It is not only the planning stage that you need to focus on the execution is equally important. With a sultry black hex on the floor and a dimensional geometric tile on the walls we set the stage for a calm space. A split-level home has a few great places to start. Photos by Richard Pasley. Surprisingly, this style of home was developed not due to aesthetic reasons but out of necessity. Living Rm & Foyer Before Building Up Front Door Raised Lower Level Transformed The lower level of this 1970's split foyer consisted of a bedroom, dated laundry/kitchen area, storage, and family room. Please switch to a supported browser or download one of our Mobile Apps. . Each style has unique features, but all split-level houses consist of multiple floors connected by short flights of stairs. Modern home styles are generally made up of two surface types. There is a wonderful separation of space going on in the split level thanks to the small staircaseswhich are half of what it would be for a true 2 story. This is in place of having to excavate bedrock to build a basement on a single-level home. The raised ranch came into popularity as land in the suburbs became more scarce and families wanted to get more of a house on a smaller piece of property. The split level can be built on a sloping a sloping lot (cheaper) with more square footage under one roof (cheaper! In most cases, the bottom level is a garage, a den, a playroom, a recreation room, or other informal living areas. I've evolved this design to where the center pullout and adjacent shelves can be adjusted up or down. We were so excited to help these new homeowners re-envision their split-level diamond in the rough. While its rare that a person requests to have a split level house built today, it can be a great house for a new family breaking into home ownership in the suburbs. If possible, have your skylights customized to fit the theme of your home to complement the entire space. By adding skylights into the master bedroom, it can give an entirely new dimension to the space. More square footage on a smaller lota way to separate children and parents for increased sense of independence and privacy. However, there are major differences between these two home styles. You are almost done - fill out this last step, Main entryway or door located at the middle level (often the part of the house with the single-story), or in-between the upper and lower levels (this style is also known as the split-entry home), The lower level is often the garage or an informal entertainment or recreational space, The middle level is the main living space that typically contains the living room, dining room, and kitchen, The higher floor is where bedrooms are located, How the rooms and functional spaces are divided in each level, Narrow passageways and very limited space near the main entrance (if the home incorporates the split-entry style), Minimal lights and details that are typical to this kind of home, Limited storage spaces, cabinets, and closets, Presence of cold and hot spots in certain areas of your home. That can help you save on electric costs over time. Taken fromhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE7jN7ofmeI. Our primary goal was to re-imagine the main level of the home and create an open flow between the space. Tri-level homes already look unbalanced and adding extensions to its sides makes it look even more unbalanced if not done properly. Comments (39) Oh, we added 1100 sq ft. We converted the old garage into the living room, moved the front door, made the old living room into the dining room, opened everything up and gutted the kitchen. While split level homes can be gorgeous, with their high ceilings and efficient use of space, they can also seem outdated and not reflect your unique taste in design. If your home doesnt have windows on the sides, which is typical to this type, get them installed as well. Zillow, Inc. holds real estate brokerage licenses in multiple states. By working with siding styles and stonework, the creative homeowner can transform his bland home into something beautiful. Since tri-level homes generally dont look symmetrical, adding additions to it will be challenging. The lower demand in most markets means that they are readily available for a cheaper price than other types of homes. This arrangement is built around 14" x 14" faces to increase the width of the pullouts and provides over twice the usable storage of lazy susans. Your email address will not be published. We added a new garage, laundry, master bedroom and bath and 1/2 guest bath on that same level. Modern Capes from 1920s and after kept many of the exterior features of the original Cape with a modified interior for a more comfortable living experience. Raising the entry half a level and introducing a wrap-around elevation porch ultimately . You can also have skylights placed on the section of your roof directly above your living space or bedrooms. The dated kitchen plus both small main and master bathrooms were remodeled. If you dont plan on staying in your home for the long term, you might want to consider a ranch to lower your moving costsitll take an extra person or two for you or the moving company to get things up and down the stairs when you get ready to move. A split level home is often a great investment, and there are lots of pros to buying one. Thats some Brady Bunch vibes you have going on there. There are some things designers typically focus on to make significant changes to this type of home, such as: If you are thinking of modifying your home but dont really have a clue where to start and how to do it, we can help you out with that. In Miamis South Beach, the Art Deco style saw a resurgence in the 1980s with pastel colors. Functionally, the client sought to replace a single-car carport with a new oversized two-car garage and to create a protected entry porch for their home. Lighting is one of the most important features in just about any home layout. Split-level exteriors tend to be a bit bland. However, that was also the time of the post-modern "colonial" movement. They first became popular in the 1940s and 50s as soldiers returned home and demand for suburban houses was high. Maximize this by getting larger windows for your home to allow more light inside your home during the day. The U shaped ranch gives you a ton of options for the open space in the middleyou can put a pool, front porch or a courtyard area there. Wherever possible is important because some of (or all of) those interior walls could have major structural implications on the rest of the home. Split-levels, also sometimes called "tri-levels," are an architectural dead end that were built in abundance from the 1930s to the 1970s. Bathroom closets are often catch-alls for anything and everything remotely related to self-care. To make sure that your split-level home is remodeled successfully, you need to keep these in mind: Again, drawing up plans to renovate or update the appearance of this type of home is a challenge even for professionals. This type of construction is very common among townhouses. In the case of side additions, it is vital that it blends with the existing faade, which means getting the same windows, paint color, type of roof, etc. Its also nice if you just prefer to have everything on one level. Give them the option of fixing up a six-story home or a split-level home, and they will more than likely choose to work on the six-story home instead. The story and a is my favorite, especially if the children in the house are a bit older and dont need to be close to the adults,or if you have out of town company. In this idea, you must pay more attention to the front door of the house. Single-hung windows, which feature bottom panes that slide up to open the windows, are common in split-level homes from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Aside from the differences on the exterior, both back split and side split houses have roughly the same design. By replacing current windows with something that let in a lot more light and are more efficient, you can bring in more natural light to the home, making the space feel bigger, and help to cut down on energy costs over time. Unlike traditional home layouts, split-level homes, also referred to as tri-level, feature at least three levels that are connected by stairs. Most of the time, they are downright ugly. With recessed lighting, you can even highlight the best features in each of the different rooms. The homeowners are enthusiasts of residential modern architecture and wanted to update their 1960s split-foyer home with a modern design. Construction by CG&S Design-Build. So, we started by converting the existing single car garage into their living room (complete with a new fireplace) and opening up the kitchen to the rest of the level. Bi-levels were popular in the era of splits, as developers would offer new homes in four configurations: colonials, splits, bi-levels or ranches. The Colonial style is steeped with tradition and has a lot of character on the outside. Split-level remodel: exterior lighting. Most types of split-level houses will feature several staircases that lead to the different levels of the house. Brick steps lined with lush landscaping beckon guests toward the entrance. Whole House Remodeling This home was transformed from a split-foyer into a french colonial. Heres a compilation of before-and-after photos of some eye-catching split-level home remodel projects: Notice how the small windows added on top of the garage makes this home look much more balanced, compared to how it initially looked like. If you come across an early cape it might seem a bit utilitarian on the inside but thats an easy fix with a little charm! Looking at listings and come across descriptions saying cozy ranch or colonial and wonder what differentiates thesehomestyles and what it means for livability and cost? Whereas, the upper level will have a dining room, living room, and kitchen on one side and more bathrooms and bedrooms on the other. Again, as with the cape cod , the siding may need regular maintenance. The colonial style is associated with the style of building used from the 17th to the 19th century, particularly in colonial America. Again, the main advantage to this type of split level is the fact that there arent a ton of staircases that separate the floors. To put it simply, the split-level home is a design from the 1950s. This type of split-level house will have at least three sections but may have more. The remodel welcomes a covered front porch that was absent in the original. Dont let the limited space of a split-level home hinder you from making all sorts of additions to your home. [Hall Bathroom] This way, the new addition is not that visible from the front of your home. We loved the original built-ins in this space, and knew they needed to always be a part of this house, but these 60-year-old beauties definitely needed a little help. Updating the siding, materials used in the lower faade, or simply giving it a fresh paint job are some of the easiest ways to renovate a split-level home, but can also make a big impact. If you prefer a home that still separates the living space from the bedrooms, but doesnt require a full flight of stairs to reach, you may consider a side split style house. Location: Marietta's Indian Hills neighborhood Size: 4,500 square feet, five bedrooms and six bathrooms Year built/bought: 1972/2017 Architectural style: Split-level ranch converted into. We removed the walls between the kitchen, living, and dining rooms to create a large open concept space that still allows a clear definition of space, while offering sight lines between spaces and functions. With that said, here are some ways that you can modernize your split-level home and make it more suited to your style preferences: While ultra-modern can mean different things to different people, it generally means getting more natural light into the home. On our website, we have been getting many hits and search querys every month concerning split level renovations. Not to mention, the steps can be a problem for elderly visitors or even simply carrying the groceries inside. This allows you to adjust the temperatures separately to even them out. A split-level home, which is also known as a tri-level home, traditionally consists of the following: While the standard split-level home only consists of three levels, others sometimes add another floor to it. Houzz Pro: One simple solution for contractors and design pros, Split-Level Main Floor Remodel in West Seattle. Just because updating or remodeling this type of home is challenging doesnt mean it is impossible. link to How To Organize A Bathroom Closet. Updating the look and feel of your home, including the appliances like those in the kitchen above, will dramatically change the interiors. Another option is to add the new space at the top, but you have to be sure that your foundations are strong enough to handle the load of the new floor. If youve seen one, youve seen them all. Get free, zero-commitment quotes from pro contractors near you. The addition of Colonial-style features, from the cupola on the garage roof to the dramatic front porch supported by traditional columns, lends antique intrigue . Whats most important is that your home works the best for you. The interior spaces flow. Below you can get a better understanding of the different types of split-level homes to help you determine which design is perfect for you. Lengthen the present rooflines in your home, Match the paint of your garage door to the paint of your main door, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE7jN7ofmeI, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKS8AnI6Ahk, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHaeHzf4iBU. The Cape Cod is truly a no frills style home. Houzz utilise des cookies et d'autres technologies de suivi similaires pour personnaliser mon exprience utilisateur, me proposer du contenu pertinent et amliorer ses produits et services. As a result, their homes look even more unbalanced and the new additions are blatantly obvious not a look you should strive for. You'll usually find the bedrooms stacked above the foyer with stairs coming off the kitchen or dining room. Since the house is all on one level, you will need more square footage to get privacy from other household members. No matter which you choose, youll get multiple levels connected by short flights of stairs, but each style has unique features. Always consider even the most extreme ideas if youre planning to be in the home for a long time. This can be confusing to those who dont know the difference. Popularity for the split level style was at its greatest in the 70s after the style was featured as the Brady Bunch home. Therefore, we thought it would be a good time to revisit strategies to turn the split level monster into a piece of architecture. Copyright 2023 Real Estate Witch Photography by Tre Dunham, Fine focus Photography. Consider these options for altering the exterior: This isnt as simple as yes or no. This question is important and your answer will serve as your guide when it comes to updating your home. Magazine pictures of modern homes tend to make them look almost sterile; recessed lighting offers more light without it becoming impractical. Raised ranch homes flip the expected configuration upside-down. Although only minimal work was done on this home, primarily with a fresh coat of paint and better landscaping, you can see how these seemingly simple works already made a huge difference to it. Lets explore the numerous variations of this ubiquitous architectural style. If you want to go full-on modern, consider hiding the roof completely. He loves to blog about construction, plumbing, and other home topics. The Colonial-style renovation upgraded the plain portico into a spacious covered porch, which allows room for plenty of outdoor furniture. But the good news is that there are plenty of methods for bringing a more modern aesthetic to your split-level home. A little leeway may be unavoidable, such as changing the color scheme and tiles halfway, but changing your mind about big things, such as building a new wall in the same spot where an old one was removed, would mean wasted resources, especially money. Split-level homes are great for those who want to conserve the space on their property, without sacrificing room inside of the home. When you open the front door, you are led to a distinct foyer or entry space. And many of them are Colonial style, meaning that they feature grids that divide the window into 12 or more small lites, rather than larger panes of glass. A split-level home already has the structural breaks that make this kind of mix look perfect. Tastes change; so, too, an owner's requirements of their home. If done properly, this can tie in wonderfully with the natural stone sections of wall mentioned above. We designed a new story above, with turned-gable roof lines to complement the main roof. It is fairly easy to spot most split-level homes from the outside, as they seem to be half a two-story home and half a bungalow or ranch-style home that are combined to form a single house. These are just a few ideas, and you can use them as a simple spark of design inspiration to get you going. This open-plan layout made the space look a lot bigger. What made this transformation was raising the entrance to the main level, building out the attic space for an added level, and relocating the staircase to access all 3 levels. Part of the reason that split-level homes feel so outdated is that they have a number of interior walls. We wont keep you guessing for so long you can make additions to a split-level home, despite the space constraints. Many homeowners concentrate on remodeling the inside of their home and neglect to work on the exteriors as well. Making the lights more uniform and using a warmer paint color also made it look more inviting. Even better, adding a skylight has a ton of benefits from every aspect: economical, functional, and aesthetic. The short answer is that, yes, you can convert a split-level to open up the home and make it feel more modern. Balodemas said real estate developers saw them as a way. The outside of a split-level has a unique look to it and that can be enough to dispel a potential buyer from taking a visit. Another great garage door style on a modern home is a wood-look door. The garage is usually the first to attract the attention of anyone who looks at this type of home, since its door takes a lot of space. At the same time, these homes are also in the current sweet spot for in-town renovations because of their location on the growth rings of cities. With standard split homes, inhabitants and visitors enter the house from the ground level. The scope also included the living and dining rooms, plus the front entry and stairwell. Consider all of the pros and cons of the different types of split-level homes before making a final decision. Many saw what was happening as a devaluation of human labor and an emphasis on mass production rather than individualism and hand-crafted items. Additionally, if you plan on constructing a home on an uneven or hilly property, a split-level home is often the ideal choice. Je peux rejeter les cookies non essentiels en cliquant sur Grer mes prfrences . Its nothing that cant be remedied with a little green thumb! Keep in mind that easiest homes to maintain and make additions to tend to be rancheswhich is why they have become one of the most popular style of home! The first staircase that leads downwards goes to either the basement or some other type of informal living space. Exterior accessories such as light fixtures and house numbers can make a huge difference. The content on this site is not intended to provide legal, financial or real estate advice. Brokerage. Unlike conventional floor plans, when you walk into the front door of a split foyer home, youll be greeted by the two sets of stairs. Or, maybe youre considering one of many types of split-level homes. An exterior remodel of your tri-level home may sound easy because you might believe you can just go for whatever design you want. In todays world many people find the formal areas of a colonial to be a waste of space. Split-level homes can be beneficial for those who are light sleepers easily awakened by noise or night shift workers who sleep during the day.