Split level is a type of floor plan for houses in which the floor of one level of the home is halfway between the ceiling and floor of another level of the home. While the floor plans can vary significantly from there, the general layout usually has a large, open room that leads up to a bedroom and down to another room used as a bedroom or living area. The large middle level usually includes a living room and a kitchen, and sometimes even a family room and a bathroom.
Some of the advantages of the split level home become apparent when the home is built on a slope or on uneven property. This type of home accommodates such a slope well, and it allows the builder to maximize the usable space of the lot. It can further allow a builder to add levels to a home built in a location that limits the height of a home. The split level home, when built correctly, can be an aesthetically pleasing structure both inside and out that can add character and function to a property.
It can be difficult to evenly heat a split level home, however. This problem can be alleviated by designing a heating system that reaches all rooms of the home, but this can be a cost-prohibitive undertaking. A split level home can also be difficult to enter, especially for people with disabilities, as the driveway is rarely, if ever, on the same level as the main floor of the home. This means that someone entering the house must first walk up a set of stairs to get to the front door, or at least to the main level of the house once they are inside the front door.
The most common version of the split level house is the raised ranch style home. This style of house is broken into two levels, and when a person enters the front door, he or she is faced with two sets of stairs: one set goes down to the lower level, and the other set goes up to the upper level. The upper level usually contains a kitchen, dining room, and bedrooms, while the lower level contains a large living area, a laundry room, and sometimes access to a garage. The lower level can be built down into the ground, or it may act as the ground floor with the upper level essentially becoming the second floor.