoor entertaining. …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 2,278 Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2.5 Stories: 2 Garage: 2 Welcome to photos and footprint for a 3-bedroom two-story rustic home. Here’s the floor plan: A combination of stone, board and batten siding, wood accents, and a shed dormer brings an exquisite curb appeal to this two-story rustic home. Inside, the great room, …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 2,202 Bedrooms: 4 Bathrooms: 2.5 Stories: 2 Garage: 2 Welcome to photos and footprint for a two-story contemporary 4-bedroom traditional home. Here’s the floor plan: This two-bedroom traditional home features contemporary touches showcasing contrasting siding, stone and wood accents, gable rooflines, and an inviting front porch framed with tapered columns. Inside, the …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 2,739 Bedrooms: 2-3 Bathrooms: 2.5 Stories: 1-2 Garage: 4 Welcome to photos and footprint for a 3-bedroom two-story French country home. Here’s the floor plan: Stone and stucco siding, wooden accents, and two arched dormers sitting above the covered front porch bring a great curb appeal to this 3-bedroom French country home. …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 5,100 Bedrooms: 5-7 Bathrooms: 5.5-7.5 Stories: 1-2 Garage: 5 Welcome to photos and footprint for a 7-bedroom two-story French country home. Here’s the floor plan: This French country home boasts luxury detailing with hipped and gable rooflines, stone siding, a charming turret, and wood trims accentuating the windows and entry. Inside, the …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 2,484 Bedrooms: 2-4 Bathrooms: 2-3 Stories: 2 Garage: 2 Welcome to photos and footprint for a New American style two-story 4-bedroom home. Here’s the floor plan: A mixture of board and batten siding, stone skirting, and timber accents brings an impeccable curb appeal to this New American style home. Inside, a foyer …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 1,523 Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2.5 Stories: 2 Garage: 1 Welcome to photos and footprint for a transitional style 3-bedroom two-story European home. Here’s the floor plan: This transitional style European home features a storybook appeal with its steep gable roofs, horizontal lap siding, cedar shake accents, and an arched entry complemented with …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 4,521 Bedrooms: 5 Bathrooms: 4 Stories: 2 Garage: 2-4 Welcome to photos and footprint for a European style 5-bedroom two-story grand home. Here’s the floor plan: This two-story grand home radiates a European appeal showcasing stone and brick siding, gable dormers, and a charming turret that houses a spiral staircase. It …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 2,006 Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2.5 Stories: 2 Garage: 2 Welcome to photos and footprint for a two-story rustic 3-bedroom country mountain home. Here’s the floor plan: This 3-bedroom country mountain home exudes a rustic charm with its board and batten siding, stone accents, a large shed dormer, and a wraparound porch bordered …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 2,415 Bedrooms: 3-5 Bathrooms: 2.5-3.5 Stories: 2 Garage: 2 Welcome to photos and footprint for a contemporary 5-bedroom two-story farmhouse. Here’s the floor plan: This contemporary farmhouse radiates a traditional charm with its horizontal lap siding, an inviting front porch, and a multitude of windows bringing an abundant amount of natural light …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 3,649 Bedrooms: 4-5 Bathrooms: 3.5 Stories: 2 Garage: 2 Welcome to photos and footprint for a modern style 5-bedroom two-story farmhouse. Here’s the floor plan: Board and batten siding, multiple gables, and rustic timbers accentuating the covered entry and angled garage bring an immense curb appeal to this modern farmhouse. The 3-car …
Specifications: Sq. Ft.: 2,006 Bedrooms: 4 Bathrooms: 3 Stories: 2 Garage: 3 Welcome to photos and footprint for a single-story 4-bedroom modern cottage. Here’s the floor plan: This two-story modern cottage showcases an exquisite curb appeal with its stone and siding, cedar shake accents, multiple gables, and a large dormer sitting on the covered entry. …
There are advantages and disadvantages to larger homes. The average size house is 2,500 square feet, but what is right for one family may not be best for another. More bedrooms, bathrooms, a home office, a craft room, and a play room may sound alluring, but it costs more to heat, cool, furnish, and clean more rooms. It often becomes more of a question of functionality instead of size. Families who are designing homes can think about their current home. What works and what does not, what would you change?
Obviously, everyone living in the home will need a bedroom. Also ask yourself if you plan to have more children, if so, make sure there are more rooms. Also think about how often guests visit your home. It is a good idea to have one or two guest rooms. Another thing to consider is including a multipurpose room. Make a room that can be used as a craft room or play room, but has a hideaway bed or futon ready for a guest.
It is a little trickier to decide on the number of bathrooms. One bathroom per person is not needed, but a good minimum to consider is one bathroom per floor, plus a private bath off the primary bedroom. Also think about if you would like a private bathroom near a guest room or a powder room located near your lounging or dining area when entertaining guests.
Think about what is ideal for your situation. If you have small children and want to be near them, having all bedrooms on the second floor might be best. If you are getting older, consider putting the primary bedroom on the main level so that you can limit trips upstairs. A guest room on the main level could also be a great idea, especially if you often entertain elderly guests.
The most important considerations for the location of the laundry room is access to electrical, plumbing, and ventilation. Don’t forget the draining and ducting needed, plus the laundry room will need a sturdy and level floor. Placing the laundry room next to a kitchen or bathroom makes use of water supply lines and drainage. The location should also be somewhere that is close to living areas to save time doing laundry, but far enough away that the noise from the machines will not be disturbing.
The three main types of foundations are slab, crawl space, or full basement. There are pros and cons of all types of foundations and some are better suited for certain lot conditions or climates. Crawl space foundations are better for dry climates and for use on sloped lots. Slab foundations are not a good idea in cold regions, however slab foundations are more energy efficient, less expensive and are cheaper to maintain. It is more difficult to remodel homes built on a slab, as it is difficult to reach the plumbing that becomes embedded in the concrete. Basements can provide more living space and a shelter for extreme weather, but are susceptible to moisture and water damage. If basements are mostly unused, they are also wasted square footage.
A few special features to consider include vaulted ceilings, adding a pantry and mudroom, utilizing southern exposure, including outdoor living spaces, utilizing normally wasted space for storage, built in shelving, a designated home office, including his and hers closets, a central vaccuum system, extra outlets, and an expanded garage.
An open and flowing floorplan is best for entertaining. Think of a main floor with a great room that flows right into a custom kitchen and dining area. It is also a great idea to have one of these spaces open up to an outdoor living area so that guests can move freely and mingle in all areas. Also be sure to include a powder room nearby for guests to utilize when visiting your home.
When building a new home, it is a huge advantage to be able to choose where these large appliances go. If your home will include a basement, this is a great place to create a room for the furnace and hot water heater. If not, the garage is a nice place to include an alcove that can be designated space for these appliances. A final option to consider is to build a utility room somewhere in the home. This can be a joint room with laundry facilities or a separate one. If there is no room to spare, a crawlspace or attic can be used, but are not ideal spaces.
It never hurts to leave flex space for future additions to the home. One never knows when elderly parents or adult children may need a place to live. Think about an unfinished basement, space above the garage, or the ability to extend out the back of the home if ever necessary.
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