Choosing between bungalow and a storeyed house
A three-bedroom double storeyed house. The cost of building these two houses will differ and the storied house will be more expensive than the bungalow
It is a fact that constructing a storeyed house is expensive and below, we explain how these expenses come about.
Whereas the immediate comparison on building a bangalow or a storeyed house is on the total construction cost. Some people will want to compare or dig deep into what is involved in constructing either house. Below are some of the key issues to take note of when deciding on what to construct:
Space
Constructing a two-level house occupies smaller ground space as compared to a bungalow. This is because the entire house (storeyed) is spread over two levels, and spares the owner some garden space. If all the rooms were on one floor (as is the case with bungalows), the house would occupy rather larger space, which would limit garden space in the case of smaller plots.
Costs involved
This is a subjective issue depending on what one is comparing, because a simple storeyed house may cost less than a big bungalow, but if the room sizes are the same, a storeyed house will cost more, and some of the critical aspects to look at include the following:
Foundation
The foundation of a storeyed building covers a smaller area as compared to a bungalow. However, the difference is, in a storeyed house, it’s impossible not to have columns, which can be pure steel columns or reinforced concrete columns necessary to support the upper floors, this may not be necessary in case of a bungalow. The foundation wall of a bungalow takes more bricks, which translates into more cement, sand and water. So, at the end of the day, the foundations for both houses will more or less balance out.
Walls
A three-bedroom bungalow.
When it comes to walls, the storied house will cost more in terms of bricks, sand, cement, and since there are columns, it makes the walls even more expensive, this is due to the fact that in a bungalow, you have rooms sharing walls where’s in a storeyed house you build new walls that would rather be shared.
Slab
In a storeyed house, you must have a suspended floor slab which you don’t necessarily need for a bungalow. This slab will cost almost the same amount as the foundation, so this is the major element that differentiates the two types of houses. Slabs may be made of any or a combination of; timber, steel beams, steel bars and concrete, among others.
Roof
The roof of a storeyed house is smaller than the one of a bungalow and, therefore, costs less.
The stair case
In storeyed houses you must have a means of going up or down stairs, and this is the reason the staircases or lifts are put in place. In a bungalow, you don’t have to worry about the cost and space for a staircase, so you spend more on the storeyed than a bungalow.
Material
When it comes to finishing including plastering, painting, plumbing, electrical wiring, the storeyed house will cost more.
Methods of construction
The methods of construction of either of the two house differ and the storeyed house involves a more complicated and technically critical procedures. Therefore, given these two houses, one storied and the other a bungalow, with the same room sizes, be sure the overall cost of the storeyed will be higher than its counterpart.
