Master up or down?

[Reefgazer]

I othered.  I think up is great for quietness and being near young children if they need you during the night.  But after the kids move out, a downstairs bedroom would be logical if you plan to age in place.

[KathyBC]

On 4/10/2019 at 6:45 AM, DawnM said:

So, IF we can sell our house soon, there are two houses on our "short list."  

One has a master down and one has a master up.   I like the master down house more overall, but I really prefer a master up.  We currently have a master down and when the kids have friends over or stay up late and go to the kitchen, I can hear them.

In the house with the master up, the master is over the office/living room area, not where the kids generally go in the evenings, which I think I prefer so I don't hear them as much.  But I likethe other house a bit better for other reasons.

Sigh.

IIRC, the whole reason you are moving is so that you can get more sleep. It doesn't seem like moving intimidates you. While I generally think of moving in terms of where we will be in five years, IMO you should buy the house that works for you now.

[DawnM]

28 minutes ago, KathyBC said:

IIRC, the whole reason you are moving is so that you can get more sleep. It doesn't seem like moving intimidates you. While I generally think of moving in terms of where we will be in five years, IMO you should buy the house that works for you now.

 

No, moving doesn't intimidate me.  We do plan to stay in this house for 15 more years (roughly) until we retire.  That is the thought anyway.  We will work for the next 15 years or so and think about retirement then.  And it will depend on our finances at that point and where our kids are, etc.....

I guess the more I have thought about it (and read comments on this thread) the more I think the idea would be to have a master up and a guest room down.  That way any elderly parent visits, or injuries, could have a bedroom down, but I still prefer the master up.

One of my close friends had foot surgery and couldn't walk or put pressure on her foot for weeks.  She ended up scooting up the stairs on her rear end every evening......then she felt bad anytime she needed something and had to ask someone to go down and get it for her!    Right now my knee is acting up.  I think I just pulled a muscle and it will be fine, but it has made me start thinking a bit more as I read comments here.

Edited April 14, 2019 by DawnM

[PrincessMommy]

I've always preferred ranchers or split-levels to traditional colonials anyway, but at this time in my life, I prefer the master on the main floor.  However, there are a few caveats.  I don't want to be right off the kitchen or living room.  I go to bed earlier than my college kids and I don't want them keeping me up.

But, part of the reason for this is because we hope to age in place here.  I'm planning for the future.  

That's too bad about the one rancher style house in your area.  We had similar problems, but not quite that bad.  It's very limited here.  I don't think they've built a new rancher in my area in many decades (not counting custom builds).  

[Ausmumof3]

We don’t have many two stories here so I didn’t vote.  I love the idea of having all tne family bedrooms upstairs and the living guest area downstairs.  Except for security. I feel like I’d be creeped out knowing someone could break in downstairs and we were all up.

[DawnM]

1 hour ago, PrincessMommy said:

I've always preferred ranchers or split-levels to traditional colonials anyway, but at this time in my life, I prefer the master on the main floor.  However, there are a few caveats.  I don't want to be right off the kitchen or living room.  I go to bed earlier than my college kids and I don't want them keeping me up.
 

There are literally NO homes without the bedroom being near either the living room or the kitchen.  The downstairs consists of a great room, living room, office, kitchen, laundry and master.  So, there is no way around it.  

But, part of the reason for this is because we hope to age in place here.  I'm planning for the future.  

That's too bad about the one rancher style house in your area.  We had similar problems, but not quite that bad.  It's very limited here.  I don't think they've built a new rancher in my area in many decades (not counting custom builds).  

 

The homes we are looking at aren't small either, but they just don't have much on the main floor that isn't common living, in fact, I am trying to imagine what the master would be next to if not the common areas.

[PrincessMommy]

1 hour ago, DawnM said:

 

The homes we are looking at aren't small either, but they just don't have much on the main floor that isn't common living, in fact, I am trying to imagine what the master would be next to if not the common areas.

Our MB is an addition so it's probably not normal.  But, our MB is at the other end of the house from the TV room and sunroom.  There's a long hallway with another small bedroom, dining room (we use as an office),  and bathroom between us and the kitchen... then the sunroom.  The TV room is at the opposite end of the house.   I can hear noise from the kitchen when I'm in the MB, but I can't hear the TV or sunroom noise.  

[Janeway]

I love the 1.5 story design. We have a two story now and had looked at some 1.5 story houses when house hunting and regret not getting one. A 1.5 story house is basically defined as a house that could be a one story and still be a complete house. So basically, at least 3 bedrooms (master included) and two baths on the first floor. Upstairs would have less bedrooms, sometimes no bedrooms and only has a game room and/or media room. Might have up to two bedrooms upstairs.

 

One regret we have in this current house is upstairs, we have a huge bonus room/media room (it is listed as a media room on the floor plan, but the builder added in a window) and a game room. You have to walk through the gameroom to get to the media room. That is upstairs. It just feels like wasted space to me. Also, when you walk in, you can go up the stairs which are to the side of the entry way, which is normal and fine. And then there is a balcony upstairs, long balcony. I can see how a toddler (and my children have demonstrated it to me through the years) can step on to the ledge of the stair case outside of the railing and climb and end up 12 feet above the tile floors. Also, our bedroom is at the top of the stairs, but to the left so it is where the balcony is. This means, I hear everything. Anyone goes in to the kitchen, I can hear it. It is not a huge issue because I do have a fan. But if the kids get loud, it can be. One other thing, this house does not have enough storage space. 

 

My second choice to a 1.5 story is anything with the master in the same space as the secondary bedrooms. I cannot stand having a master down while everything else is up. Before bed, I check on the kids and such. I just have to be on the same floor as them. So, a 2 story with master up or a 1 story with master down.

[Jaybee]

My kids are older. I prefer down, or at least an option to move down in the future, if desired. Ranches are common where we are, and we could easily age in place. (Speaking of which, age comes a lot faster than you expect! 😳) If I could just wave a wand and get what I'd like, I'd either choose what we have right now--a ranch with no steps whatsoever and an easy floor plan, or something like my in-laws have--master and 2nd bedroom on main floor, with 2-3 bedrooms upstairs that can be closed off until needed. I'd love to have the money and space to have the larger home because we have a lot of kids, and I'd like having more room to host more of them at a time. But practically speaking, our ranch is less expensive, easy to clean, and better for us 95% of the time.

[KungFuPanda]

I othered.

A downstairs master is ideal if you have a two story home.  It gives you more options.  You can have some space/privacy from your kids as they age and stay up later than you and start to understand any noise coming from your room.  It also gives you accessibility options if an aging relative visits/moves in, or an immediate family member develops mobility issues, or a kid breaks a leg doing whatever.  

We did NOT think of these things when we moved into our home.  We were a young, healthy family and it made sense for my room to be near my kids.  It got trickier as they aged and now I've had to turn my dining room into an accessible downstairs bedroom for my son.  It's good that our house isn't open concept or this would have been impossible!

[AMJ]

Are you expecting to have any more pregnancies, host a mobility impaired houseguest, or have a family member who might face surgery?  If so, choose a house with at least one bedroom and a bath with a shower and tub on the ground floor.  Two bedrooms, a laundry, and a bathroom that accommodates bathing small children and an easy-entrance shower all on a ground floor would be better.  Here's why.

When we planned to have a second child we moved to a bigger house.  Our first house was single-story, so I didn't realize certain issues that can arise with stairs.  I wanted a house with the master on the same level as the kids' bedrooms so neither groggy adults nor upset awakened kids would have to handle stairs in the middle of the night.  

The problem?  The house we ended up with had all bedrooms and full baths upstairs, with the laundry in a closet upstairs, too (handy, since that's where the bulk of the laundry is generated, but I miss having a laundry room, the laundry closet is right outside the master and another bedroom -- noisy at times, and the machines are hard to get into that small space).  After having a C-section I was on doctor's orders to not carry the baby on the stairs for two weeks.

TWO WEEKS of not carrying the baby on the stairs.  My DMIL took my eldest to and from daycare for me while I was on maternity leave and my DH had a long commute.  I had to get up and shower before DH left for work (no matter how little sleep I had gotten) and DH would carry the baby downstairs for me.  The baby and I then spent the day downstairs until DH got home, after which he could carry the baby upstairs again.  We had to set up a spare bed for me and a second nursery (bassinet, second rocking chair, clean baby clothes, and full baby supplies) in our living room on the ground floor.  The very open floorplan and glassy front door and entry didn't allow much privacy during the day, nor could I get it dark or even dim for napping (I don't sleep well when it is bright).  Since the laundry was upstairs I also couldn't wash clothes except when DH was home again, right when I was trying to catch up on sleep.  Proximity to noisy machines isn't conducive to good sleep.

My kids are teens now.  Over the years I have broken bones in my feet three times, had a kidney stone, torn a meniscus in one knee, and developed osteoarthritis in both knees.  Stairs have been a problem each time.  My DILs also hosted their parents during visits, moving out of their ground floor master to accommodate their parents, who couldn't handle stairs well.  If I could send word back to my younger house-selecting self I would say this:

Choose a house that has these on the ground floor:

A bedroom that can be a master and a second room that can be a nursery for babies and young children so groggy parents and little kids don't have to manage stairs at night.

A bathroom that has an easy-entrance shower so you don't have to step over a tub's side AND a bathtub, preferably low-sided for bathing small children.

A laundry.

The kitchen.

A living room so the bedrooms can remain private.

Be prepared to temporarily move someone out of a ground floor bedroom if you have a guest who can't climb the stairs.

I hope this helps.  Much as I would like to move to a more accommodating house we will remain in this house until my husband retires because he got a very good job just 10 minutes drive away from here. It would take a permanent disability to get us to leave this house before he retires. Once he does we plan to get a house that will allow us to age in place AND handle visits from grown kids and grandkids.

[DawnM]

3 minutes ago, AMJ said:

Are you expecting to have any more pregnancies, host a mobility impaired houseguest, or have a family member who might face surgery?  A laundry.

The kitchen.

A living room so the bedrooms can remain private.

Be prepared to temporarily move someone out of a ground floor bedroom if you have a guest who can't climb the stairs.

I hope this helps.  Much as I would like to move to a more accommodating house we will remain in this house until my husband retires because he got a very good job just 10 minutes drive away from here. It would take a permanent disability to get us to leave this house before he retires. Once he does we plan to get a house that will allow us to age in place AND handle visits from grown kids and grandkids.

 

Oh gracious!  NO!  I have teens and early adults.  Surgery?  No way to know that.  Don't plan to age in this house, just stay until retirement.

[mom2scouts]

On 4/10/2019 at 7:51 AM, Pawz4me said:

When the boys were young we didn't care. Master bedroom location wasn't anywhere near a priority for us when buying a house. As we got older and were considering aging in place it did, of course, become a very high priority, and it was one of the main reasons it took us two years to find this house. In hindsight I think we were very lucky. For ten years we lived in a house with all the bedrooms and all the full bathrooms on the second level. I shudder to think how hard life might have been had someone broken a foot, ankle or leg during that time, or otherwise suffered an illness or injury that made negotiating the stairs truly problematic or impossible.

Our house is like that and I can tell you exactly what it's like. I broke and severely sprained my ankle a year ago and getting to the bedrooms and full bath was something I only did once a day. I had to sit on the steps and lift myself backwards step by step, crawl into the bedroom, and use the bed to stand up. It was not a pretty sight. My son also had a knee injury and he had to sleep downstairs in the living room for weeks and bathing him was really difficult.

[DawnM]

Ok, on further thought, I really want the master up but a guest room on the first level (or two masters), but I have only seen one house like that so far, and we decided against it for other reasons.  We aren't finding my ideal I guess.  Oh wait, there was one other house, but no one but me liked it.  

Guess we will just see what we get when/if the house sells and what is available.

[katilac]

You can soundproof a room for about $600 even if you hire someone to do it, so I wouldn't let that be a major consideration. 

I'm the type who would never sleep if the kids were on a separate floor or even across the house (if, y'know, my house were big enough for that to matter, lol). Even when they are older, because the memories of my misspent youth are far too vivid. My family's house was small enough that attempting to sneak out would have been lunacy, but it was a different story for my friends who did not have bedrooms close to their parents. Not that I was never up to no good in the middle of the night, but I had to work a lot harder at it.