A Split Level Home Is A Prison For The Homeowners

Split Level Homes

In a split level home, the living spaces are provided at different levels.  There are different styles of split levels and they all do not provide a comfortable and meaningful home for most homeowners, particularly families with older members and children.  Those among us, who do not mind going up and down steps, a few to several times a day, in a staircase with inadequate risers and treads are the exceptions.

Split Level Houses Were Built For The Wrong But Obvious Reasons

According to Robert Gerloff and Jeremiah Battles, authors of Split Levels, the birth of split level homes can be attributed to the following reasons:

1. First, home buyers were demanding more square footage in houses, but lots weren’t getting any wider.  Stacking the bedrooms over the garage was a simple way to squeeze a larger house onto a lot.
2. Second, home buyers were looking for houses with a more substantial presence.  Ranches, however efficient, just didn’t have the same emotional appeal as the traditional two-story Colonial, or even the story-and-a-half Cape Cod.  Splits look more substantial.
3. Third, and most important, builders in the Midwest were seeking ways to minimize the costs of excavating full basements.

Disadvantages Of A Split Level Home

Real estate agents are good at highlighting the positives of any home, whether it is a split level home or a ditch in the ground.  These are a few disadvantages of a split level home and I would not recommend that any home buyer consider buying a split level home.

1. Uneven heating and cooling in split level homes is almost a certainty.
2. Going up and down the poorly designed staircases will become tiring, its only a matter of time.
3. Typically, the kitchen is small.
4. It’s hard to bring in groceries in a split level homes.
5. The laundry area is located far away from the bedrooms.
6. The poor design does not make sense outside the context of the builder or the subdivision developer’s bottom line.
7. Gutters are located at a height and cleaning them is difficult.
8. Roof is difficult to inspect and repair.
9. Curb appeal is poor because of the asymmetric front elevation.