Are you going to move into a new apartment and want to know how tall a house you should purchase for your family? Various types of dwellings are present these days, but you have to choose the perfect one according to your preference, needs and size of the family.
Different kinds of buildings, such as bungalows, apartments, flats, individual houses, etc., but a 2 story house is perfect for a medium-sized family. If you are curious to know about the height of the 2 story building, then you have arrived at the right place. In this article, you will get to know about various factors that contribute to determining the height of the building simultaneously other methods that we can use to know the exact size of the building with or without professional help.
Before we begin, first of all, let us know what a story or a floor is.
What is a story in a building?
A story is a level or the floor of the building. It divides the building horizontally into several compartments called floors. These different floors or compartments can be made the same or different from each other depending on the individual choices. In multi-story buildings, usually, they are built identically to each other.
As we know, the height of the building matters a lot as it decides the overall look of the building. It also determines the environmental conditions that are present inside the building.
In this blog, you will also get an idea about the various factors on which the overall height of the house depends and the methods to measure the height. So, without any delay, let us get started.
As if we are familiar with the concept of story now, let us move forward and see how we can measure the height of the 2 story house.
To measure the height we have various methods. Let us discuss them one by one.
How can you measure the exact height of the building?
So, by using these methods, you can precisely measure the height of the building with or without any professional help.
Shadow cast method
Here are the following equipment that will be needed-
- A measuring tape or inch tape
- Hammer of appropriate shape and size
- Stick of height approx. 4 to 5 feet
- A paper and pen
To do this you will need a sunny day as the shadow can be seen clearly in the sunny days. Use this method in the daytime when you can clearly see the casted shadows on the ground clearly.
Now, gather all the pieces of equipment that were listed above and get started-
Step 1 – measure the shadow of the house
Measure the exact height of the shadow by using an inch of tape. If the house has having slating roof or attic over it, then include that also. Remember the measure the height from the base of the foundation to the uppermost part of the house.
Step 2 – dig the stick in the ground.
The stick that we took was dug into the ground using a hammer. Keep in mind to measure the exact height of the stick that is showing above the ground.
Step 3 – measure the height of the shadow of the stick
Again, using the inch tape, measure the size of the shadow of the stick cast in the ground.
Step 4 – do some calculations.
Now, it is the work of the pen and the paper that we took in the very beginning. It would be best if you kept both of the measurements in the form of ratios in front of each other. Likewise, putting an “a” or “x” in the place of the height of the house as it is still to be known.
- Height of the stick/height of the shadow of the stick =
- height of the house (x or a) / size of the shadow of the house.
- After doing some calculations, you will get the exact height of the building.
(note – measure both the shadows, i.e., the shadow of the house and the stick, at the same time to prevent calculation mistakes)
What is the height of an average 2 story house?
The average height of the 2 story house will be counted from the lowermost point to the uppermost point of the house.
A house without an attic on the top
- Foundation of the house = 2 to 3 feet
- The first floor of the house = 11 to 12 feet
- Second floor = 9 to 10 feet
After adding them all together, we will get almost 22 to 23 feet or 6.7 to 7 meters.
If there is an attic present, then,
1. Height of the attic = 3 to 4 feet
A house with an attic will be 25 to 26 feet or 6.5 to 7.6 to 8 meters tall.
Various factors on which the height of the building depends
1. The height of the foundation
The foundation is the base of anything on which anything starts building and later on flourishes. This line is satisfied in all cases, beating the future of the child or the stability of the structure of the building.
It provides strength and strength to the building, so the more potent the foundation, the stronger the building will be, and the more floors you can make over it. Also, it will sustain disasters such as earthquakes or cyclones. etc., along with the importance of the foundation, it also adds some extra feet to the overall height of the building.
If you are planning to build a basement inside your house, then you need to make your foundation more profound and robust, and that basement can be used either as a parking space or can be considered as an extra floor. The various types of foundations are such as-.
- Slab foundation
- Footing or isolated foundation
- Pile foundation
- Drilled shafts foundation
- Strip foundation
- Combined footing foundation
2. Type of material used during the constriction time
Various materials, such as concrete, cement, bricks, etc, are used in the construction of the building. These are also some of the significant factors in the determination of the height of the building, such as bricks adding more height as compared to concrete but are a bit cheaper than concrete.
3. The type of roof you are going for
A roof is that essential element that gives the house an overall look. In the case of a 2 story house that is not much tall, any roof can be built. The different types of roofs add significant height to the overall place. The type of roof you go for highly depends on the individual choice, along with the type of climate in which you are living. Such as a flat roof will have a negligible impact on the height, whereas a slanting roof will add many feet in height. The slanting types of roofs are more common in windy areas to equalize the pressure of wind and prevent the intergrity of the building.
4. The presence of an attic on the top of the roof
As we know, an attic serves many purposes and it is used for various purposes in the house as it can be used as a playhouse for the kids, it can also be used as a place to keep unused items as a storehouse, and also as an extra space for the guests to stay. So, the presence or absence of an attic over the top of the house also impacts the height of the building.
5. The purpose for which the house is designed for
Buildings are usually built by the architects for the specific purpose. Different types of buildings are residential buildings, schools, shopping complexes, industrial buildings, churches, etc. all of these have some specific criteria of height. Such as, the residential apartment will obviously be of comparatively shorter height as compared to the shopping complex or any residential building.
6. How thick the floor of the building is
The thickness of the floor is a minor factor, but we can consider it too if we are expecting to get the actual and exact height of the house. It can vary up to 12 to 18 inches, which is a slight difference to be considered in determining the size of the 2 story house.
7. How tall your first floor is
The first floor is the most important floor of the building, as all the structures of the building stand over it. In some of the old houses and also in the modern ones, the first floor is built a bit higher than the other floors that are built over it in order to give your house an appearance of more spacious and big. So usually, the difference is kept up to 3 to 4 feet between the first and the other floors.
8. State laws and legislature
Many states and even cities have passed laws to set the rule for the maximum height of the building to prevent any tragedy in the future. They also inspect the quality of the material that is being used. Also, the map of the building should be verified by the customs officer on duty. Only then can you start the construction work on the land.
9. Height of the other floors
Other floors that are built over the first floor are lower compared to the first floor. They give the appearance of coziness, safety, and security. As we just discussed, the difference between the heights of the 2 different floors can be up to 3 to 4 feet.
But this is optional to be used in every other buillindg as the apartments that are multi stoyed. The architects do not follow this rule in these cases to give the appearance of uniformity in the structure of the building.
Final words
There are several factors on which the height of the building depends, such as the material used in the construction, the presence of an attic, the size of the roof, ceiling, floor foundation, etc., along with the laws and legislature of the particular state. After considering all of these factors, we can conclude that the average height of the building with a flat roof and no extra modifications will be 22 to 23 feet. And if we are adding on additional modifications, such as the attic, then it will be at most 25 to 26 feet.
We hope that our guide helps you to answer all your questions. If you still have doubts, then leave your comment below. We will reach you as soon as possible.
Frequently asked questions
How high is a two story house for flat and A-frame roofs?
A 2 story house having a flat roof will be 20 to 22 feet. At the same time, a two story house with a high pitch A-frame roof can measure up to 25 to 28 feet.
How does the height of a 2 story house compare to one one-story place?
The average height of the 2 story house is 22 to 25 feet. In comparison to that, the size of the one-story house will be obviously shorter, with an average height of 10 to 12 feet, depending on the height of the ceiling height, design of the house.