Some people may not think that a single story house is as stylish as some of the other two story homes on the market. Why? Well, the truth is that if you have a single story home it will take up more space on your lot since you are building out rather than up. This means that you will have less of a yard, but for some this may be a blessing. Having less yard means that you have to spend less time and money maintaining your yard. However, having a ranch style home does not mean that you cannot have a beautiful yard. If you are having your home built you will simply want to work with the builder to ensure that your yard design is incorporated into the design and construction of the house. Or if you are purchasing a prebuilt home you will want to be sure that you effectively use the space that you have.

Single story homes may be more problematic with saving energy. With a 2-story home the rooms and spaces are more condensed, so to speak, as opposed to a ranch style home where everything is more spread out. It’s like comparing a cube to a longer, flatter rectangle. The cube has less surface area to volume, so its internal space is more efficient to heat and cool. This is a big generality, though. Other factors like exterior design and materials, as well as insulation and weatherstripping of the home can have a far greater impact on energy savings.

One of the best aspects of a single story house has to be the obvious, there are no stairs! This is perfect for people who have trouble with their legs or knees, but it is also great for people who are growing older. As you get older you never know how your body will react, and not having the hassle of running up and down stairs can be really beneficial.

Lastly, but certainly as important you cannot forget about the general cost of construction. A one story house generally costs less to build in terms of construction costs. Recognize that your roof may cost more because it is going to be wider (covering a slightly larger footprint), but that is really balanced out by the lower cost for the rest of the home. For example, you will not need to have stairs designed and built (well, maybe just to the basement), or a second floor framed out. But, whether you go for a one-story or 2, your cost of construction hinges a lot on quality of finishing materials… everything else being equal.

In the end, if you plan to live in the house you’re planning into your elder years I’d highly recommend sticking with a single story design. It just makes sense.

Further Resources:
1. 6 Ideas for Elder-Friendly Design
2. Universal Design Not Just for the Elderly
3. One Story or Two?, by the U.S. Green Building Council

My main question about using pallets for building is the integrity of the “joints”. How do you securely attach one pallet to the next to make a strong enough wall? I would think just screwing them together wouldn’t do; bolting them together would be a lot better, at least. Maybe the builder/architect is relying on a plywood or OSB skin to carry most of the stress.

It’s another way to look at building a serviceable little house for the short term if you have an ample supply of quality pallets. Actually, pallets might be a great way to build a little shed and experiment with this building method before actually putting time and money into a “house”. Even a temporary pallet house made of free pallets is going to require money for certain elements of the build (like wiring, plumbing, insulation, house wrap, etc.)

Take a look and see what you think! What’s your opinion of using pallets for building?

Michael Janzen's tiny free solar house plans.

And he did it all with the free version of Google Sketchup! There is a paid professional version, but Mike says the free version is just fine for the purposes of rendering drawings for a simple house like this.

I will announce right now that, after reviewing the survey results from my website from last month, I decided to write an ebook on how to build a house for absolute beginners. So many of you said you just didn’t know where to begin. So I’m setting down in a beginner’s book some great advice for where to start when you don’t have a clue, and then get you going in the right direction.

After reading several “build your own house” type books on the market I could see that so many are written from the perspective of someone who’s been building for years. They’ve forgotten that beginner’s mindset and what it’s like to come at a project like this with virtually no background experience. Well, having been there myself I feel uniquely qualified to share that information.

So, the expected launch date for my new ebook will be toward the end of March, beginning of April. Stay tuned!