Split-Level Homes?

[njbair]

So my wife and I are house hunting. I never realized how many split-level and bi-level homes there are around here. I prefer a more open floor plan but it seems like all the splits are dirt cheap.

Does anyone have a split-level home? Do you like it/dislike it? What are the pros & cons?

[tp4tissue]

Nothing wrong with it.

Total floor area is total floor area.  doesn't really matter where you cut it...  will feel roughly the same..

[demik]

Cons are neighbors literally next to you.

[billnye]

My girlfriend despises split-level homes.

Apparently forcing people to make a decision as soon as you enter the house is "a horrible way to design something". )

[vivalarevolución]

They're retro and probably will be back in style within the next decade.  Good be a good investment.

It's also like a joke the development plays on the home buyer.  "We're just gonna give you a basement and one level.  But we're gonna make it seem like you have two spacious levels.  And a garage that is a different level than the rest of it.  Hahahaahhahahahaha!  Now give us your money."

[njbair]

My girlfriend despises split-level homes.

Apparently forcing people to make a decision as soon as you enter the house is "a horrible way to design something". )

You are probably thinking of a bi-level, where the foyer is the only thing on its own level, then a stairwell in the foyer for up and down. That's how my mother-in-law's house is, and I don't like that at all. But the split level is more like three levels, the lower and the upper are stacked next to each other, and half-stairwells connect each to the main level where the entrance is.

I think it's sort of a space-saving design, but I don't know why you wouldn't just make it two levels like a colonial. Living space downstairs, bedroom space upstairs.

[kurplop]

I think that they have a lot going for them. They are often on streets that aren't level which takes advantage of the split design. Second floor bedrooms over the garage and living space on the  intermediate level. The half story height difference is a quick climb but defines the private region from the public. I've never lived in one but the only negative I can imagine is climbing stairs from the car to the kitchen for groceries, etc.

[fohat.digs]

As a building professional who has been in construction and remodeling for decades, and a College of Architecture graduate who has personally owned one, I will tell you that they are ridiculous and goofy existentially but perfectly acceptable for people who are physically capable of climbing stairs multiple times per day.

The advantage is that they often have nice large spaces with a feeling of openness, and disadvantage is that you end up carrying too much stuff around way too far and way too much.

If you are under 40 when you buy it and will be under 60 when you sell it, go ahead.

[njbair]

I read an article about split levels on some realty blog. The realtor said, "I have never had a client ask me for a split level, but many are okay with them."

Thought that was an interesting observation.

[nathanrosspowell]

Where I'm from, a split-level it's called a 'house'. All you crazy 'muricans with your love of bungalows! 

[awhitedev]

I don't know what it is about split-levels.. but I've always heard people complaining that they are really hard to heat and cool. Also, there's obviously more stairways too. When you get old and feeble it may not be as easy to get around. That's if you're thinking you'll be in this house that far into the future.

I know what you mean though.. it seems like Ohio is filled with split-levels.. I see them everywhere!

[fohat.digs]

I know what you mean though.. it seems like Ohio is filled with split-levels.. I see them everywhere!

They were extremely popular from the mid-late-1960s until the early-mid-1980s and then people abruptly stopped building them.

But one awful component lingered on a few years longer - the dreaded "sunken living room"

[njbair]

It's the Brady Bunch house. That's probably why they became popular around that time. The '80s saw the rise of the open floor plan and lots of colonial-style homes which I think is still the most popular style today. People love big, open spaces for entertaining. But that means if you're willing to compromise on the layout, you can get some decent square footage for cheap with a split level. I just don't think I'm willing to make that tradeoff.

[baldgye]

So a split level house, is a house and a bi-level house is a house with a loft?

[fohat.digs]

So a split level house, is a house and a bi-level house is a house with a loft?

In the US, "split-level" means that areas of the house are separated by staircases of approximately half a story, usually in more than one place, rather than having a simple "upstairs" and "downstairs" one above the other.

A "loft" is more of a balcony-type thing within a larger space.

[Snowdog993]

I think it is kind of the opposite of "open floor plan".  What is really nice is you actually have defined living areas.  You actually have a kitchen and dining area, a front living room, and separate areas that are defined by the area they are.
It is kind of like you can have a game room, a living room, a dining room, a patio area, everything is a defined space rather than one large living area that you can see the front to the back of the house.  I like that idea because if people "live" in a house, they want to have areas where they do things together and separately.
Open concept is overrated in my opinion.  Especially when you want to "get away" from everything and have a place to escape to.
It's all what you see in what it is.  Sometimes I like to be in the house and chill out, and not be bothered by everything else.  We all need our space.

[HoffmanMyster]

I love my parents' split-level home. 

We had no issues with stairs, and in fact I loved them as a child.  They were short enough (6 steps, 8 steps, and 6 steps) to jump straight from the top step all the way to the bottom when I was younger, so that was a blast (until I got taller and smacked my head and blacked out).  And riding down them in a basket was relatively low risk, so that's a plus too.

The fact that the stairs were so low also meant we could communicate between levels simply by leaning over and yelling downstairs - huge plus.

Other than that, it's just another home.  Kitchen, dinette, dining room, living room on main floor; family room, bathroom, office corner on lower level; bedrooms and bathroom on upper level; basement on basement level.

One big difference I noticed between our house and my friends' families was that theirs tended to segregate bedrooms from the rest of the house; that seemed to be less the case at our house, though I'm not sure if that's a philosophy thing or a floor plan thing (being separated by only 6 stairs instead of a full 14 or so).

[njbair]

I love my parents' split-level home. 

We had no issues with stairs, and in fact I loved them as a child.  They were short enough (6 steps, 8 steps, and 6 steps) to jump straight from the top step all the way to the bottom when I was younger, so that was a blast (until I got taller and smacked my head and blacked out).  And riding down them in a basket was relatively low risk, so that's a plus too.

The fact that the stairs were so low also meant we could communicate between levels simply by leaning over and yelling downstairs - huge plus.

Other than that, it's just another home.  Kitchen, dinette, dining room, living room on main floor; family room, bathroom, office corner on lower level; bedrooms and bathroom on upper level; basement on basement level.

One big difference I noticed between our house and my friends' families was that theirs tended to segregate bedrooms from the rest of the house; that seemed to be less the case at our house, though I'm not sure if that's a philosophy thing or a floor plan thing (being separated by only 6 stairs instead of a full 14 or so).

You are right about the bedrooms seeming less set-apart. I think that's a function of the design, whether or not it was one if its stated goals.

Growing up, a lot of my friends lived in split-level homes and I never thought too much about it. From everything I've read, the split-level was a post-WWII attempt at something more "grand" than a bungalow. I guess the idea is that it's semi-sprawled out without wasting space. But again, I don't see why you wouldn't just build the whole thing with two stories.

[saturnotaku]

When the west and northwest suburbs of Chicago (and I'm sure elsewhere in the country) were booming starting in the late 1960s, you couldn't toss a dead cat without hitting a split-level house. When my wife and I were looking for a new place, we toured several of them in the cities where we wanted to move. In addition to most of them needing at least some degree of renovation, they didn't have much square footage, and what they did have wasn't utilized very well.

We ended up going about 20 miles further away from where we were looking and choosing new construction. In addition to being able to choose the features we wanted, we're getting roughly twice the living space for the same amount of money.

[Badwrench]

I love my parents' split-level home. 

We had no issues with stairs, and in fact I loved them as a child.  They were short enough (6 steps, 8 steps, and 6 steps) to jump straight from the top step all the way to the bottom when I was younger, so that was a blast (until I got taller and smacked my head and blacked out).  And riding down them in a basket was relatively low risk, so that's a plus too.

The fact that the stairs were so low also meant we could communicate between levels simply by leaning over and yelling downstairs - huge plus.

Other than that, it's just another home.  Kitchen, dinette, dining room, living room on main floor; family room, bathroom, office corner on lower level; bedrooms and bathroom on upper level; basement on basement level.

One big difference I noticed between our house and my friends' families was that theirs tended to segregate bedrooms from the rest of the house; that seemed to be less the case at our house, though I'm not sure if that's a philosophy thing or a floor plan thing (being separated by only 6 stairs instead of a full 14 or so).

I grew up in exactly the same layout except in california there are no basements and our bottom floor was one great room, the laundry room, and a full bath.  I loved it.  Just enough stairs to get away, but not enough to be annoying or dangerous. 

[fohat.digs]

We ended up going about 20 miles further away

getting roughly twice the living space for the same amount of money.

That is the operative component of the process.

[njbair]

We ended up going about 20 miles further away

getting roughly twice the living space for the same amount of money.

That is the operative component of the process.

I can't do it. I can't bring myself to go rural or even semi-rural. I can't deal with well water and septic systems and limited Internet connectivity options. I can't concede to hour-long drive times and mounting deer whistles on my front fender.

I know there are benefits to offset these things, but I am a true blue suburbanite.

[Badwrench]

We ended up going about 20 miles further away

getting roughly twice the living space for the same amount of money.

That is the operative component of the process.

I can't do it. I can't bring myself to go rural or even semi-rural. I can't deal with well water and septic systems and limited Internet connectivity options. I can't concede to hour-long drive times and mounting deer whistles on my front fender.

I know there are benefits to offset these things, but I am a true blue suburbanite.

I would say that it ultimately depends on how the house feels to you.  Also, look and see if the internal walls are structural.  Our house has almost no internal structual walls, and my parents were able to convert the middle floor from kitchen/dining room/ living room/hallway into one large kitchen and great room.  Doesn't even feel like the house I grew up in.  Super easy remodel other than the money for new kitchen cabinets (which my parents went way overboard on - hand made walnut).

 130710_PAPCIAK_KITCHEN_IN_DINING-PLAN-qtr-inch.pdf (39.42 kB - downloaded 56 times.)

[njbair]

We ended up going about 20 miles further away

getting roughly twice the living space for the same amount of money.

That is the operative component of the process.

I can't do it. I can't bring myself to go rural or even semi-rural. I can't deal with well water and septic systems and limited Internet connectivity options. I can't concede to hour-long drive times and mounting deer whistles on my front fender.

I know there are benefits to offset these things, but I am a true blue suburbanite.

I would say that it ultimately depends on how the house feels to you.  Also, look and see if the internal walls are structural.  Our house has almost no internal structual walls, and my parents were able to convert the middle floor from kitchen/dining room/ living room/hallway into one large kitchen and great room.  Doesn't even feel like the house I grew up in.  Super easy remodel other than the money for new kitchen cabinets (which my parents went way overboard on - hand made walnut).

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I think this is the main thing I'm learning from everyone I talk to, that the style of home is less important than the particular layout and how the space is used. I think I'll probably stop crossing off split-levels sight-unseen, and at least walk through a few of them.