They make life easier. Great floor plans.

I love ramblers! They tend to have better light/bigger windows and feel more open and spacious than a colonial or cape. And they feel solid. Also bigger closets than older homes.

We're renting a 1 story right now while we look for a house, and I actually like having the bedrooms all on the ground floor. So functionally it's great. Aesthetically I'm not a fan of mid-century, so I dislike the curb appeal of most ramblers, though I'm definitely coming to appreciate the layout.

Get the top down bottom up shades and open the windows from the top if you are worried about security. That's what we were told to do by out builder when we added a first floor master to out two story colonial. PP is right, first floor bedrooms can be a plus.

Anonymous wrote:We are looking at houses and have seen a couple ramblers that we like (inside anyways!). The only thing that gives me pause is that I have never lived in a home where the bedrooms are right on the ground level. I know millions of people do this every day, but it's a little out of my comfort zone. If the house is in a good neighborhood, I'm being completely paranoid, right?

Any other thoughts on ramblers?

You are me. I am also not used to living on the ground level, but you will be able to get used to it soon. Just get some nice curtains and get the transparent kind underneath the light blocking shades, because during tge day time they provide privacy, nobody from outside can see inside as they scatter light, that is unless someone comes really close and starts looking into your windows on purpose, which is freaky anyway, regardless if you lived in a colonial! Usually ramblers have rather small windows on ground floor bedrooms. Plus, people actually love having at least one bedroom on the ground floor and specifically seek these floor plans in colonials, arts and crafts and other types of 2 story homes. so, it's a plus

I don't personally care for the way they look (from the outside) but I don't really see anhything wrong with them otherwise. Seems like a trade-off for me from the safety perspective. In the event of a fire, it's much easier to escape from a ground floor bedroom window than one on the second story. Also, no need to worry about having kids and parents on different floors when the whole house is a single level.

We are looking at houses and have seen a couple ramblers that we like (inside anyways!). The only thing that gives me pause is that I have never lived in a home where the bedrooms are right on the ground level. I know millions of people do this every day, but it's a little out of my comfort zone. If the house is in a good neighborhood, I'm being completely paranoid, right?

Any other thoughts on ramblers?