Compact two-story houses for a small plot. Free and visual: the best plans for two-story houses

Modern developers are more often turning to projects of two-story houses. A building of this type is considered the best option in terms of the size and functionality of the rooms. In construction, the technique is called classical. Buildings are characterized by the distribution of space in this way: rooms for general use are created on the first floor, and bedrooms and bathrooms on the second floor. In our article we will look at the features of buildings with two floors, and what types of cottage designs there are.

Features of the layout of a two-story house

For such buildings, the traditional method of distributing internal space is mainly used. Of course, this has its advantages and disadvantages. You can design a house yourself, or purchase a ready-made one that can be adjusted to your taste:

• You can choose any material for construction work;
• You can change the dimensions and dimensions of all premises of the building;
• It is possible to add additional details to house designs, for example, an attic, terrace, bay window, etc.

Attention! For a summer cottage where you will live only in the summer season, it is optimal to choose brick as a material. Not only is it durable, but it also has a good level of thermal insulation.

Advantages of two-story buildings

A cottage with a garage is built very often. Such a project with 2 floors has a large list of advantages:

• With this technology it is possible to minimize the consumption of land. The issue is especially acute in the case of a small property area.
• The two-story cottage opens up new possibilities for designers. This way you can make a beautiful home of any style. It will be enough to show a specialist a photo or try to do everything yourself.
• You can build a two-story house with various decorative elements, for example, a balcony or terrace.
• The possibilities inside the building are also expanding, so the interior of a two-story house can be decorated as desired.

Disadvantages of a cottage

A building with two floors requires more financial investment than one-story buildings. But it is worth noting that the price will pay off if you want to remodel in the future. There are also disadvantages of multi-level buildings, for example, for a building project with two floors, the presence of a staircase is required. This structural element not only increases the cost, but also complicates the construction of the facility.

Reasons for the complexity of planning

Projects of two-story houses can have different costs. So, some points may influence the overall budget:

• The structure has a large mass, so you need to spend money on additional reinforcement of the floors between floors. If this point is ignored, there may be a risk of a dangerous situation in the future.
• The communications system has many more branches, since it is also connected to the second floor.
• When building houses with two floors, it is necessary to use a special lifting machine to lift the material.
• If you have a large family with elderly people and children, then the project should be drawn up individually. Since for these categories of people it is better to place bedrooms on the ground floor.
• As the wind load on the walls increases, it is necessary to spend money on thermal insulation.

Attention! The cost of your dream home project may vary depending on individual design elements.

Country house project 6 by 8

The dimensions of a two-story house are 6 by 8 meters - these are quite normal conditions for a family to live. Now we will consider in detail the standard scheme for such dimensions. The entrance to the room is usually located from the porch. To increase the level of convenience, a dressing room is added to the building.

The guest room is connected to the kitchen. Moreover, the first is three times larger than the second. Then the road goes to the bathroom. Usually the entrance to the staircase is in the living room. On the second floor it is rational to make a sleeping compartment for residents. There you can make, for example, a relaxation room for guests, children or couples.

Attention! In this layout, an increase in space is obtained due to the presence of a terrace, which can be used for general recreation areas.

House project 7 by 7

You can create any size at home with your own hands. However, you need to focus on your needs and know the main types of projects. In this section we will look at the layout of a two-story building measuring 7 by 7 meters. It is worth noting that it is optimal to build such dimensions if there are 4 people in the family, of which 2 are adults and 2 children. In this construction technology, the first floor is intended for joint recreation or the arrival of guests. In practice, such projects include a kitchen, dining room, living room, hallway, wardrobe and bathroom.

This cottage has two porches, one of which is the main entrance to the building, the second is located in the living room. This layout has a number of advantages:

• You can create a place in the yard, closed from prying eyes, for the whole family to relax.
• You will have an additional way out, for example, this will help you out if the door lock breaks.
• You can also create a mini garden, a children's complex, and a tennis court.

So we got acquainted with the features of a house with two floors. Also, two small cottage projects were described. But it is worth noting that there are actually a lot of them. So, choose the right plan for your site and your capabilities.

The tradition of designing them was formed back when city residents were allowed to have private homeownership only in garden partnerships. In a small area you can’t really turn around, so the houses stretched upward. This is easy to explain - the desire to increase living space and save space in the garden. Otherwise, there was no room left for garden beds.

Today it is possible to build any house. But projects of two-story houses continue to be popular among developers, and especially among those who plan to build a house for two families.

It is quite obvious that it is better to order a two-story house project if you are building housing on a small plot. But such projects have other advantages.

Advantages of 2-storey house projects

• Projects of two-story houses will help to significantly save on roof installation. After all, compared to a one-story house, its area will be significantly smaller.
• A clear division into day and night zones is assumed. First floor - living room, dining room, kitchen, separate toilet and utility rooms. Sometimes an additional living room is added and. On the second floor there are bedrooms for family members, dressing rooms and a bathroom combined with a laundry room.
• You can reduce costs by using interfloor insulation. Due to the fact that warm air rises, the bedrooms will be warmer than the rooms on the first floor.
• As practice shows, the cost of 1 m2 of usable area of ​​a 2-story house project is cheaper than the cost of 1 m2 of a one-story house of the same area. For example, the benefits are felt even on rough and finishing floor screed.
• There will be no significant savings when laying the foundation. Although a two-story house does not require a large foundation, the need to make it more powerful to accommodate increased loads makes the cost of laying it equal to the cost of a foundation for a one-story house.

Minuses

There are no ideal projects. With all the advantages, you can also find disadvantages.

• The need to equip a staircase leading to the second floor is not the most rational use of living space. Typically, losses are 8-14 m2.
• To ensure that the walls can withstand the loads of the second floor, they are reinforced during construction. And these are additional costs for construction materials and payments to workers.
• In order for the second floor to be functional and meet modern ideas of comfort, another bathroom is needed. To reduce these costs, bathrooms are designed one above the other. Thus, although small, additional costs are expected.

Choosing a two-story house project - summing up the results

• It is more profitable to build a two-story house on a small plot of land - the savings in plot area are obvious. The developer receives not only modern housing, but also the opportunity to rationally manage the land. In addition, there is room for the construction of additional utility rooms: a garage, a summer kitchen or a bathhouse.
• Projects of two-story houses with an area of ​​over 200 m2 are the most economical option.

Layout diagram for a 2-story house with a living area of ​​up to 50 sq. m. with two bedrooms on the second floor.

In modern construction, the layout of a small two-story house is very popular. It is these buildings that will help create the most optimal zoning of the entire area: utility rooms, a kitchen and a dining room will be located below. Upstairs, the space will be reserved exclusively for personal apartments, for example, bedrooms or children's rooms intended for family members.

Often projects of such houses are considered to be lived in only during the warm season.

The first floor will have an area of ​​up to 50 square meters. m. Just before the entrance there is a small porch, then the entrance to the vestibule (2.8 sq. m.). Almost every well-built house has this small room in the form of a vestibule. It is necessary to prevent heat from escaping from the house to the street. This buffer can also serve for household purposes, for example, you can place a small shoe rack there, or even a small wardrobe for outerwear. Lighting in the vestibule can be used to a minimum; a small light bulb is enough.

Further, the door leads to the hallway, the area of ​​which is 4.8 square meters. m. Since ancient times, this place was the very first room, which determines the style that reigns throughout the house. For this reason, it is worth paying attention to the layout of this place.

The plan provides that the hallway in this house will be equipped with unusual lighting, which will attract everyone's attention. The lighting is installed around the perimeter of the ceiling, and you can choose the color of the lighting yourself. At night, you can not turn it off, but simply dim the light. Thus, if there are small children in the family, they will not be afraid at night. Particular attention should be paid to the entrance opening in.

The size of this room is 10.1 sq. m., such space will be quite enough to accommodate two zones. The one in which food is prepared will be closer to the exit, the other eating area will be closer to the window. The window will be located on the front side of the building, which faces northwest.

It is necessary to take care of a good ventilation system. Few people pay special attention to this, however, in some situations good ventilation is simply necessary. There are two windows in this space, that is, one in each zone. The windows will be of a standard size so that during the daytime there will be no need to resort to artificial lighting. This scheme can be used for each room.

Combining interiors: pros or cons

Separated only by a small partition, there is another room on the ground floor - the living room. Its size is 18.5 square meters. m., but you can increase or decrease it depending on where the partition will be located. There is no door between the kitchen and living room, this is due to the new direction in design and interior design. This move is becoming very fashionable, and also quite unusual. Many benefits will be available by combining the kitchen with the living room.

1. Combining the interior will be a real gift for every young mother. Indeed, it is very convenient to cook food and keep an eye on the baby at the same time. Moreover, the space allocated for this will be large, so the child can be in a safe zone.
2. At any feast, you will no longer feel left out of the conversation. Everyone will be able to participate in the process of preparing dishes and setting the table, without even interrupting the conversation. There will no longer be any need to run around with plates and utensils, since each guest will be able to take care of themselves independently.
3. Significant savings on technology. You can start by remembering the TV, purchasing a separate unit for the living room, then there will be no need for the kitchen. You can watch a good movie while cleaning or cooking.
4. The lighting will also change for the better. If before the merger each room had a window, a maximum of two, now there will be at least three. Now you will have one bright and large space at your disposal.

A two-story house is a building of prestige. It's fashionable, beautiful and practical. And for city residents, such a home is their number one dream. Today we will talk about how to correctly draw up plans for two-story houses. We have prepared for you many standard projects and recommendations for improving them.

Read in the article

Distinctive features of two-story cottages

Before you start designing a two-story house, you should remember that this building has several distinctive features. They definitely need to be taken into account.

A two-story house cannot be built on any plot. There are cases when the characteristics of the soil do not allow the construction of such structures. For this reason, before design work, you should carefully study the geodesy of the site and it is better to involve professionals for this work.

Advice! Before purchasing a plot for construction, walk around the area and pay attention to the neighboring houses. Ask yourself why neighbors only build one-story buildings or why almost all houses have cracks. All these observations should lead you to the appropriate conclusions.

You should also pay attention to the general concept of the area's architecture. Agree, it is ridiculous to put a log house in the middle of Victorian mansions.

So, three special requirements for a two-story house:

• suitable soil;
• appropriate development conditions in the area;
• high-quality project taking into account all safety requirements.

Pros of houses with two floors

So why do many developers prefer two floors to one? Let's look at the obvious reasons for the popularity of this choice:

Disadvantages of two-story buildings

Don't be blindly carried away by projects. Two-story structures have disadvantages; they should be remembered and compensated for during the design process:

Difficulties to be faced

A two-story structure will require reliable floors. Their design should be given special attention, otherwise the home will not be safe.

In addition, certain difficulties await you in the process of designing utilities.

Heating a two-story residential building will require the use of a system with a circulation pump. Water supply and sewerage also require a special structure, because on the second floor you will need at least one more bathroom. You should carefully consider the home's ventilation system and lay out the electrical wiring in such a way as to ensure its maximum safety.

And these are not all the difficulties that await you. Be prepared for the fact that building a two-story house is a difficult task.

Selection of material for construction

About a quarter of the construction budget is spent on the walls. It is important to carefully and wisely approach the choice of material.

This should be done without compromising the strength and reliability of the home, so let's figure out what materials are inexpensive and at the same time high-quality.

What criteria should you use to select building materials:

• affordable price - in this regard, you can save a lot by choosing light-weight material. It will not require a powerful foundation - and this is another cost savings;
• heat-insulating qualities of the material - you should select products that are suitable for the climatic conditions of your region;
• costs for the construction of walls - the larger the construction elements, the less time it will take to complete the work. Frame structures are the fastest to erect;
• finishing requirements - some building materials, for example, logs, do not require finishing, which can save a lot of money.

Now let's look at some of the most common options for building walls.

Everything new is well forgotten old: wood

There was a time when the construction of wooden houses almost stopped. The country was built en masse from concrete blocks, assembling multi-story buildings like construction sets. The skills of talented architects were lost, and no one realized how much healthier and happier the residents of wooden houses were. Understanding came with time and now wood is again one of the most popular materials for suburban construction. Small house projects are in greatest demand.

Like any building material, wood has its advantages and disadvantages. Let's look at them in more detail:

Admire the projects of small two-story wooden houses implemented in different regions of Russia:

And now a little more about different “wooden” technologies.

Frame structures

Frame technologies are experiencing the peak of popularity. This method of construction came from Europe and America. Remember the footage of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina? It was strange to observe that practically nothing remained of the vast populated areas. The secret is simple - a powerful element simply “disassembled” the light frame buildings and scattered them like houses of cards. It is not for nothing that residents of states prone to such disasters have fortified cellars outside their homes for shelter. What do we have?

In our latitudes, thank God, there are almost no hurricanes. And frame buildings have virtually no contraindications. You will be surprised, but similar structures have been built here before. In the deep forests of Karelia and Siberia, people still live in the villages of railway builders. And they live in houses built using frame technology. Such houses are already half a century or more old, and at the same time they are warm and durable, just like fifty years ago. There is only one conclusion - if you build it with high quality, in compliance with all requirements, you can end up with a reliable and high-quality frame house.

During the construction process, no mortar or special construction equipment is needed. A frame house is installed on a screw or columnar foundation. It can be built at any time of the year.

Advice! The design will be most durable if you use a metal frame. It is extremely strong and durable and will not let you down under any circumstances. In addition, renovating a house with a metal frame will be much easier.

Frame buildings retain heat well due to the special design of the walls, reminiscent of a layer cake.

Important! When building a frame house, gaps should not be allowed. It is necessary to monitor all joints and carefully adjust the slabs.

Like other timber buildings, frame houses have the same disadvantages. To avoid unpleasant consequences, you should treat the walls with fire-retardant compounds, pay special attention to protecting electrical wiring and periodically treat the walls with an antiseptic.

Advice! Use mineral wool as insulation. Rodents do not grow in it. They like polystyrene foam more, and by using it, you run the risk of constantly listening to the cheerful crunch of illegal occupants.

Related article:

Do you want to build a frame house with your own hands? The step-by-step instructions given in this article will help you understand all the intricacies quickly and easily, even for beginners.

Log houses and their features

Unlike a frame structure, a log house has the ability to “breathe”. It is not sealed; the pores of the wood allow air to pass through. The log house has all the positive characteristics of wood that we talked about. In addition, such buildings always have a special exterior: colorful and attractive.

For your information! If necessary, the log house can be dismantled and built on another site. To do this, each log is numbered during disassembly and reassembled in strict order. To simplify the work, save the original building drawings.

Log houses have their own nuances. The main problem is wood-eating insects. This is a real scourge. If appropriate measures are not taken, grinder beetles will turn the structure into dust in just a few years. To avoid such a disaster, the wood is carefully treated with special compounds - insecticides.

Another significant point for choosing a log house material is the quality of the log. It can be chopped or rounded. Rounded logs look smooth and are much easier to build with. Chopped ones usually have one thickened end, this is due to the natural structure of the tree.

As for log houses, laminated veneer lumber is the favorite. This type of timber contains several layers of wood with multi-directional fibers. This material does not shrink, does not deform, and is additionally protected from pests by an internal adhesive composition.

We offer photos of projects of private houses made of logs and timber:

Brick Fortress

A brick home is a kind of fortress. Reliable, durable, strong. This is a building that will last for centuries and will be inherited by your grandchildren. Let's consider the advantages and disadvantages of this material:

We present photos of projects of houses and cottages made of brick:

Aerated concrete buildings

Aerated concrete is a relatively new building material. Foamed concrete is made using a special technology. The result is light, three-dimensional blocks with a porous structure and excellent thermal insulation characteristics.

Advantages and disadvantages of foam concrete:

A small photo catalog of country houses made of foam concrete:

Houses on a metal frame

We have already touched on the topic of frame construction when we talked about wooden houses. But not only a house from OSB panels can be made on a metal frame.

Using a steel frame, you can build a glass house or a sandwich panel house.

Previously, steel frames were used only in industrial construction. Now this technology is becoming more and more firmly established in individual construction. Steel is used to create the base of walls and ceilings, and to give shape to the roof.

The metal frame requires special insulation. Its main advantage is that such a base does not deform or shrink; it can be installed at any time of the year.

There is an opinion that the metal frame of a house is dangerous because it can become a conductor of current during a thunderstorm. To prevent this from happening, the structure is grounded, and the racks themselves are carefully insulated with a special coating.

Examples of houses on metal frames:

How to plan a two-story house

The interior space of the house must be carefully planned, dividing it into functional zones. First of all, you should separate the living area from the technical premises. Technical and auxiliary premises include a boiler room, workshop, laundry, pantry and kitchen. The living area includes bedrooms, living room, guest room, study, gym and so on.

Advice! The technical area is located in the northern part of the building, where there are a minimum of windows. Living rooms are oriented to the south and east.

Some tips for the general layout of a two-story house:

• The fewer corridors, the better. This space provides little practical use, so try not to make them too long. It is better to provide a hall - it can be used as additional space for placing a staircase and hallway;
• In the project, pay enough attention to insolation. The larger the window, the less you will subsequently spend on lighting. Large windows on the sunny side will also save on heating costs. There are recommendations for glazing standards - 1 square meter per 8 square meters of room area;
• modern architectural design often uses a combination of rooms, for example, a living room and a kitchen;
• for a balcony on the second floor it is better to design additional external support. This way you will protect the structure and keep the house warm from cold bridges;
• do not forget to design a vestibule, at least a small one, before entering the house. It will keep the house warm;
• in a two-story house you need to provide at least two bathrooms - one for each floor;
• Don’t get carried away by the complex geometry of the roof. The simpler the slope, the easier it is to complete and the better the roof will retain heat;
• if you are planning a real fireplace in your house, it should be provided for at the design stage, then integrating it into the finished building will be problematic;
• If you take on the construction of a country house, keep in mind that most owners rarely stop there. Perhaps over time you will decide to build an extension. Think about this in advance. Perhaps leave one wall of the first floor without windows.

Ground floor plan

In a two-story house, the ground floor usually contains a kitchen, living room, technical rooms and a guest room. This is the minimum set for a small cottage. If funds allow, you can order a designer for a swimming pool, gym, or winter garden.

A little about the main premises of the first floor:

This is the minimum list of premises for the first floor. Here are some examples of ready-made free projects of houses and cottages with drawings of the first floor:

Second floor plan

The second floor is a relaxation and privacy area. A children's bedroom is located here. If the cottage area is large, you can place a large hall on the second floor as an area for family recreation and communication. It is more convenient to place the dressing room next to the bedroom.

Advice! If there is a garage attached to the cottage, do not place the nursery above the garage. Problems with ventilation can lead to automobile gases entering the room.

As on the first floor, try to get by with a minimum of corridors, or better yet, get rid of them altogether. Replace the hallway with a walk-through room.

If there is a baby in the house, then it is better if the nursery door is located directly next to the parent’s bedroom.

Keep in mind that in a two-story house, the whole family will spend most of the day on the ground floor. Therefore, the rooms on the second floor do not have to be large, but certainly cozy.

Projects for the 2nd floor of the house:

Combination of premises in two-story house projects

If the first floor occupies a small area, you can minimize the number of partitions and combine several rooms into one. Such a project will be called a studio. You will get that the living room, kitchen, dining room and hall will be one large space. In this case, the studio is zoned using simple design techniques.

The studio has doors leading to the bathroom and guest room. There is also a staircase to the next floor.

Advice! When planning rooms in your house, use 3D graphics. It will allow you to visually imagine what the delimited space will look like.

If the studio option does not suit you, consider other types of combination. You can combine the kitchen and dining room, living room and hallway.

Examples of the layout of houses and cottages with two floors and combined rooms:

House with an attic

The second floor can be designed in the form. This is a practical solution that allows you to save on materials. You can live in the attic all year round; the rooms in it are no different in terms of heat conservation from full floors. And, by the way, the attic significantly lightens the overall weight of the building, so that a less powerful foundation can be used.

The features of the roof geometry in this case are carefully calculated so that they have ceilings of at least 220 centimeters.

Internal inclined planes are easy to design so that they do not put pressure on your perception.

Photo projects of houses with an attic inside and outside.

In private construction, two-story houses (photos and projects occupy a significant part of the proposals of various construction companies, houses with an attic can be included in their number) are, first of all, an opportunity to get a sufficient amount of living space on a small plot.

On a plot of 6-8 acres, a house with a living area of, for example, 130-150 sq. garage and other outbuildings, so there will be no space left for a lawn or garden with a vegetable garden. In addition, it is quite difficult to competently plan a large one-story house, avoiding passage rooms and creating a functional space - in some projects of large one-story houses, the total area of ​​halls and corridors can reach 25-30%. With equal living space, a two-story house, even with an attached garage, occupies significantly less space on the site.

Projects of two-story houses (this refers to both completely two-story houses, with a cold attic, and houses with attic) have other advantages:

• aesthetic appeal - a two-story house makes it possible to implement more architectural ideas and techniques, so most often its facades look not only more solid and representative, but also much nicer and more attractive than those of one-story houses. In addition, there is a certain stereotype according to which a two-story house is “cooler” than one with one floor - the complex shape of the roof and the house will significantly improve the architectural expressiveness of the house

• zoning of space - the layout of a two-story house allows you to divide the living space into “night” (the second floor, where the owners’ bedrooms are usually located) and “day” (the first floor is kitchen/dining room, living room, boiler room, utility rooms, etc.). Those. at any time you can move to the second floor and ensure peace and quiet, minimizing the possibility of even an accidental intrusion by an outsider
• beautiful view - which opens from the balcony, terrace or French window, especially if you take into account the habit of erecting monolithic fences up to 3 meters high on plots. Of course, they can be skillfully decorated (hidden) using vertical gardening techniques, but still some feeling of a “prison yard” will remain

• the use of a wide variety of materials for the construction of houses - brick, aerated concrete, timber (laminated veneer lumber, profiled timber), rounded logs, as well as construction using frame technology

However, the disadvantages characteristic of two-story houses also need to be taken into account:

• installation of a staircase - without which it is simply impossible to get to the second floor. On the one hand, it will “eat up” from 7 to 12 sq.m., depending on the design and usable area. On the other hand, the older the residents of the house become, the more problematic the issue of getting to the second floor will become for them. If the house is initially conceived for an elderly couple, then the second floor can be reserved for guest bedrooms; the plan of such a house should provide for the placement of the “main” rooms on the first floor. And one more important point - the stairs, if we take the safety of houses in general, are the most dangerous place for injuries

• if the layout does not provide for the placement of bathrooms one above the other, then the installation of sewer pipes and provision of ventilation of the lower bathroom, as well as kitchens. In brick houses, you will have to provide and lay out a channel, otherwise you will have to drill through holes and insert air valves, which will increase heat loss; in an aerated concrete house, you will have to drill channels directly into the walls. Arranging a ventilation system in a one-story house is much simpler and more economical
• with identical thermal insulation, a one-story house is 10% warmer than a two-story house
• In case of fire, it is much easier to evacuate from a one-story house

It is worth dwelling separately on engineering systems. If in projects of one-story houses most communications can be carried out simply by using the attic, then in a two-story house the same sewer and water pipes will have to be laid inside the interfloor ceiling, which significantly complicates its design and significantly complicates the repair of systems in the event of force majeure situations.

Advice! System drawings should provide for the possibility of access to them through control hatches, especially in places most critical for breakdowns.

To heat two-story houses, it is necessary to install a pump for forced water circulation; in a one-story house, depending on the design, you can get by with “gravity flow.” But the biggest problems will be created by the ventilation system, which has already been partially discussed above. Installation metal-plastic windows and thorough insulation of the house will require the installation of a supply and exhaust unit with the routing of ventilation air ducts, which is quite difficult and expensive in a two-story house. In fact, the electricity distribution will be the same in complexity and cost in both a one-story and two-story house.

The design of the fireplace will also become more complicated - if you install it on the first floor, then you need to precisely plan how the chimney will pass through the second floor, plus - ensure fire safety in the area of ​​the interfloor ceiling. And to install a fireplace on the second floor, you will need to lay a reinforced concrete base.

Projects of one- and two-story houses: which is more economical

Separately, it is worth highlighting the issue of comparing the cost of houses. In general, a simple rule applies here - the higher the number of storeys of the building, the cheaper it costs 1 sq.m of usable area. Savings start from the roof - its area is smaller, so the costs of roofing materials and frame construction are significantly reduced. If you make the floor between the first and second floors from wood, you can save on finishing and rough screeding, as well as floor insulation. In this case, the floorboard immediately performs the functions of both the finishing coating and the load-bearing part of the floor. But using concrete floors as flooring will reduce the difference in the cost of flooring in a one- and two-story house to nothing.