THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, January 21, 1995 TAG: 9501190272
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY BRENDA HARRIS, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Long : 135 lines
The great American dream for most Americans is still owning a home. Upon entering the market, prospective home buyers face a dizzying array of choices before signing on the dotted line.
After choosing a location, one of the next decisions is whether to buy a ranch or two-story home. Each type has its proponents who base their preference on a variety of factors.
I ventured onto the information superhighway to see what home buyers across the United States are looking for. In an informal survey conducted on the ``America Online'' computer service, respondents on a mothers' forum offered their opinions.
Both practicality and emotion influenced their decisions.
In families with young children, the single-story ranch style was the favorite. Keeping toddlers and young children off stairs was a primary consideration of the Online moms.
As Barbara Szyszkiewicz of Willingboro, N.J., says, ``We like our ranch house because there are no stairs to carry thing sup and down, no stairs to chase little kids off, no stairs to vacuum. You guessed it. We like it because there are no stairs!''
Susie Clayton, mother of four in Buena Park, Calif., says it another way: ``I'm slightly paranoid about tiny broken necks.''
For other safety considerations, ranches and two-stories each have their advantages. In the event of fire, it is easier to escape a ranch because there are no two-story windows from which to jump. Yet, occupants of two-stories often feel safer from the threat of burglary.
``I feel safer sleeping on the second story because I know a burglar isn't going to come in my upstairs windows,'' says Nesha Kovalick of Pittsburgh.
(The prudent two-story homeowner might purchase a collapsible ladder, available in some store and mail-order catalogs.)
Survey respondents favoring two stories cited greater privacy, more efficient use of lot space and more character. Caryl Liber of Toledo, Ohio, likes the privacy of the sleeping quarters upstairs.
``In Southern California, you get no yards if you have a ranch,'' laments Cheri Lynn Gregory of Alta Loma, Calif. ``You get about nine square feet of yard if you have a two-story.''
Tracey Siegel of Tampa, Fla., says, ``Two stories offer more possibilities for architectural charm. Bookcases can be built under staircases, stairways or landings.''
Even the inconvenience of trudging up and down stairs many times a day is seen as a benefit by some. They consider the trek a form of daily exercise.
Caryl Liber mentioned that she and her husband bought their husband with a few years of future in mind.
Although stairs may be undesirable in a child's early years, the youngster will soon grow up and the stairs may become an advantage, as they offer greater separation of living areas.
``When we were looking for a house, I was looking for one suitable for life with young children,'' she says. ``Then my sister-in-law reminded me that children are little for just a short time, and that I should be looking beyond just the next few years. We bought a two-story because there's more privacy.''
Older adults buying for the future may prefer a ranch. As they age and possibly experience decreased mobility, having all the living area on one level can present an attractive option.
In a ranch, it is important for privacy and noise control that sleeping quarters be separate from the rest of the living area. An even better plan is placing the master suite at the other end of the hallway from the secondary bedroom.
Emotions figured strongly in some respondents' opinions. Cynthia Anderson of Alameda, Calif., grew up in colonial-dominated New England. ``They're definitely prettier,'' she declares.
Debi Starbuck of Lubbock, Texas, lives in a ranch but misses the view from an upstairs window. Jeri Chaflin of Ladson, S.C., looks upstairs with a view toward the romantic.
``I have lived in both kinds and it just seems more like a house if it has an upstairs,'' says Chaflin. ``Also, I'm really into decorating the banister and dreaming about my lovely daughter coming down the stairs, ready for her first date or her wedding.''
What is the style preference in this housing market? Driving around, it's not hard to surmise that South Hampton Roads is a conservative area. The Williamsburg influence has made the two-story Colonial the dominant style.
According to Steve Peppler, director of the new homes division at the Thoroughgood office of Long & Foster, Realtors, 80 percent of the houses in this area are two stories.
Wayne Anderson, an architect with Hanbury, Evans, Newill, Vlattas & Co. in Norfolk, designs upper-end custom homes. People in this market prefer multi-story homes, he says. He has even designed many three-story homes for this market.
The trend will filter down to the less expensive market as well. It is well-suited for the future of housing in Hampton Roads because as the price of land skyrockets, houses will have to be built to accommodate smaller lot sizes and frontages.
This means building up rather than out. This trend is already evident in Virginia Beach. Peppler says that upper-end houses in the Chelsea and Meadowridge subdivisions were built in the early 1980s on half-acre lots. Later developments such as Wimbledon on the Bay and Church Point feature even bigger houses on even smaller lots.
Homes in the entry-level market are also larger than in the past. In the $125,000 to $150,000 price range, sizes vary from 2,000 to 2,400 square feet for two stories and 1,750 to 2,100 square feet for ranches.
This echoes a national trend. During the past 25 years, the average size of a new single-family dwelling in this country has increased from 1,400 square feet to 2,100 square feet, according to the Oct. 17 Wall Street Journal.
Some changes in housing design have been evident for a number of years already. Ranches now commonly include a ``bonus'' room over the garage.
When finished off, this room becomes a game room, play room, office or sometimes even a bedroom. Two stories sometimes offer a downstairs suite, with the secondary bedrooms on the second level.
Is it easier to heat and cool a ranch? Although in older homes this may be the case, if newer houses have well designed, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, maintenance of proper climate control is not a problem.
Is there a cost differential between building up rather than out? Although it is generally cheaper to build up rather than out, this is not always the case. Foundation and roofing for ranches can be double what is required for two-story homes.
Plumbing is often stacked in two-stories, cutting down the cost. In the upper-end housing market, though, this is not always the case. Luxury features in multi-story dwellings, such as fireplaces on each floor and custom staircases, add to the cost per square foot.
When adding on to an existing home, however, it is always cheaper to go out rather than up. According to Louis Sanders, an architect with Ballou, Justice & Upton and Associates in Virginia Beach, building an addition on the side or back of a house is a relatively simple matter compared to adding a second story.
Raising the roof usually means big bucks. Additional costs include demolishing the existing roof, strengthening load-bearing walls, providing new first-floor ceilings, reworking electrical wiring and ceiling fixtures, and protecting the first floor during construction.
Ranch or two-story? Although we have our preferences, the reality is that we'll probably live in both types over our lifetimes. With Americans on the move, most of us will own and rent several houses over the years. As we move on and up (or down), a well-designed and constructed home of any style can satisfactorily serve out housing needs. by CNB