Owners of split-level homes often have a love/hate relationship with their house.
They love the amount of living space provided and the privacy the house design offers.
They appreciate that teens can be alone in their bedrooms on the top level of the house or in their basement areas, while Mom and Dad can relax in the lower-level family room.
Owners also love how they get the feel of a multilevel house without having to trudge up full flights of stairs.
On the flip side, this type of layout divides a home into several distinct "boxes" — or areas that make it difficult to open the rooms to each other.
In addition, the entries are often cramped and challenging for today's modern homeowners.
Split-level homes actually had a prestigious origin, in that historians credit Frank Lloyd Wright as the inventor of this style around the turn of the 20th century.
He believed split-level homes could be an affordable option for the average American family. However, it was not until the housing boom following World War II that this style began to be built in virtually every area of the nation and became the mainstay of mid-level residential marketing through most of the 1950s and '60s.
A true split-level home has a front door that is at the same elevation as one part of a home (usually the living/dining room and kitchen), while the rest of the home stacks atop itself, a half-story up or down from that level.
All true split levels have at least three levels but many have a fourth level below the formal living room/entry level.
As a spin-off from this style, another housing type emerged featuring a split entry.
In this form, the front door is placed in the middle of the home both horizontally and vertically, halfway between the upper floor and the lower floor. Upon entering, one is in a (usually small) foyer facing stairs that lead up and down from the entryway.
Because these homes were built as an economical option to the more traditional (and pricey) colonial or cape homes popular in the previous decades, many were constructed with little or no attempt to add detail or charm to the residence.
Windows were limited, and facades were usually dominated by large garage doors. Other complaints center around heating and cooling problems: Splits, because of their multiple levels, are often plagued by hot and cold spots.
As mentioned, split level homes place family rooms and kitchens on different levels. While the goal 60 years ago was to create a room to move the newest invention — the TV — out of the living room, this layout doesn't work well with today's preference for a single gathering space for the family.
So, there are three areas of general concern with this type of home:
1. The lack of details.
2. The definite divisions of rooms and functions affect all homes in the "split" category.
3. An insufficient entry area with stairs too close to the front door (though this problem only affects split-entry designs).
Remodeling this type of home, therefore, involves addressing these issues.
Most homes of this vintage are in need of a curb-appeal update. This can be accomplished by improving and upgrading the exterior finishes, and by adding trim details and additional windows.
Closing the gap between the existing kitchen and family room may require relocating the family room — in other words, creating an addition on the kitchen level that will allow space for gathering in the "great room" sense.
Finally, a small addition at the front of the home can push out the front door of a split-entry home, providing sufficient space to create a gracious entry point into the home.
As with any home remodel, there are plenty of options to fit various budgets and situational needs.
There is hope for the homely split level home. All it takes is some creative thinking, an architect and a willingness to invest in your home and neighborhood.
Once you address the issues that are bothering you, you will be able to say you whole-heartedly love your split-level house.
Architects Ann Robinson and Annie V. Schwemmer are the founders of Renovation Design Group, www.renovationdesigngroup.com, a local design firm specializing in home remodels.