T-Minus 496 days: One story or two story house?

I have always lived in a two story house. In fact... count the basement... three story house. Stacking floors on top of each other is the cheapest way to get square footage. It is also nice to have that separation between activities happening upstairs versus downstairs. Having a house with stairs helps to keep you healthy because going up and down stairs is great exercise.

But who hasn't fallen down the stairs? Whether it is a full top to bottom fall, or you just miss the bottom step? Falling on stairs is dangerous and painful. I know - I just went to go up the stairs, my toes didn't have a firm grip and slipped off the step mid stride. My foot hurts, my knee is skinned, the hip I landed on hurts. What a pain!

I am fifty years old. I'm not a young guy anymore. I have decided that I don't want to use stairs in my Florida home. Many of the houses we have rented in Florida during the summers do not have a second floor, and those that did - I never went up stairs. We would get a two story house and put the kids upstairs. The upstairs was their domain.

When we go to Florida, I will likely get a two story house to minimize the cost per square foot. When I do, my adult children and guests can have that second floor. I'm getting a suite on the first floor and plan to rarely, if ever, see that second floor. If my adult children are on the second floor, I'll make them maintain the second floor as part of their rent.

What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear them.