Country style two-story home designs combine traditional exterior materials with open floor plans to create houses that feel both spacious and grounded. The 1,871 square foot layout examined here shows how a five-bedroom two-story design shares similar organizational strategies — zoning public spaces on the main level and bedrooms upstairs while using material variety on the exterior to signal a crafted character. Prospective homeowners benefit from understanding how each design decision affects cost, livability, and future adaptability.
Exterior Material Combinations for Country Style Homes
The exterior of a country style home typically layers two or three distinct materials. The combination of vertical siding, horizontal siding, cedar shakes, and brick accents gives the elevation visual depth without relying on complex roof forms or expensive dormer arrangements. This material palette makes a 1,871 square foot structure read as larger and more substantial than its actual footprint.
How Material Placement Affects Curb Appeal
Vertical board-and-batten siding draws the eye upward, making a two-story elevation feel taller and more commanding. Designers commonly reserve vertical siding for the main body of the facade and switch to horizontal lap siding on the upper floor or rear elevations. This change in grain direction creates a visual break that defines the massing of the house without costly architectural ornaments. Cedar shakes find their home in gable ends and dormer faces, where their irregular texture softens the hard lines of the siding grid.
Brick Accents as Functional Design Elements
Brick skirting or accent bands serve a structural purpose beyond appearance. Brick resists moisture wicking from the ground, protects the siding from splash-back during heavy rain, and provides a durable surface at the most vulnerable part of the wall assembly. A three-bedroom single-story floor plan with similar brick detailing shows how this placement extends the service life of the wood siding above it. The material cost of brick runs higher upfront, typically $12 to $25 per square foot installed, but the lifespan of 50 to 100 years with minimal maintenance offsets the investment for long-term homeowners.
| Siding Material | Cost per sq ft (installed) | Lifespan (years) | Maintenance Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vinyl siding | $3.50 – $8.00 | 20 – 40 | Low |
| Fiber cement | $6.00 – $13.00 | 40 – 80 | Low |
| Cedar shakes | $8.00 – $16.00 | 20 – 40 | Medium-High |
| Brick veneer | $12.00 – $25.00 | 50 – 100+ | Very Low |
| Engineered wood | $4.00 – $9.00 | 25 – 40 | Medium |
The table above compares common siding materials used in country style homes. Fiber cement strikes the best balance of cost, lifespan, and maintenance for most homeowners, while brick veneer offers the longest service life at the highest initial cost. Cedar shakes provide the most authentic handcrafted look but require periodic staining or sealing to prevent moisture damage.
Floor Plan Organization in a Two-Story Country House
Two-story country house plans divide the program into public zones on the ground floor and private zones on the upper floor. The main level in this 1,871 square foot plan contains the foyer, powder room, pocket office, family room, dining area, kitchen, mudroom, and laundry. This grouping keeps all daily living activities on one level while the second floor houses three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and direct laundry access.
Foyer Entry and Circulation
The foyer acts as the circulation hub. Flanked by a powder bath on one side and a pocket office on the other, it channels traffic straight back into the open-concept living zone. This T-shaped entry prevents the front door from opening directly into the living room, a common issue in smaller open-plan homes that sacrifices visual privacy. The powder bath near the entry serves guests without requiring them to walk deeper into the home.
Pocket Office Placement
The pocket office occupies the space between the foyer and the garage entry. Its position near the mudroom makes it convenient for sorting mail, managing household accounts, or handling quick work tasks without climbing stairs. Pocket offices typically measure 60 to 80 square feet — enough for a desk, filing cabinet, and guest chair. This room can double as a main-level guest room when fitted with a pull-out couch, though the lack of a nearby full bathroom limits overnight use.
Open-Concept Living: Connecting Family Room, Dining, and Kitchen
The rear of the main level features an open layout where the family room, dining area, and kitchen share one continuous volume. This arrangement, similar to a three-bedroom ranch home with an open floor plan, allows natural light from the back of the house to reach the central dining area. Sliding glass doors in the dining space extend the usable area onto a patio or deck for alfresco meals during warm months.
Tray Ceiling Definition in the Family Room
A tray ceiling sets the family room apart from the adjacent kitchen and dining areas without using walls or partitions. This raised ceiling section, typically 10 to 12 inches higher than the surrounding ceiling, creates a subtle boundary that defines the living zone. Builders can finish tray ceilings with crown molding, a painted accent color, or recessed lighting to reinforce the separation. The tray ceiling adds roughly $1.50 to $3.00 per square foot to construction cost compared to a flat ceiling of the same height.
Kitchen Island as a Space Divider
The L-shaped kitchen counters and prep island serve as the visual and functional divider between cooking and living zones. An island with casual seating on one side lets family members talk to the cook without entering the work triangle. For a 1,871 square foot home, a kitchen island measuring 4 by 6 feet provides enough counter space for food preparation while leaving 36 to 42 inches of clearance on all sides for traffic flow. The island should include at least two electrical outlets for small appliances and can house the main sink or cooktop depending on plumbing preferences.
- Position the island parallel to the main kitchen counter run for the most efficient work triangle
- Allow 42 to 48 inches of clearance on the seating side for stool legroom
- Include a microwave drawer or beverage fridge in the island to keep countertops clear
- Use pendant lighting centered 30 to 36 inches above the island surface
Jack and Jill Bathroom Configuration for Family Bedrooms
Two upstairs bedrooms share a Jack and Jill bathroom — a layout where the bathroom connects directly to both bedrooms through separate doors. This arrangement, also used in country style craftsman home designs with open floor plans, eliminates the need for children or guests to enter a hallway to reach the bathroom. Each bedroom retains its own access door so one occupant does not block the other from using the sink or toilet.
Design Requirements for Shared Bathrooms
A functional Jack and Jill bathroom needs a minimum of 60 square feet to accommodate two vanities, a toilet compartment, and a combined tub-shower. The toilet should sit in its own compartment with a pocket door for privacy so one person can use the toilet while another uses the vanity. Dual vanities, each 30 to 36 inches wide, give each bedroom user dedicated counter and storage space. Bedroom doors to the bathroom should swing inward toward the bathroom, not into the bedroom, to avoid conflicts with bedroom furniture placement.
Privacy Considerations
The main drawback of a Jack and Jill bathroom is that locking the door on one side blocks access from the other bedroom. Pocket doors or sliding barn doors on the bedroom-to-bathroom connections solve this by not swinging into the bathroom floor space. Privacy locks should be thumb-turn type, not keyed, so adults can open them from the outside in an emergency. A small transom window or skylight in the bathroom provides natural light while maintaining privacy from neighboring houses.
Primary Suite Design with Vaulted Ceilings and Walk-In Closet
The primary bedroom on the second floor includes a vaulted ceiling that opens up the space beyond the typical 8-foot flat ceiling height. Vaulted ceilings follow the roof slope, creating a peaked or cathedral-like volume that makes a 12 by 14 foot bedroom feel significantly larger. The vaulted ceiling requires additional insulation and structural framing, adding $2.50 to $5.00 per square foot of ceiling area compared to a standard flat ceiling.
Walk-In Closet with Direct Laundry Access
The walk-in closet connects directly to the laundry area, allowing the homeowner to move clothes from dryer to closet without carrying them across the bedroom or down the hall. This design feature reduces the household chore friction that comes with basement or first-floor laundry in a two-story home. A well-designed walk-in closet for a primary suite needs:
- 60 to 80 linear inches of double-hang rod space for shirts and pants
- 24 to 36 linear inches of long-hang rod space for dresses and coats
- Shelf storage 12 to 16 inches deep above and below rod sections
- Shoe storage: angled shelves or cubbies along one wall
Ensuite Bathroom Configuration
The ensuite bathroom attached to the primary bedroom should include a double vanity, water closet, and a separate shower-tub combination. Separating the toilet in its own compartment allows one person to shower while another uses the toilet without conflict. A similar four-bedroom symmetrical layout demonstrates how ensuite bathrooms positioned on the exterior wall with a window above the tub improve ventilation and reduce mold risk.
Efficient Support Spaces: Mudroom and Garage Entry
The mudroom connects the double garage to the main living area, providing a transition zone where dirty boots, wet coats, and grocery bags land before entering the kitchen. A 7 by 10 foot mudroom can accommodate built-in cubbies for each family member, a bench for sitting while removing shoes, and hooks or a coat rack at 48 to 54 inches above the floor. The direct path from garage through mudroom to kitchen makes unloading groceries efficient — bags travel less than 15 feet from car to counter.
Mudroom Storage Strategies
- Assign each family member a cubby with a 12-inch cube for shoes and a 12-inch wider upper space for bags or sports gear
- Install a drip pan or tile floor with a floor drain to handle wet boots and melting snow
- Include a countertop landing zone at 36 inches high for grocery bags and mail
- Add a secondary closet for off-season outerwear not in daily rotation
A well-planned mudroom reduces the cleaning load on the main living areas by capturing dirt and moisture before it spreads. Hard flooring materials like tile, brick, or sealed concrete perform best in this zone. The transition to wood or laminate flooring at the kitchen entry should include a threshold strip to prevent surface water from wicking into the adjacent flooring. Each additional foot of mudroom depth beyond 6 feet adds usable storage but risks becoming a dumping ground if the space is oversized. The contemporary barn style home design offers an alternative approach where the mudroom doubles as a secondary entry from a covered porch, giving the garage connection a different spatial logic suited to narrower lots.