Why One-Story Living Is Growing—and How to Create It in an Existing Home

Walk through most St. Louis neighborhoods built in the mid-twentieth century and you'll find a familiar pattern: a two-story colonial or a split-level with bedrooms upstairs, a single half bath on the main floor, and a laundry room tucked in the basement. That layout made sense decades ago. For a growing number of households today, it's become the single biggest source of daily friction in the house.

Stairs aren't just inconvenient after a knee surgery or for an aging parent. They're inconvenient every single day, for everyone, every time you carry laundry, groceries, or a sleeping toddler from one level to another. That everyday friction is a big part of why interest in one-story and main-level living keeps climbing.

Why Interest in One-Story Living Is Growing

According to the National Association of Home Builders, the share of new single-family homes built as one story increased from 47.5% in 2024 to 48.6% in 2025. The trend is even more pronounced in parts of the Midwest: one-story homes accounted for 55.7% of new construction in the East North Central region and 54.3% in the West North Central region, which includes Missouri.

NAHB points to a mix of factors behind this shift, including cost pressure on multi-story construction and continued demand for moderate-cost housing that's simpler to build and heat and cool. Aging in place is part of the story, but it isn't the only driver. Builders and buyers alike are recognizing that a single level of living space is often just easier to live in, at any stage of life.

Most homeowners in existing two-story houses aren't in a position to start over, though. The realistic question isn't "should I buy a one-story house," it's "how much of that same convenience can I create inside the home I already own?" For many St. Louis houses, the answer is more than people expect.

Main-Level Living vs. a True One-Story House

It helps to separate two different goals. A true one-story house has no upper floor at all. Main-level living is different: it means the home still has an upstairs, but the main floor is set up so daily life can happen entirely on one level when needed. You keep the extra bedrooms and storage upstairs, but you're not dependent on the stairs to sleep, bathe, or do laundry.

This distinction matters because it changes the scope of the project. You're not trying to eliminate the second floor or its function. You're trying to make the ground floor self-sufficient, so climbing stairs becomes optional rather than required.

The Minimum Functional Main-Level Plan

Most successful main-level living projects revolve around four essentials: a bedroom, a full bathroom, laundry access, and a manageable path from the driveway or garage to the front door. If a home has all four on the ground floor, the household can genuinely live there without relying on the stairs. Missing even one of these tends to undercut the whole plan, since a bedroom without a nearby full bath, for instance, doesn't solve the core problem.

• A main-level bedroom with reasonable privacy from shared living space
• A full bathroom nearby, not just a half bath
• Laundry access on the main level or in a location that doesn't require stairs
• A safer, more manageable path from parking to the front door
• Hallways and doorways sized for comfortable everyday movement
• Adequate lighting throughout the main-level circulation path

Bedroom Options: Convert, Reassign, or Add

The bedroom is usually the anchor of the whole plan, and there are generally three ways to get one on the main level. The first is straightforward conversion: a formal dining room, a large den, or an underused home office is reconfigured into a bedroom, sometimes with a closet added. The second is reassignment: many homes already have a main-level room that's technically a bedroom but has been used for something else for years, and simply putting it back to its original purpose solves the problem without construction.

The third option is an addition, extending the footprint of the home to create a dedicated bedroom and bath suite where no suitable room exists. This is a bigger investment, but it can be the right call when a home's main level is too tight to give up any existing rooms. Our overview of home addition versus reworking existing space walks through how to weigh those two paths against each other.

Every home is different, and what qualifies as a legal bedroom, including window and egress requirements, varies by jurisdiction. Any conversion should be reviewed against your local code before finishes are selected.

A Full Bath That Works for the Long Term

A half bath doesn't solve main-level living; a full bath with a shower or tub does. This is often the most involved part of the project, since it may require new plumbing runs if there isn't already a bathroom nearby. The National Association of Realtors has noted that universally designed bathrooms, featuring things like curbless showers, comfortable-height fixtures, and slip-resistant flooring, are increasingly in demand among buyers of all ages, not just those who need them today.

That's worth keeping in mind when planning finishes. A bathroom built with wider clearances, a curbless shower entry, and durable, attractive flooring tends to serve the household well now and remain appealing to future buyers, without looking institutional. Good tile choices, warm lighting, and thoughtful storage go a long way toward keeping the space feeling like the rest of the home.

Bringing Laundry to the Main Level

Laundry is one of the most overlooked pieces of main-level living, and it's often the reason a plan that looks complete on paper still doesn't work day to day. If the bedroom and bath are on the main floor but the washer and dryer are in the basement, someone is still climbing stairs multiple times a week with a full basket.

Common solutions include converting a main-level closet into a stacked laundry unit, repurposing a mudroom or pantry, or building a small laundry closet into an addition alongside a new bedroom suite. Because this usually involves new plumbing and venting, it's worth planning early in the design phase rather than as an afterthought.

Garage and Front Entry: Reducing Steps Where Feasible

A main-level bedroom doesn't help much if the path from the car to the front door still involves a steep flight of steps. Where a home's grading and structure allow it, options include a gentler graded walkway, a modest ramp addition, or leveling a garage entry that currently has an awkward step up into the house. What's feasible depends heavily on the site, the foundation type, and local requirements, so this is a case where a walkthrough with a contractor is more useful than general advice.

Not every home can eliminate steps entirely, and that's fine. Even modest improvements, like adding a sturdy handrail, improving lighting at the entry, or widening a narrow doorway, meaningfully reduce daily risk and effort.

Circulation, Lighting, and Flooring

Once the big-ticket rooms are in place, how you move between them matters just as much. Wide, unobstructed hallways, doorways that comfortably fit a walker or a laundry basket, and lever-style door handles all reduce daily friction. Flooring choices also matter more than people expect: a consistent, low-transition flooring material from room to room reduces trip hazards at thresholds and makes the main level feel cohesive rather than patched together.

Lighting deserves equal attention. Main hallways, entries, and bathrooms benefit from brighter, more even lighting than typical decorative fixtures provide, especially for evening use. These details are inexpensive relative to the structural work but have an outsized effect on how safe and comfortable the main level actually feels.

Preserving Privacy in an Open-Concept World

Many St. Louis homes have moved toward open living and kitchen spaces, which is great for gathering but can make a main-level bedroom feel exposed if it's placed too close to shared areas. Locating the bedroom off a quieter side of the house, adding a pocket door between the bedroom hallway and the main living space, or using a closet or short hallway as a sound buffer all help preserve a sense of separation without walling off the whole plan.

Designing Rooms That Stay Flexible

One of the smartest moves in a main-level living project is designing rooms that can serve more than one purpose over time. A main-level bedroom with a standard door width and no unusual built-ins can later become a home office, playroom, or guest room if household needs change. A full bath designed with universal features, rather than obviously medical fixtures, tends to read as simply well-built rather than purpose-limited.

What Happens to the Upstairs

A common concern is what to do with the upstairs once the primary living happens downstairs. In practice, most households keep using it: as guest quarters, a home office, storage, or bedrooms for children or other family members who move easily on stairs. Some homeowners choose to close vents or adjust HVAC zoning upstairs to save on energy costs if it's used less often, though that's worth discussing with a contractor familiar with your home's system.

There's rarely a need to decide the upstairs' fate before starting the main-level project. The two can be planned independently, and many households find their answer naturally after living with the new main-level setup for a while.

Attractive Design, Not Clinical Design

A well-planned main-level living remodel shouldn't look like a hospital wing. Grab bars can be disguised as towel bars, curbless showers can be finished with the same handsome tile as the rest of the bath, and wider doorways are barely noticeable once trim and paint are complete. The goal is a home that works well for everyone who lives there or visits, not a space that announces its purpose.

For more on how these design decisions fit into the bigger picture of building a home that adapts over time, our guide to aging-in-place remodeling covers many of the same principles in more depth, including bathroom safety features and lighting strategy.

How This Project Compares to a Basement or ADU Approach

Some households consider alternatives to main-level living, such as finishing a basement suite or adding a small accessory dwelling unit for a family member. Those can be excellent options in the right situation, but they solve a different problem: separate living space rather than a fully functional main floor for the existing household. If you're weighing a basement suite, our article on finishing a St. Louis basement covers the moisture, radon, and egress issues specific to that approach. For a separate structure, see our overview of accessory dwelling units in St. Louis.

Budgeting and Choosing a Level of Finish

Costs for main-level living projects vary enormously depending on whether the work is a conversion, a reconfiguration, or a full addition, and how much plumbing relocation is involved. Rather than guessing at a number, it's more useful to understand how contractors think about scope and finish level. Our article on what level of finish means in a remodel explains how material and fixture choices affect the overall investment, which applies directly to bathroom and bedroom work.

It's also worth setting realistic expectations for scheduling. A laundry relocation might take a couple of weeks, while a bedroom-and-bath addition can take several months from design through completion. Our guide to the general home renovation timeline is a useful reference for understanding how these phases typically unfold.

A Practical Planning Checklist

Before meeting with a contractor, it helps to walk your own home with fresh eyes. Consider these questions as a starting point:

• Is there a main-level room that could become a bedroom, even if it's used differently today?
• Is there a full bath on the main level, or only a half bath?
• Where would laundry realistically go if it moved upstairs from the basement?
• How many steps are between the driveway or garage and the front door?
• Are main-level hallways and doorways wide enough for comfortable daily movement?
• Would the household actually use the upstairs less, or continue relying on it for other family members?

Answering these honestly gives you and your contractor a clear starting point, whether the eventual plan is a light conversion or a more substantial addition.

Frequently Asked Questions

Planning Main-Level Living with UpdateSTL.com

UpdateSTL.com is powered by Wehmeier and Son, a St. Louis remodeling team that helps homeowners rework existing homes into layouts that actually fit how they live. Whether you're exploring a simple laundry relocation or a full bedroom-and-bath addition, we can walk through your home's existing layout and talk through realistic options before any construction begins.

Every main-level living project starts differently, since every home's plumbing, framing, and footprint are different. Take a look at our full range of remodeling services, or reach out to start planning your project. You can also call us directly at 636-234-3333 or email UpdateSTL@wehmeierandson.com to talk through your home's specific situation.