Single storey or two? What your section decides for you

The case for single storey

One level is simpler to build, simpler to live in and simpler to age in. No stairs to lose a toddler or a hip on, every room connected to the garden, and a build that goes up faster because everything happens once. All five of our current plans, from the 145 m² Aria to the 260 m² Kauri, are single storey for exactly these reasons: on the sections we build most, one level is the better home.

When two storeys earn their keep

Two storeys buy floor area on land that does not have it, and views on land that does. On a tight infill section, or a coastal site where the second floor sees the water, going up makes sense and is worth the extra structure, scaffold and stairs.

The honest accounting: a second storey adds cost per square metre before it adds a single room, because stairs, structure and upper-floor plumbing all cost money that buys no living space. If the section fits the home on one level, one level usually wins the maths.

Let the section choose

Section under about 450 m² with a family-size brief, or a genuine view worth chasing: two storeys deserves a look. A 500 m² plus suburban section or a lifestyle block: single storey almost every time. This is a decision we make with you at the site evaluation, on the land, where it is obvious.