What Floor Would You Put The Master On?

wackman

I'm going to be designing a new home plan to take advantage of some thinner inner city lots and to get more sqft out of the footprint of my existing plans.

So far everything I've built is 1920 era craftsman (see attached images) around 2000-2400 sqft 2 stories or 2 stories with a basement and everything has been trussed. I've often looked up in that huge area and thought about all the wasted space and what better views could be had. It works out on some lots to be worth the added cost of doing a cut roof and engineered floor system in order to get the added footage.

The problem I'm having is determining where to locate the master suite. Most of my plans have the main master on the second floor and a second master/guest suite on the 1st floor. The master upstairs is much nicer than the downstairs one.

So should I make the whole 3rd floor a master suite with lots of rooms and space for living on the second? Should I leave the master on the 2nd and use the upstairs space as kids rooms, media room, play room, living room or just a huge open room.

I've talked to lots of people and some adamantly want the master on the second floor, others want it on the main floor (seniors) and others like the idea of a whole upper floor to themselves.

Most of my buyers are young professionals and D.I.N.K.s.

How would you do it and why? Where would you want your bedroom

Wack

Attached Images

   

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cleveman

You said your customers are dinks and young professionals, so put the bedrooms where they want them.

Parents want their children to be in bedrooms which have no egress other than emergency. They want to check on them when they come home and they don't want them to be able to leave without walking past their bedroom door.

Some parents are even worried about access to children's bedrooms from outside (kidnappers). This would mean that the kid's bedrooms should be on the second floor, I guess.

RobertCDF

Around here main level masters are quite the rage. Personally I would prefer a main level master. (and I am only 27)

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wackman

The biggest lots where I build are 50' x 100' and it's seriously hard to find those. The lots that I want to take advantage of are 37'1/2" X 100'. A really nice master takes up too much space to be on the main floor here. Usually those are found on the more sprawling homes on the edges of the city that have bigger lots.

On my biggest plan, each floor is 1200 sqft. That space on the main floor goes to a great room open to the kitchen, full bath open to a smaller guest suite/office and the great room, formal dining room with a butlers pantry/walk through pantry (kinda expected here). Stairs and hall make up the rest of that floor.

I suppose I could do away with the formal dining room but it wouldn't go well with the design of my homes.

I'm thinking more along the lines of should the master be the whole 3rd floor or still on the second with kids rooms and living space upstairs.

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Mike Finley

For me most "living" takes place in the kitchen/(family room/living room/great room) combination, that needs to be on the main floor where guest will enter the home. If guests enter on the 1st floor and immediately go up stairs to the 2ND then that's where it goes, if they enter on the 1st floor and stay there, then that is where it goes.

Master suite if it's to take up an entire floor would need to be the next level up from this main and the kids/media or whatever goes on the top. There could be an argument made for switching the master to the very top if there was a design that took advantage of the view, a private deck or something along those lines that was only available by taking it to the top floor, but it would still be awkward to me to have it there so the reasons for it better be worth it.

wackman

This is pretty much what I'm thinking. Easier to do also.

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HomeSealed

I guess Im in the minority, but I've always loved the idea of a huge 3rd floor master suite. I can see how it lose some appeal though having to run down that many stairs to the kitchen in the middle of the night.

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Tom F.

Put in a shaft for a residential elevator. You don't have to put in the elevator. But that lets you put the master on any floor without completely losing some of the market. Just make the shaft into a closet on each floor, and let the customer know they can do the elevator install anytime in the future. Once the shaft is there, the elevator should cost less than 25K. Which is not cheap, I know, but its inexpensive compared to the access it affords.

Tscarborough

Very nice homes. In those homes, I would want the Master on the top floor. In most instances, however, I would want it on the main floor.

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wackman

I've considered this but have yet to do it. I might on this next one though. My cousin has done a few with exactly what you're describing.

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wackman

Thanks.

You guys see my problem. All the ideas have merit. I doubt I'm going to have a senior buying any of my homes. I don't build in an area that is attracting them. I don't think these parents want their kids closer to the front door than them.

I'm just not sure...

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