Single-Story Houses: Why They Became a Trend in the High-End Segment

Updated on 07/06/2026 by EZA Engenharia

Demand for high-end single-story houses has grown, and it was no passing fad. Living all on one level means real accessibility, direct integration with the garden and a house that stays comfortable thirty years from now. In more than 35 years building in Criciúma and the region, we have seen this desire go from the exception to being part of the conversation in almost every residential project, alongside others high-end home trends. In this text, we explain what supports this preference and, in the more practical part, when the lot calls for a single-story home and when it is better to build up.

Why single-story homes have gained ground in the high-end segment

For a long time, a two-story house was synonymous with an important home. The staircase was almost a status item, with a double-height hall and a designed guardrail. That thinking has changed. Today, those who build a high-end house tend to prioritize the way of living, not the image the house projects onto the street.

And living on a single level is simpler. A small child, a grandmother who visits on the weekend, moving furniture, cleaning, everything flows with no step in the way. In a two-story house, the private area is isolated on the upper floor, and in practice the family spends the whole day downstairs and only goes up to sleep. In a single-story house, the entire home takes part in the daily routine.

Integration with the garden changes the home's routine

The single-story house engages with the land in a way that the two-story house cannot. Living room, kitchen and veranda open directly onto the garden, on the same level, with no stairs or transition landing. Wide sliding doors turn the backyard into an extension of the social area, and the landscaping stops being a frame and becomes part of the house.

This shows up in everyday life. A barbecue that starts in the kitchen and ends on the lawn, a child playing outside within sight of whoever is in the living room, a pool a few steps from the gourmet area. In the residential projects we oversee, it is this relationship between inside and out that comes up most in clients' requests.

Generous ceiling height: single-story does not mean a low house

A common fear is that a single-story house looks flat. The answer lies in the design. A higher ceiling in the social area, generous openings and a ceiling that follows the slope of the roof create a spaciousness that many two-story houses don't have. Windows high on the walls bring in light without giving up privacy, a topic we detail in natural lighting in the house design.

On the engineering side, a generous ceiling height calls for attention to thermal comfort, structural sizing and window frames. A larger volume of air is great in summer, as long as cross ventilation works, and it calls for well-resolved insulation on the roof for winter. This is a matter of design and execution, not of luck.

Aging in the house, not despite it

Few design decisions are worth as much as thinking about the house twenty or thirty years from now. A single-story home allows you to grow older at the same address without depending on heavy construction work. With no stairs, wider doors, a bathroom with maneuvering room and a floor without level changes, the house keeps pace with life's stages instead of becoming an obstacle.

We have already seen the opposite happen: a family that built a two-story house and, years later, needed to install an elevator or turn the ground-floor office into a bedroom. It can be solved, of course. But it comes at a high cost and never ends up as well resolved as what was born in the design.

When the lot calls for a single-story house (and when it doesn't)

The single-story home spreads the house's program across the ground. That's why it calls for a lot with enough area and width to fit everything on one floor, respecting the setbacks and occupancy ratio of the city or the condominium. A flat, generous lot, a common situation in the region's gated communities, is the ideal scenario.

A narrow site, or one with a steep slope, tends to tell another story. On a strong slope, insisting on a single-story house can mean a lot of spending on cutting, filling and retaining, when a two-level design would take advantage of the lot's natural shape and even gain a view. Before making the final call, it is worth understanding what your lot allows, a subject we cover in building a house on your own lot in Criciúma.

• Flat, wide plot with good area: a strong candidate for a single-story home
• Steep slope: a two-level house usually makes better use of the lot
• Narrow lot or tight building coverage ratio: the program may not fit on a single floor
• A beautiful view of the surroundings: an upper floor may be worth the stairs

In the end, the single-story house became a trend because it answers an old desire: a home that is easy to live in today and prepared for what comes next. If the lot allows, it delivers accessibility, a garden within the routine and a spaciousness that surprises those who only knew two-story houses. EZA Engenharia builds personalized and made-to-measure houses in Criciúma and the region since 1991, from design to execution, with in-house engineering. With design coordination and VR visualization, you see the house before the work begins and decide with confidence whether a single-story home is your path. Reach out to us on WhatsApp (48) 99191-2018, send an email to [email protected], or explore the projects at eza.com.br.