Even if you don’t initially use your Main Floor Master Suite as your main bedroom, it still may make some sense to opt for this design. Having an extra first-floor bedroom can come in handy for a number of reasons — especially if you’re planning on staying in your home for a long time. Lets call these the PROS!
- Guest Room: A nicely appointed primary suite (bed & bath) can be great for friends and family; provides both comfort and privacy for your guests. The only trick is, don’t make it too nice, they may never leave
- Caring for Parents: You may have an aging family member living with you in the foreseeable future. A main-floor suite allows your in-laws to feel like part of the family, still maintains a level of privacy and the accessibility/autonomy for them. It takes stairs out of the equation for someone who may have mobility issues.
- Easy Access: Lets get right to the facts; we have an aging population that needs accessibility; not having to negotiate stairs when the time comes that we are physically unable to do so. With most living spaces on the first floor, it allows an easy transition from move-up to empty nest. At least for the Master Suite; you don’t have to take your clothes up and down the stairs to do the laundry. Further, a first-floor primary suite would also be ideal for a family member with a disability or recovering from surgery or injury.
- More privacy: Having the owner’s suite separate from the other bedrooms, getting some space between you and your older kids is nice. But what about the little ones, you want to be near them during the night to be able to attend to their needs. The tables turn when the teenaged years roll in. You may want to fall asleep before your teens do.
While clearly there are plenty of advantages, there may be some situations in which locating the primary suite on the main level might not be ideal. CONS.
- Proximity to Common Rooms: A first-floor primary bedroom will be closer to common rooms that are used for entertaining.
- Distance from Children: Having a main-floor primary bedroom may be difficult for a family that has very young children. Even if you have monitors in the kids’ rooms, someone will end up running up and downstairs to check on the kiddos!
- Square Footage: First-floor master bedrooms can sometimes take up a fair amount of space, so if you’re thinking about downsizing and building a home with a smaller footprint, you might not have the room to create the space you want.