Split-level or tri-level house is a residence type that many people still do not find interesting. There are just quite a lot of design problems related to the fact that the land is multi-level. It often results in a lack of convenience and comfortable feel in many details of the exterior and interior design.
Although so, it does not mean that there is nothing we can do to deal with such problems. If you want to see the proof of this statement, you are already in the right place.
In this post, we will share with you the split level house remodel before and after ideas. Most of them related to some problems people usually find in the residence type.
Hopefully, with this article, you will not get scared anymore about buying a split-level house. Other than that, if you already have one and it is quite problematic in some parts of the design, we hope that you can find the right solution or at least some inspirations here.
So, let us start with the first idea.
- A New Front Entry for a Traditional Split-Level House
- A New Story for a Traditional Split-Level House
- An Inviting Curving Walkway for an Old Traditional Split-Level House
- A New Cover for a Traditional to Contemporary Split-Level House Entry
- A Rooftop Deck for a Contemporary Split-Level House
- A Raised Main Entrance for a Traditional Split-Level House
- Wall Removal in a Split-Level House Living Room
- Bonus Inspirations for Your Split-Level House
- Closing
1. A New Front Entry for a Traditional Split-Level House
For the first idea, let’s take a look at the picture of this traditional split-level house located in Minneapolis. This is the photo of the residence building before undergoing the remodeling process.
In this idea, you must pay more attention to the front door of the house. The design that is too flat makes it hard for people to notice where the location of the entry is. It merely looks like it is not the front door of the house, and that is something that the homeowner wished to fix.
After the remodeling, you can see that there is a huge difference made. The most significant new item we can see in the design is the portico that makes the front entry location way clearer.
The doors are also new. It is from cedar, which looks just the same as the one used to replace the garage door. The addition of wooden material like this does not only make the home exterior design looks extraordinarily different from it was before. It also adds some warmth that makes the house looks more welcoming.
Other than the front entry and the garage door, you may notice that there are some other changes added too. Those include the gable roof, the landscaping, and the walkway.
2. A New Story for a Traditional Split-Level House
The image that you see here is the picture of an ordinary-looking split-level house located in DC Metro. The first look is even a bit dull because of the tone choices in the exterior color scheme.
The homeowner wished for the house to get a new and refreshed appearance from the outside. However, the main thing that they wanted more is the addition of space that hopefully can enhance their life quality.
In this case, the most significant remodeling idea that the designer applied to the house is to add a new story above, as you can see in this picture. This project changed the look of the residence entirely.
The space addition in the second story of this house is so significant that it makes the residence more spacious in the interior. Something like this definitely can enhance the living quality of the family.
While we can see clearly that the house now looks very different because of the second story, we can also see that some exterior changes also exist. One of the most visible is the new exterior color scheme that makes the house seems refreshed and stylish.
Other than that, the front entry looks different too. At first, it had portico as the pairing. Now, it has a porch so that some seats are possible to add in the area.
The garage has more stylish white doors after the remodeling project. Besides, on the right side, you can see that the split-level area also gained a new stone wall covering that generally adds a natural touch to the exterior design.
Other than all those, the designer also mentioned the interior got remodeled too. Other than that, they added a new screened-porch and a patio to provide an outdoor living space for the family.
3. An Inviting Curving Walkway for an Old Traditional Split-Level House
Another problem that often faced by people who own split-level houses is in the walkway that leads to the front entry. It gets even more problematic if a land level is way higher than the other.
For example, you can see this picture of a traditional split-level house located in Portland. As you can see, the walkway here is in the form of a stairway that shortly leads to the front entry.
The combination of this part and the messy environment simply creates an uninviting atmosphere. Something like this is not good for the occupants of the house as well as people who want to visit. All these are enough as a reason to remodel the home exterior design.
If you take a look at this next picture, you may be in disbelief that it is the same house with the one shown in the previous image. From the photo, we all know that some significant remodeling can create a huge difference.
Here, a more inviting atmosphere is obtainable through the new curving walkway. Although it is still in the form of stairs, the curve design seems to make it more comfortable for the homeowners and the guests to walk past through it.
Besides, there is no messy front yard again because the party who remodel the house also adds a new landscape design. It includes the stone base used as border and support for the walkway and the upper land level.
If you notice, a new portico is also there. It becomes a mate that emphasizing the front entry of the house even better.
There are also some new decorations added to make the house looks better from the exterior. Those include new yellow lights and new pergola and flower decorations for the garage doors.
Another exterior change that also gives an impact on the interior of the house is the new vaulted roof. As you may already know, roofing like this can make the inside of our homes feel more spacious and airier.
4. A New Cover for a Traditional to Contemporary Split-Level House Entry
If you have a split-level house with a too-flat entry that often makes people wonder where is the front door, you may want to do a remodeling project to fix the problem. The question is: what if you are not interested in adding a portico or porch because it looks too traditional for you.
Take a look at the picture of the front view of a split-level house above. It has the same problem as the one we mentioned earlier.
As you can see, the house has a large entry with a large transom window above it. You can also see some windows with white frames in the design. Another thing to notice is the big-sized vertical cladding.
To emphasize the front door, the architect added an entry cover instead of creating a new structure of portico or porch. This new addition looks quite simple but is very useful in letting everybody know about the location of the front door. There are even address numbers added to make everything even clearer.
The wall cladding is another part that undergone the remodeling project. If previously it was larger and vertical, now it has smaller wood planks with horizontal positioning. The design is also quite seamless so that the home exterior gains a more sleek and contemporary look.
Lastly, you can see that the door and window frames gain a different color after the remodeling. A black color like this is more suitable for the recent style applied to the home exterior design.
5. A Rooftop Deck for a Contemporary Split-Level House
Do you have a split-level house located in a crowded area? Do you want to expand it to gain more space, but you can’t because of the location?
If you are facing such a problem right now, you do not need to give up. There is one more solution available. It is to add the extra space that you need vertically.
Take a look at this picture of a contemporary split-level house. It looks ordinary and even a bit messy because of the bad-maintained front landscape.
Another thing that you can notice from this picture is that the location of the house seems to be in a rather crowded area. It makes home expansion quite impossible to do.
This next picture shows the exact same house after undergoing a major remodeling. It is clear that it looks different here. Although so, that is not the main thing we want to share with you in this case.
If you cannot make the place more spacious because no more lot is available, you should consider the vertical expansion as an option. It is the more important thing that we want you to know from the pictures.
As you can see, after the remodeling project, the contemporary house seems to gain more space on the right side. Besides, there is also a new rooftop deck that the family can use as an alternative living to enjoy the view of the surroundings.
With an outdoor area like this, you can even hold a gathering event or even a mini party more conveniently. At certain seasons, you can use the space for cooking barbeque while enjoying the beautiful weather. This way, it will never be a problem anymore, even if you do not have any backyard.
6. A Raised Main Entrance for a Traditional Split-Level House
The designing of a split-level house can be tricky sometimes concerning the different leveling exist in the lot. An example is available in this traditional residence.
The front entrance of this house was actually at a rather low level. That was why when you entered it, you need to use the stairs to go to the area connected to it. The homeowner felt that the design reduced the welcoming feel and wanted it fixed.
The solution offered by the architect is raising the main entrance of the house. This way, no stairs are necessary inside the door.
Another thing that resulted from the new raised-entrance design is the addition of a small porch at the very front part of the house. Other than that, there are also some stairways added to connect the walkway and the porch.
By fixing the interior problem, the architect at the same time also enhanced the look of the home exterior design. Other than that, it also looks evident that the outer part of the house also experienced a major remodeling.
The proofs are the new exterior details and colors. All these make the residence more welcoming from outside.
7. Wall Removal in a Split-Level House Living Room
A problem often found in an old split-level house is that it has too many walls separating each area. Something like this often makes the residence feel less open and less airy. It can even make the house feel less spacious than it is. All these can make people feel reluctant to buy the kind of residence.
An example appears in the picture of an aged split-level house above. Among all the problematic detailing in the interior design, it seems that the living room had a quite significant one, and this the homeowners thought that there must be a solution for it, and that is why they hired an architect to do the home remodeling.
Before the project, you can see that there was a wall surrounding the fireplace and covering the area behind it. It makes the living room feel smaller and even cramped.
After the remodeling project, you can see that there are some major changes in the area. The architect removed the wall to give the whole place a more open feeling. Besides, she also added wood elements to create a warmer and more welcoming atmosphere in the area.
As you can see in this next picture, the old living room was rather small. That is why in the remodeling project, the architect also changes the wall color into white. Besides, she also removed the window blinds. All these are done to make the room looks visually larger and airier.
8. Bonus Inspirations for Your Split-Level House
Ideas to Use Empty Space near the Short Stairs Sets
One element that commonly exists in many split-level houses is the sets of short stairs that usually consist of five up to six steps in each of the stairways. In most cases, there is also a small empty space left in each level that the stairs reach.
Instead of leaving the space unused, you should add a function to it. Thankfully, there are quite a lot of inspirations available.
For example, you can use the space as a small computer room or a home office, as shown in the picture. The location of this place is in between two stairways that connect a living room in the lower level and a rooftop deck at the upper level.
Another good inspiration that we can find from this picture is that there is a quite large glass window in the design. Something like this is beneficial not only for making the interior looks brighter but also to create a more spacious illusion to the area.
Another example is the common room. It can fit in the small space between stairways quite easily.
A room like this is functional in so many ways. You can add a minimalist table set in there to create the possibility for you to use the place for a discussion or an alternative dining spot in the house. You can also hang a TV on the wall to increase the fun value.
A Deck or a Patio to add Extra Living Space in the Exterior of a Split-Level House
Another problem that most people with split-level houses often face is the difficulty in adding extra exterior living space. The reason is none other but the uneven land leveling.
In this case, building deck can be the best solution that you should consider.
As an example, please take a look at the design of this boxy split-level house. You can see that the ground is uneven and has different levels. However, the designer succeeded in making it looks beautiful in the outside and convenience in the inside.
In the back exterior, there is an addition of a mid-century deck. It provides extra living space for the house that also has quite high flexibility.
You can add a set of furniture in a deck like this to create an outdoor living room. You can also add a set of dining table and a BBQ for an alternative dining spot where you can enjoy your meals while feeling the outdoor atmosphere and enjoying the view.
9. Closing
Those are the split level house remodel before and after ideas that we can share with you. If you notice, they are also the solution to problems that people often face when having the kind of residence.
Some other ideas that we share here can also inspire you to use the space inside your split-level house maximally. This way, you can create a chance to increase your life quality too.
Another thing that we want you to know here is that you should not be afraid of buying a split-level house. It is especially when you notice that there are quite a lot of good things that you will get when you live there. The examples are a good neighborhood, strategic location, and so on.
Please consider all the potentials first before making a decision. If the things that you see to be problematic are in the home design, you can always do a remodeling project to it as done in many of the examples we share here.