8 Bedroom House Plans (with Drawings)

In America today, the average home is roughly 2,600 sqft., compared to an average household size of 2.6. About three people living in 2,600 sqft might seem rather comfortable, yet many people opt for much larger homes. It could be they need the space, or it could be they want to show off a lavish home.

The rough estimate is that a person needs between 200 and 400 square feet of space to live comfortably. Therefore, a family of four needs between 800 and 1,600 square feet, although 2,000 to 2,400 might be more realistic. After all, these days, people seem to come with a lot more stuff, but do you need over 4,000 sqft?

First, a lot depends on your lifestyle and how many people plan to live in the home. If you have a large family, say parents with 5 or 6 kids, you might consider 8 bedrooms a necessity. Or, you might plan to use a lot of the rooms as something else (or plan on having a lot of house guests).

An 8-bedroom house would likely be at least 4,000 square feet but could surpass 8,000 easily. It all depends on things like room size, extra spaces (like media rooms and game rooms), storage, and bathrooms, etc.

The National Association of Home Builders recommends rooms take up a particular percentage of your home’s overall square footage. These percentages vary depending on whether your home is small (under 2,000 sqft) or large (over 3,500 sqft).

Here’s a rundown of the percentages for a large home and how they would play out in a 5,000 square foot house.

This three-level home features a split-bedroom floorplan, placing the master suite by itself on the main level. Then four more bedrooms are on the upper level, with the remaining three in the finished basement.

In addition to the living space, this home offers significantly more space in the form of a three-car garage. Plus, it also provides ample outdoor space for entertaining via the porch and patio.

Lower Level/Basement of 8-Bedroom Home

When it comes to how many bedrooms a house has, only about 4.6% of homes have five or more bedrooms. Most homes, about 39.1%, have three bedrooms, and the following largest number goes to two-bedroom homes.

So, when you consider these stats, an 8-bedroom home isn’t typical. You could probably safely think it to be somewhat of a luxury, although it depends on the residents’ living situation. For example, if multiple generations live there, or you convert the home into a duplex, you need lots of space. Likewise, if you plan to set the property up as a vacation rental or as a bed-and-breakfast business.

If you have a very large family, say between 7 and 10 people, it could be just enough space. However, for the average-size family in the US, an 8-bedroom residence would be extremely large.

If you can afford the mortgage and costs of an 8-bedroom house, then go for it if you want it. But, also make sure you’re ready to take on the time, money, and energy of maintaining such a large home.

If you plan to live in the home with extended family and share the expenses, it makes sense. It’s also an option if you plan to operate certain businesses from home or rent rooms for extra income. Of course, if this is part of your big picture, check your local codes regarding rental properties and such.

Also, since a home is a significant investment, especially such a large one, consider your future plans. For example, is this your forever home? If so, do you plan on starting or growing your family? Or, will you be taking in and caring for aging parents one day and need more space?

In these situations, if you can afford it, you may want to buy with the future in mind. Then, you won’t have to go through the hassle of moving just a few years down the road.

If your budget is tight, buying an overly large home simply to have a large home isn’t a good plan. Plus, what you pay for a house isn’t the only thing you pay. You’ll spend much more over time in terms of property taxes, insurance, and upkeep.

Plus, when you want to renovate or change your decor, it’s a lot costlier for a larger home. Repairs also tend to cost more, simply because things are bigger and there’s more of them. For example, there’s a larger roof, more flooring, more doors, more windows; you get the idea.

If you have a small family and plan to keep it small, a large home could create distance among you. If you’re older, then you might find you don’t even use the majority of the rooms in your house. Instead, you might prefer to keep things closer together, so you don’t have to move around as much.

If you hate cleaning, you probably won’t want to take care of such a big home. Sure, you could hire a maid service if the budget allows, but it wouldn’t be cheap. Cleaning a home that’s around 5,000 square feet would likely cost you between $500 and $600.

Related Questions

Roughly how much does an 8-bedroom home cost to build?

To determine the costs to build a house, you need to factor in several different items. Primarily, it’s vital to consider the location of the home as well as the size. For example, in Fort Worth, you could build a house for about $116 per square foot. However, in Seattle, it would be closer to $142. Alternatively, you could build a house for as low as $108 per square foot in Louisville, Kentucky. Of course, the numbers vary from place to place depending on a multitude of things. You need to consider the costs of materials in the area, availability of supplies and labor, and supply and demand. Therefore, if you’re building an 8-bedroom home that’s about 5,000 square feet in Fort Worth, you’d pay about $580,000. The exact size home in Seattle would cost you about $710,000, and in Louisville, about $540,000. But, of course, this is just the cost for the home itself and not the land. 

Is buying an 8-bedroom home less expensive than building a new one?

You would assume that building a brand new home is costlier than purchasing an existing one. However, there are so many factors to consider that this isn’t always necessarily the case.It all depends on the area, current real estate market, and supply and demand of existing properties and land. Plus, for existing homes, the price varies based on the home’s condition, age, special features, updates, etc. Therefore, it’s never cut-and-dry that building new will cost more than buying an existing property.

What exactly are the legal requirements to consider a room a true bedroom?

When you’re house hunting, pay attention to what constitutes a proper bedroom. When you’re looking at 8-bedroom houses, some sellers may advertise it as such, when in fact it isn’t. Make sure they aren’t trying to pass off smaller spare rooms as additional bedrooms.A room needs to meet several specific requirements set forth by local building codes to be a proper bedroom. These codes vary from state to state, but many are similar. For example, a bedroom needs to have at least two points of egress, usually an entry door and a way to exit. The exit is typically a window or could be an exterior door. A bedroom needs proper ventilation, an electrical outlet, and at least 70 square feet. Plus, each wall needs to be at least 7 horizontal feet. Therefore, if someone is trying to pass off their 10’ x 6’ foot office as a bedroom, no dice. Also, at least 50% of the ceiling needs to be at least 7 feet high. Finally, contrary to popular belief, a room does not always have to have a closet to be a bedroom. Some states require a closet, but others don’t so know your local code.