Bungalow or two-storey house? Which is cheaper, what to choose

A two-storey house is usually cheaper per m² of usable floor area than a bungalow, because its foundation slab and roof are roughly half the size — two expensive structures that grow with the footprint. A bungalow has no stairs, is easier to grow old in and to maintain, but needs a larger plot. Price-list rates for a turnkey house (CZK 35,000 – 45,000 per m² on the market, from CZK 31,000 per m² with us) apply to both types; the shape of the house decides where in that range you land. For a 120 m² model house, the difference in foundations, roof and facade comes to roughly CZK 0.4 – 0.6 million in favour of two storeys — before the intermediate floor and the staircase are deducted.

This article compares only the form of the house: costs, plot, energy and everyday living. The full building budget is covered in how much a house costs to build, the roof choice in which roof for your house.

Quick comparison

	Bungalow	Two-storey house
Foundation slab and roof	large, grow with usable area	roughly half the size
Facade	less wall area	more wall area, work from taller scaffolding
Intermediate floor and stairs	not needed	needed, take up area on both floors
Plot requirements	large	smaller
Step-free living	built in	only with adaptations
Day and night zones	solved by the layout	natural, by floor
Heat-loss envelope	larger	smaller
Maintaining windows, gutters, facade	from the ground or a ladder	often scaffolding or a lift

Why the price differs: what grows with footprint and what with height

In a bungalow the entire usable area becomes footprint. Every extra metre means a metre of foundation slab and a metre of roof. Complete foundations cost CZK 3,500 – 5,500 per m² of slab according to the price list, a new timber roof frame CZK 900 – 2,000 per m² and tile covering from CZK 2,300 per m² of roof. A two-storey house spreads these structures over two levels.

A two-storey house, on the other hand, has more external wall on the facade, needs an intermediate floor and a staircase, and is built from taller scaffolding. The floor and staircase belong to the shell in the price list, but their cost depends on the structure set by the design — so ask for them as separate items in quotes.

Model calculation: a house with 120 m² of usable floor area

This illustrative example counts only the structures that differ most between the two types. Assumptions: the bungalow with a hip roof has a footprint of about 145 m², a roof of about 190 m², 60 running metres of roof flashing and gutters and 150 m² of facade. The two-storey house with a gable roof has a footprint of about 75 m², a roof of about 110 m², 35 running metres of flashing and 220 m² of facade. Rates are from our 2026 construction price list, excluding VAT.

Item	Rate	Bungalow	Two-storey
Complete foundations	CZK 3,500 – 5,500/m²	CZK 508k – 798k	CZK 263k – 413k
Roof frame	CZK 900 – 2,000/m²	CZK 171k – 380k	CZK 99k – 220k
Covering — tiles	from CZK 2,300/m²	from CZK 437k	from CZK 253k
Flashing and gutters	CZK 450 – 900/rm	CZK 27k – 54k	CZK 16k – 32k
EPS facade insulation incl. render	CZK 1,500 – 2,200/m²	CZK 225k – 330k	CZK 330k – 484k
Total of these items	covering at from CZK 2,300/m²	CZK 1.37 – 2.0 million	CZK 0.96 – 1.4 million

On these items the two-storey house is cheaper by roughly CZK 0.4 – 0.6 million. But a bungalow needs no intermediate floor or staircase, so the final difference for the whole build is smaller and different for every design. The figures are only an example — take the real areas from your own design. How foundation costs add up is shown in foundation slab.

Plot: how much space each house needs

The municipal zoning plan often limits how much of the plot you may build on and sets distances from the boundaries. Example: if the plan allows 30% of the plot to be built on, a bungalow with a 145 m² footprint needs a plot of at least about 480 m², a two-storey house with 75 m² roughly 250 m². A garage, carport or terrace often counts towards the built-up area as well. The actual limits are in your municipality's zoning plan.

On a narrow or sloping plot, a two-storey house also leaves more garden and is easier to orient to the sun. A bungalow on a slope means more earthworks and taller foundations.

Energy and heating

Heat escapes through the envelope — floor, walls and roof. In the model example, the bungalow's envelope is about 440 m² (145 m² of floor, 145 m² of ceiling under the roof and 150 m² of walls), the two-storey house's about 370 m² (75 + 75 + 220 m²). A more compact shape means less heat-losing surface. In a well-insulated house, though, consumption depends mainly on the quality of insulation, windows and ventilation; only an energy calculation of the design gives the exact figure.

Summer is different: the upper floor of a two-storey house overheats more than the ground floor, so upstairs bedrooms need external shading. A bungalow keeps all rooms close to the ground and stays cooler, but it has more windows and glazed doors, which also need shading on the south and west.

Everyday living

• No stairs: a bungalow is step-free — convenient for small children and for old age, with no later alterations.
• Zoning: a two-storey house naturally separates daytime rooms downstairs from bedrooms upstairs. In a bungalow a careful layout must separate the zones, or you walk past the bedrooms from the living room.
• Views and light: the upper floor gives better views and more bedroom privacy; a bungalow gives direct garden access from most rooms.
• Maintenance: a bungalow's windows, gutters and facade can be reached from a ladder; a two-storey house needs scaffolding or a lift.
• Extending: a bungalow is easier to extend sideways, a two-storey house is harder. Any extension needs space on the plot.

The build itself

A bungalow has more work "down low": more excavation, longer strip footings, a larger slab and a wide roof worked from low scaffolding. A two-storey house has smaller foundations but adds an intermediate floor, a staircase and taller scaffolding for masonry and facade. A cast-in-place floor needs time for the concrete to cure; a precast floor system goes in faster. The total shell time is usually similar for both types; weather, roof complexity and window delivery times matter more.

For a bungalow, plan the drainage of the large roof carefully; for a two-storey house, plan scaffolding access around the whole house — on a narrow plot you may need temporary use of the neighbour's land or the pavement.

Which type suits whom

Situation	Rather bungalow	Rather two-storey
Family with small children	all on one level, supervision from the kitchen	quiet bedrooms away from noise downstairs
Living there into old age	no stairs, no alterations	only with a ground-floor bedroom or a lift
Small or expensive plot	—	smaller footprint, more garden
Working from home	study away from bedrooms	study on another floor
Sloping plot	higher foundation costs	adapts better to the terrain

The compromise: a house with a habitable attic

A single-storey house with a habitable attic sits between the two. It has a smaller footprint than a bungalow but a lower facade than a full upper storey. You pay for it with sloping ceilings, roof windows and roof insulation — insulation between rafters costs CZK 600 – 1,200 per m² according to the price list, a roof window including fitting CZK 12,000 – 28,000 each. An attic makes sense if you want a smaller plot without a pronounced two-storey volume.

How to decide, step by step

1. Find the plot limits — built-up ratio, boundary distances, height and roof shape from the zoning plan.
2. Write down who will live in the house in 20 years — older occupants and step-free living point to a bungalow.
3. Draw layouts of both variants for the same usable area.
4. Work out footprint, roof area and facade area of each variant.
5. Get both variants priced item by item, including floor and stairs for the two-storey option.
6. Compare running costs too — maintenance, heating and future extension.

Common mistakes

• Comparing only the price per m² without splitting it into foundations, roof, facade and stairs.
• A bungalow on too small a plot — the house fits, but there is no garden or parking left.
• A bungalow layout without zones — long corridors and bedrooms right by the living room.
• Underestimating the staircase — in a two-storey house it takes floor area on both levels and must be in the budget.
• Ignoring the zoning plan — the municipality may prescribe roof shape or building height.
• Forgetting scaffolding and shading — taller scaffolding for building and later maintenance, and external blinds upstairs.

Checklist

• Do you know the permitted built-up ratio and boundary distances for your plot?
• Do you have layouts of both variants for the same usable area?
• Do quotes list foundations, roof, facade, floor and stairs as separate items?
• Have you allowed for scaffolding on a two-storey house?
• Do you know how you will use the house in 20 years?

FAQ

Is a bungalow or a two-storey house cheaper? Per m² of usable area, the two-storey house is usually cheaper because its foundations and roof are roughly half the size. In the 120 m² model example the difference on these items is CZK 0.4 – 0.6 million, but part of it goes on the floor and stairs.

How much does a 120 m² bungalow cost? A turnkey house costs CZK 35,000 – 45,000 per m² excluding VAT on the market, i.e. CZK 4.2 – 5.4 million; with us from CZK 31,000 per m². With larger foundations and roof, a bungalow tends towards the upper part of the range.

How big a plot does a bungalow need? It depends on the built-up ratio allowed by the zoning plan. At 30%, a bungalow with a 145 m² footprint needs a plot of at least about 480 m², without garage and terraces.

Is a bungalow cheaper to heat? Rather the opposite — it has a larger envelope for the same usable area. In a well-insulated house, though, insulation, windows and ventilation matter most.

What is the compromise between the two? A single-storey house with a habitable attic: a smaller footprint than a bungalow and a lower facade than two storeys, but sloping ceilings and roof windows.

We build bungalows and two-storey houses in Prague and Central Bohemia. Our online calculator gives a guide price for both variants; we prepare an itemised budget for your design free of charge.