Introduction
For decades, the symbol of wealth in real estate was height. If you wanted to show you had “made it,” you built a towering two-story estate with a grand staircase and a balcony overlooking the street. It was the era of the “McMansion,” where verticality equaled prestige.
But in the luxury communities of Las Vegas today-from The Summit Club to Ascaya-the trend has flipped completely. The most desirable, valuable, and livable custom homes aren’t building up; they are spreading out.
Discerning homeowners are trading the grand staircase for the grand footprint. They are choosing Single-Story Luxury Living.
This isn’t about downsizing. These are sprawling, 4,000 to 8,000+ square foot estates that offer a level of connection and flow that a two-story home simply cannot match. But building a single-story home that feels majestic, rather than like a standard tract house, requires a specific set of design skills.
At Luker Construction, we specialize in designing and building these architectural masterpieces. We understand how to create volume without a second floor, and how to maximize the connection to the desert landscape that makes single-story living so compelling.
The “Vertical” Disconnect
The villain in this story is The Staircase.
While a staircase might look dramatic in a foyer, in daily life, it acts as a barrier.
- The Thermal Problem: In Las Vegas, heat rises. Two-story homes are notoriously difficult to cool evenly. The upstairs is always five degrees hotter, forcing your HVAC systems to work overtime and creating discomfort in the bedrooms.
- The Lifestyle Severance: A second floor separates the family. Kids disappear upstairs, and you don’t see them for hours. You hesitate to run upstairs to grab a sweater because it is a “trek.” The house feels segmented.
- The Aging Obstacle: No one likes to think about it, but stairs become a liability as we age. A two-story home often forces homeowners to move just when they should be enjoying their retirement.
This vertical disconnect robs you of the ease of living. You shouldn’t have to hike to go to bed. You deserve a home that flows effortlessly from room to room, indoor to outdoor, without barriers.
The Guide: The Horizontal Architect
We believe that true luxury is about accessibility and flow. Luker Construction approaches single-story design with precision and care, ensuring that “one level” never means “flat” or “boring”.
We act as your guide to creating a sprawling estate that feels grounded yet impressive.
- We Build for Volume: We use structural steel to create soaring 14 to 16-foot ceilings. Just because there isn’t a second floor doesn’t mean the rooms can’t be majestic.
- We Build for Connection: A single-story layout allows every major room, the master, the great room, the kitchen, the guest suite to have direct access to the backyard and pool. Every room becomes a “room with a view.”
- We Build for Life: We design homes that work for you today and twenty years from now. Zero steps, wide hallways, and an intuitive flow make these homes “forever homes” in the truest sense.
The Plan: designing the Modern Rambler
How do we build a single-story home that rivals a vertical estate in presence and power? We follow a specific design strategy.
Step 1: The Footprint & Orientation
Single-story homes require more land. During our Discovery phase, we analyze your lot’s “buildable envelope.” We look for width.
We orient the home to maximize the view. In a two-story home, you often only get the view from the upstairs master. In a Luker custom single-story, we fan the layout out so everyone gets the view.
Step 2: Creating Volume (The “Anti-Flat” Strategy)
A flat roof on a low ceiling looks cheap. We design varying ceiling heights to define spaces.
We might drop the ceiling in the kitchen for intimacy and soar it to 16 feet in the Great Room for drama. We use clerestory windows (high windows near the roofline) to flood the center of the home with natural light, ensuring the deep footprint never feels dark.
Step 3: Zoning for Privacy
Without an “upstairs” for the kids or guests, privacy must be engineered into the floor plan.
We use a “split-wing” design. The Primary Suite occupies one entire wing of the house. The guest suites or kids’ rooms occupy the opposite wing. The Great Room and Kitchen sit in the center as the gathering hub. This gives you acoustic and physical separation without the stairs.
Step 4: The Seamless Transition
This is the hallmark of the Las Vegas luxury lifestyle. Because you are on the ground floor, we can erase the boundary between inside and out. We install pocketing glass walls that turn your living room into a pool cabana. The limestone floor flows seamlessly from your sofa to the pool edge.
The Transformation: Grounded Luxury
Imagine your life in a Luker single-story custom home.
It is a Saturday afternoon. You are in the kitchen. The glass walls are open. Your kids are running in and out of the pool without navigating steps. Your parents are visiting, and they move comfortably from the guest suite to the patio with their walkers, feeling completely included.
The house feels expansive. The high ceilings make it feel grand, but the layout makes it feel intimate. You feel connected to the earth, to the view, and to your family.
You realize that by giving up the second floor, you gained a higher quality of life.
Michael R. in The Ridges found that our process delivered a “great experience,” resulting in a home that fit his specific vision of luxury.
Tiffany S. appreciated how “transparent” and “organized” we were, which is critical when managing the larger footprint and foundation work required for these sprawling estates.
Your Next Step
You can build a tower that separates you from your family and your land. Or, you can build a sanctuary that brings everything within reach.
Elevate your lifestyle by staying grounded.
Are you ready to design a home without limits (or stairs)?
Schedule Your Single-Story Design Consult with Luker Construction
Contact us to spread out and live better.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do single-story homes cost more to build than two-story homes
Generally, yes, per square foot. A single-story home requires a larger foundation and a larger roof to achieve the same square footage as a two-story home. Foundation and roofing are two of the most expensive line items in construction. However, you save money on staircases, elevators, and second-floor structural systems. We help you weigh these costs against the long-term value and livability benefits during our Budgeting phase.
Can I still get a view if I don’t build a second story
Absolutely. In neighborhoods like MacDonald Highlands or Ascaya, the lots are often terraced (stepped) specifically to protect views for single-story homes. By elevating the foundation slightly or designing the home to capture specific sightlines through corridor views, we can frame the Strip or mountains perfectly. We walk the lot with you and often use drones during the design phase to verify the view corridors before we pour concrete.
Does a single-story home have to look like a “ranch” house
Not at all. The “Modern Desert” style we specialize in creates incredibly dramatic single-story architecture. We use varying roof heights, dramatic overhangs, mixed materials (stone, steel, wood), and glass to create a facade that is dynamic and impressive. These homes look like boutique hotels, not 1970s ranch houses.
Is a single-story home more energy efficient
Yes. It is much easier to zone the HVAC system in a single-story home. You don’t have the “stack effect” where all the heat rises to the bedrooms. You can keep the master wing cool while letting the guest wing stay warmer when not in use. Furthermore, deep roof overhangs (which are easier to build on single-story homes) provide passive shading that drastically reduces your cooling bills in the Las Vegas summer.
What is the resale value of a single-story luxury home
Extremely high. There is a shortage of high-end single-story inventory in Las Vegas. They are coveted by retirees, empty nesters, and multi-generational families. Because the demand is so high and the supply of large lots (needed to build them) is shrinking, a custom single-story home is one of the safest real estate investments you can make in the valley.
About the Author
The Luker Construction Editorial Team
We are Las Vegas builders who believe that luxury should be livable. We have seen the shift away from vertical mansions toward horizontal estates, and we are leading the charge.
Our blog is designed to help you understand the nuances of custom home design. We want to help you build a home that isn’t just impressive to look at, but a joy to live in. We are here to help you create a legacy on the ground floor.
