A house that a friend of mine used to live in is for sale and my friend and i want to buy it. we want to remodle it and this house is a duplex, but if we buy the whole thing we can turn it into a house. we don't want to change it at all upstairs becuz that's where he used to live. i was wondering if you thought if it would be weird for a house to have a kitchen on the second floor and the first floor would be a large family/game room with 1 bedroom? there's 3 upstairs.
>a suggestion was made that we keep or remodle the kitchen downstairs and use the kitchen upstairs as a laundry room but we don't wanna do that.
>of course there would also be a bathroom on the first floor and
second.
2006-12-19 13:29:09 · 18 answers · asked by Christ Follower 3 in Business & Finance ➔ Renting & Real Estate
Hmm, an interesting situation. Most builders keep their kitchen on the first floor because of weight considerations. And most people like it becuase the 1st floor is traditionally the 'enternaning' space. If you have your kitchen on the 2nd Floor just keep in mind that you would be entertaining people on your 2nd floor if they come over.
2006-12-19 13:32:39 · answer #1 · answered by Drew P 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I had never seen a set up like you are describing until my realtor showed me a condo with living, dining and kitchen upstairs and bedroom downstairs. Now, I must say that the view was very nice upstairs and the entire thing was beautifully decorated, but I could not get past the "reverse" floor plan for a couple of reasons:
No-one wants to schlep groceries... let alone up the stairs! Maybe installing a dumbwaiter or something would mitigate that a bit, but still.
I like to sleep with windows open and it does not feel safe to do that with the bedrooms on the ground floor. It's probably not that safe on the second floor either, but it 'feels' safer.
When you have guests, they will likely see if not walk through the bedroom in order to get up stairs. Makes it harder to leave your bedroom in anything but pristine condition.
When the doorbell rings, you will certainly hear it more on the first floor and it makes it more inconvenient--whether or not you decide to answer. It is also more of a pain to have to run downstairs to answer it.
Resale value could be significantly affected by a non-traditional floor plan.
Think long and hard about making such an unconventional decision... The condo I talk about is still on the market--in a decent market--8 months later and has been reduced $80K...
A laundry room on the second floor is VERY desireable for resale, though. Even if you decide not to convert the entire kitchen, think about adding one somewhere upstairs.
Also, keeping 2 separate living spaces is a terrific investment. If all things were equal I would prefer that set up because I could rent out the other unit or move a family member in!
Good Luck!
2006-12-19 21:43:13 · answer #2 · answered by Trust no 1 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, I think it's odd for a kitchen to be on a second floor. I think the other question you should ask is what that will do to the re-sale value of the home. You won't likely own this home forever and when you go to sell it you will have a hard time doing so because the general public won't go for having a second floor kitchen. Buying property is an investment. Protect your investment the best you can. Go with the flow, keep the kitchen on the main floor. :)
2006-12-19 21:34:36 · answer #3 · answered by Juliet DeVaux 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Definitely not weird. I grew up in a house built in the 1960's with the kitchen upstairs. I think it has a natural flow into the dining room, & living room with bath & bedrooms down the hall in the opposite direction. The family room, additional bathroom, & bedrooms are downstairs. It's a cool layout because it is different. Enjoy your new home.
2006-12-19 21:42:09 · answer #4 · answered by curiousgeorge 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Unusual. I would not like it myself, having to fight gravity to reach my food source. What if I'm downstairs and like, really really weak from hunger. I'd be a hassle with groceries. I suppose you could put in a dumbwaiter...that might be cool. Or keep a small fridge on the ground floor. There are ways to adapt I guess, but I'd adapt by moving the kitchen closer to the carport door.
2006-12-19 21:44:21 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's unique. It will give the house character. Keep the kitchen on the second floor if that's where you like it. You're the one who's going to be living there, not all these Yahoos who don't approve.
2006-12-19 21:37:53 · answer #6 · answered by Jason 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No, I looked at some homes in California and the whole neighborhood had 2nd floor kitchens.
2006-12-19 21:32:23 · answer #7 · answered by Buttercup - VP Bamma Fan Club 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
LEAVE THE UPSTAIRS KITCHEN AS IT IS ,BUT THEN IN THE FIRST FLOOR ,MAKE A MINI KITCHEN WITH ALL THE 'WORKS' OR APPLIANCES NEEDED TO SERVE AND
ENJOY WHEN YOU HAVE GUESTS IN YOUR DUPLEX OR SIMPLY FOR MAKING YOUR LIVING ROOM MORE EASIER TO
ENJOY AND RELAX,CAN EVEN BE A SNACK BAR KIND OF THING,
2006-12-19 21:40:13 · answer #8 · answered by Byzantino 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No. I live in a neighborhood that has kitchens on the second floors.
2006-12-19 21:43:21 · answer #9 · answered by A-Town Soulja 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Do not recommend a kitchen on the second floor unless its normal where you live.
2006-12-20 06:10:57 · answer #10 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋