Maybe you're tired of trudging up stairs to go to bed each night. If so, you might want to consider jumping into a trend: Living on the ground floor and forfeiting the high levels to the kids.
Realtors and builders call the trend "master on the main." In this week's real estate gallery, we look at multistory homes on the market or recently sold with a master bedroom on the main floor.
Clients of home designers and architects explain that they want to walk into the front door and have their master suite on the same level as the living room and kitchen for convenience.
Sure, they might have to bump the family room upstairs to make room for a master suite downstairs. And there might be noise from the dishwasher if the floor plan isn't optimally laid out.
But, by sleeping on the ground floor, people can have a private garden right outside their master bedroom. They don't have to worry if they can't scramble up stairs as quickly as they used to, due to aging joints or an injury.
And, they can either be away from the talkative tweens, who are tucked in upstairs, or they can offer the master suite to their parents or returning college-age children, who want the feel of independent living while still being close to relatives.
Some multistory houses have two master suites, with a mini master used as a guest room.
A bonus for a couple who doesn't share their house with anyone else? If all the living is downstairs, there's no need to heat or cool the upstairs. This saves on utility bills.
Typically, master bedrooms on the main floor are designed to solve some issues of aging in place and housing multi generations. Sometimes, there are separate entrances, wider hallways and doors, and few steps, which are helpful for people with a baby stroller or a wheelchair.
-- Janet Eastman
jeastman@oregonian.com
503-799-8739
@janeteastman
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