Photo Credit: Houzz
A split-level home is a style of house in which the floor levels are staggered. There are typically two short sets of stairs, one going up to a bedroom level, and one going down to a basement level. The basement level is usually at grade level or slightly below and finished, and often contains additional living area. Sometimes there is an additional basement level, below grade, which is frequently unfinished. Split-level houses originated in the 1950s as an alternative to the one level ranch home. The design proliferated in the 1960s particularly in the suburbs where sloped terrains and smaller lots could not necessarily accommodate a more sprawling ranch design. No other architectural style elicits such reaction as the split-level home but long after the Brady Bunch era, this style is having a resurgence in popularity.
There are several reasons for the split-level’s increase in popularity:
- Compared to more prolific architectural styles, like the colonial, dollar per square foot, the split-level gives you much more bang for the buck
- The proportion of living space to bedroom space is usually greater in a split-level design versus other architectural styles which are more vertical like victorian styles
- They usually have a more open floor plan with the kitchen, dining and living rooms in close proximity and often having no or partial walls
- The garage is typically attached providing easy access to the home and not taking up valuable yard space for a detached garage
- The “split”of the more formal entertaining spaces and more casual family spaces lends itself well to family living. There is space for everyone!
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