Luxury Single-Storey Homes: Designing and Building Guide

Luxury single-storey homes have long been a hallmark of sophisticated living. Well-loved by families and mature couples alike, single-storey luxury living has something to offer every type of person. From their beautiful open-planned designs to ease of maintenance and access, luxury single-storey living has plenty to offer for every type of homeowner with a long-standing history in leading luxury design.

As a leading luxury home builder in Perth, we’ve honed our craft to perfect these luxury residences, blending timeless elegance with contemporary design and making the most out of the single-storey space. With over two decades of expertise under our belt, we have a comprehensive understanding of how to craft beautiful, luxury houses that make the most of the WA landscape. Using the best-suited design features and functions to elevate the specific allure that luxury single-storey homes hold and make the most of their advantages to create expansive, light-filled spaces that flow effortlessly to create an impressive, luxury impression on any home visitor.

Now, we share our expertise with you, to help you develop and build the luxury home of your dreams. Here, we’ll explore the defining design elements of luxury single-storey homes as well as how to utilise the space within them and why they’re a perfect home option for buyers. Plus, we’ll take you through the step-by-step building process so that you can understand how to get started and the journey that lies ahead, preparing you for your own luxury single-storey custom home design.

The Benefits of Luxury Single-Storey Homes

Single-storey homes are highly sought after in Perth’s luxury homes market and for good reason. Besides the fact that luxury single-storey homes look great and are a dream to live in, in comparison to double or multi-story houses, single-storey homes offer several unique advantages that appeal to home-buyers.

1. Strong accessibility

As single-storey homes offer high accessibility, this makes them a sought-after purchase for a diverse range of people and family sets such as:

• The elderly. Elderly residents or visitors who struggle with mobility may require additional assistance in moving up and down stairs and prefer single-storey dwellings.
• Families with young children. While children often have no problem moving up and down steps, stairs inside the home can increase their risk of potential injury, especially if suitable railing is not installed.
• The disabled or injured. As single-storey homes don’t require any staircases they are much more wheelchair accessible than their multi-storey counterparts.

2. Easy to modify

A luxury single-storey home minimises the complexities associated with later modifications of the home, which is an appealing factor if you want to allow for changes down the line. This also positively impacts the resell value as it will appeal to new homebuyers who are hoping to modify the home towards their lifestyle. These modifications may include:

• Adding or expanding rooms
• Renovating existing spaces
• Installing new windows or doors
• Upgrading plumbing or electrical systems
• Customising the current layout for changing lifestyle needs

3. Reduced construction costs

Luxury single-storey designs often come with several cost benefits. Not only will they usually require fewer materials and less labour but they can also benefit from lower engineering costs thanks to a simpler design. By saving costs on construction early in the process, you will be able to secure a higher return when reselling the home in the market or renting it to others. Alternatively, the money you save by opting for a single-storey home can also be reinvested in other elements of the house you may have otherwise missed out on – think home movie theatre or bespoke wine cellar.

4. Energy efficient

Energy efficiency is one of the standout benefits of luxury single-storey homes, with energy-efficient houses fetching a premium within the Perth housing market. Some ways that single-storey designs reduce energy costs and increase the efficiency of the home include:

• Heating and cooling. Single-storey layouts provide more for less, with temperatures being regulated more quickly at a lowered cost.
• Lowered lighting costs. An expert Perth custom home builder will know how to make the most of natural lighting in a custom home to reduce artificial lighting costs. For luxury single-storey homes, these savings will be especially pronounced, with fewer rooms to light and added skylight opportunities.
• Simplified maintenance and utilities. With improved ease of access to gutters, roofs and exterior walls, maintenance becomes less costly for single-storey dwellings.

5. Easy to manage

It should be no surprise that one storey is easier to manage than two, with no stairs to navigate and reduced overall floor space, cleaning becomes a breeze.

Preparing to host? Enjoy the ease of cleaning up quickly and efficiently in a luxury single-storey home, without the need to bring a heavy vacuum up and down the stairs. Hiring professional services? Enjoy significantly reduced cleaning costs compared to multi-storey dwellings. If you’re interested in carpeted flooring throughout your home, these savings might become especially relevant, as the amount of carpet throughout your home can become nearly halved.

These savings are especially appealing to busy professionals or retirees. When the home is being resold on the market, these advantages help it to appeal to a wide audience as a manageable luxury home option.

Current Trends in Luxury Single-Storey Living

1. Integration with nature

“Sustainable modernism” has been gaining traction year after year in the luxury single-storey home space. This leading architectural style combines the modernity we know and love – including clean lines, asymmetry and minimalism – with elements of nature.

This integration can be as simple as creating a strong indoor-outdoor flow using expansive patios and natural-finish wooden materials, to incorporating leading features such as rainwater harvesting and green roofs which have been a quickly growing trend over the past decade.

2. Resort living

More and more homebuyers are looking for homes that are a haven of peace and tranquillity. This demand has resulted in an increase in resort-style elements being incorporated into luxury homes with single-storey homes being the perfect canvas for this design trend.

Transporting homeowners to the resorts of the Maldives or European beaches, these homes are designed to be open and breezy with lots of natural light. Two elements that the luxury single-storey home excels in.

3. Flexible architecture

Flexible living allows for more with less in a single-storey home. By utilising moving elements such as sliding doors and retractable partitions, these design trends put you back in charge of how you want your home to look, with the power to create closed-off areas for privacy or open up the home completely for social events and improved flow. Brought on by an increased demand for zoning options inside houses as well as a significant shift in the diversity of modern Australian lifestyles, flexible living allows homeowners to shift their space to perfectly suit their needs on a day-by-day basis.

4. Innovative and hidden storage

Once associated with older-style homes, the hidden compartment has been making a comeback over the past decade with a shift towards luxury minimalism increasing the need for effective storage solutions in single-storey living. These compartments can be hidden within furniture such as in a kitchen island or bed frame, or built into the house itself such as under-the-floorboard storage.

5. Tech integrated architecture

With rapid developments of technology over the past few decades it should come as no surprise that tech-integration has continued to reach new heights over the past few years. Beyond lighting and thermostats, smart homes now include elements such as retractable screens, automatic blinds and smart locks.

6. Renewable energy integration

The integration of renewable energy has been a steadily rising demand of Australian homeowners.  According to research conducted by Roy Morgan, over 3.2 million Australian homes now use solar panels, compared to only 1.32 million in June of 2018. As a result, leading luxury home builders have begun to adjust the architecture of luxury single-storey homes to account for more renewable energy options. To ensure a sleek luxury finish, renewable options such as energy storage systems, solar panels and wind turbines are now being accounted for in the development of luxury custom home designs.

How to balance timeless and trendy home features

Part of good home design is to balance the trendy with the timeless to create sleek luxury homes that look modern while showcasing a timeless style that won’t let the home design depreciate in the coming years. Striking this perfect balance comes with years of luxury design experience and a deep understanding of not just current trends but also the forecasted and historical trends of luxury homes.

At Trendsetter Homes we work closely with our clients to strike this perfect balance, ensuring that their custom designed home has all the latest features that they love in the modern market while remaining functional and aesthetic throughout the years to come.

Design Elements that Define Luxury in Single-Storey Homes

Unlike the simple single-storey Bungalow of the 1920s, today’s single-storey homes often encompass multiple luxury design elements, allowing them to compete with the grandeur of even large multi-storey luxury custom home designs.

Through careful design, material selection, and craftsmanship, the modern luxury home builder has shown you can do more, with less.

Seamless indoor-outdoor flow

One of the key defining features of a luxury single-storey home is its effortless harmony with the outdoor space. When looking at leading luxury single-storey homes you can find this achieved through elements such as:

• Large sliding doors that open onto alfresco areas to extend the living space outside.
• Natural wood or stone finishes that complement the surrounding environment.
• Large windows and skylights which flood the common areas of the home with natural light.
• Water features or potted plants surrounding or inside of the house, to bring the outside nature indoors.

Premium materials and finishes

No matter if it’s a single, dual or multi-story home, luxury home builders will always find ways to seamlessly incorporate premium materials and finishes into the home design in a way that substantially elevates the property. It’s these details that make all the difference and help visitors know that a home is luxury as soon as they’ve stepped on the block.

High ceilings

Nothing says luxury like when you first step into a home and feel the open expanse of a gorgeous high ceiling. Not only do high ceilings look good and feel great, they also allow for more unique lighting and furnishing options that invite a whole new level of luxury and innovation to a home.

In a luxury single-storey home, you can enjoy high ceilings across your entire home without feeling concerned that your home might be too tall or large. With the right custom design, you can have a luxury single-storey home that looks sleek and thin from the outside while feeling tall and expansive on the inside.

Utilising Space in Single-Storey Luxury Homes

There’s no need to sacrifice when it comes to designing your dream single-storey home. The right luxury home builder will be able to maximise square footage without the need for vertical expansion. How? As leading custom home builders in Perth, we have some tricks up our sleeves.

1. Embrace an open floor plan

Open floor plans are a hallmark of luxury single-storey homes, and for good reason. Not only do open-floor plans make your home feel larger and increase the flow of your space, but it also aids in maximising your internal space. By removing walls and barriers between rooms, you leave more room for the things you love, while making the home easier to navigate.

2. Make the most of home zoning

Popular in double and multi-storey homes, zoning inside a home can work in any luxury home space. Consider zoning your home for different lifestyle areas such as entertainment, relaxation and work or, if you’re thinking of a family home, consider how you can zone separate areas to suit different family members. By choosing to zone, you can simplify the layout of your home, helping to decrease the potential of clutter.

3. Consider sliding doors

If you’ve been looking at inspiration for luxury single-storey homes one thing that might have caught your eye is an abundance of glass sliding doors. Especially popular in the contemporary and modern styles, these help to create more than just the illusion of more space. By opting for sliding doors, you don’t have to worry about leaving room for doors to swing open and shut inside your home, increasing your opportunities for interior design.

The Process of Building Your Dream Luxury Single-Storey Home

As one of the most specialised luxury home builders in Perth we’ve perfected the process of turning luxury dreams into a luxury reality. Our building process follows three easy-to-follow steps, and when you work with Trendsetter Homes, rest assured that we will help guide you each step of the way.

1. Design

The design stage is where you’re going to see your dreams start to shape up to reality. We combine our expertise and decades’ worth of experience with your lifestyle and personality to create a truly bespoke luxury custom design that suits you.

Initial consultation

We start with an in-depth consultation where our designers gain a comprehensive understanding of who you are – your lifestyle, preferences and personal style. We then begin translating that into a bespoke home that we know you’ll love.

Drafting the floor plans

The next stage is communicating our vision with you and working to further perfect it. This includes presenting the initial custom home floor plan and working with you to ensure that everything flows just as you’d like it.

Further consultation

From the time that the first-floor plan is presented, our designers will continue to work closely with you in this consultation phase. As one of Perth’s best custom home builders we are committed to creating a home as unique as you, and we won’t stop until you’re completely satisfied.

2. Build

It’s time to turn your vision into a reality. Here we bring a team of highly skilled craftsmen together to bring your home plans to life. With our site supervisors present every step of the way, working closely with our internal design, we ensure that nothing gets overlooked. It’s more than just building a house to us, it’s about building a home which is to the highest standards in every element. That’s part of the luxury home difference.

3. Interior architecture

Architecture doesn’t stop on the outside. At Trendsetter Homes we want to make sure you get the most out of your internal space, with a group of interior designers that ensure you’re getting the most you can out of every room. From the finishes and materials selected to perfecting the lighting, acoustics and ergonomics of the interior home, in this step, you’ll see your home spring to life.

The Trendsetter Homes Difference in Luxury Single-Storey Home Building

We’ve been creating and building luxury custom home designs in Perth since 1997. As a family-owned business, we’ve carefully retained our decade’s worth of learnings throughout the years, to develop a comprehensive understanding of what it takes to create award-winning luxury homes in Perth. This includes knowing which materials to choose, the resources required, how to work effectively within the local landscape and what Perth homeowners want out of their luxury homes.

Made up of a carefully curated team of designers, builders and interior architects, we work cohesively across every stage of luxury home development to create leading designs for the Perth market. Our attention to detail, exceptional craftsmanship and comprehensive skillset is what makes us one of Perth’s leading luxury home builders and what defined the Trendsetter Homes difference that our customers know and love.

Thinking of start your luxury single-storey home journey? Speak to one of our friendly team members today.