How can you say “besides aesthetics”....how can you avoid that elephant in the room? Split levels are butt-ugly. Period.

Anonymous wrote:There's rarely a bathroom, or even a powder room, on the main floor. This will not work for many, many families.

I also think they're just ugly, no matter what you do with them.

I would never, ever consider a split level.

No bathroom is a huge con..

I’ve always loved my aunt and uncle’s 1960s split level in north Bethesda (besides the tiny galley kitchen). It’s so much more interesting to me to have all the separate living areas and reasonably sized bedrooms upstairs than the giant open floor plan. I would live in one in a heartbeat.

There's rarely a bathroom, or even a powder room, on the main floor. This will not work for many, many families.

I also think they're just ugly, no matter what you do with them.

I would never, ever consider a split level.

I live in a 60s split level and it's not my favorite style home, but I echo all the comments here. With small kids, the short flights of stairs are so helpful. Also, when they're toddlers learning to go up and down stairs, when they fall it's a short fall.

We live in a 4 level split that was build in the mid 60's and I LOVE it. If we need to move, I would be on the look out for another split. We have a fairly large house with 2600 square feet on the top 3 levels.
I like that the kids are only half flight of stairs up or half flight down. I like have separate spaces for all of us.
It is a great house to live in.

I grew up among split levels in the 1960s in SS. They were considered new and modern, quite apart from the brick colonials all around. Young couples, many of them whose own childhoods were in walk up apts and tenements in DC, NY, etc., loved them. Old money, and Midwest transplants chose the old colonials- think Bethesda or Downtown SS, Woodmoor.

When I was in the market for a family home, split levels were not so appreciated. They just didn't have that character as a lot of other choices, including various colonials or other modern open concept items. I wasn't a fan either- I thought split levels were ugly. Fast forward 60 years from the split level roll out- they are HOT again. My neighbors in their 30s love them- the mid century vibe, plus there's more flexibility with space- and I can see that. The visual space is very doable, especially with kids. It's so much better than a dark basement that's not available.

Look at the Forest Knolls area. These are upwards of 65 year old spits..several varieties, and they move fast, and have done so for the last 14 years. Granted, most have been rehabed and updated, but there is always a market.

Anonymous wrote:I like the separation/noise buffer they kind of naturally provide, depending on where you are in the house. Plus they're more aesthetically pleasing/interesting than cookie cutter colonials any day.

Really? I live in one and I feel like you can hear everything. It’s only a bonus if you have kids and want to keep an eye on what they are doing.

I like the separation/noise buffer they kind of naturally provide, depending on where you are in the house. Plus they're more aesthetically pleasing/interesting than cookie cutter colonials any day.

Pros: I came to appreciate mine during the pandemic. WFH parents and college students unexpectedly at home doing online classes. Everyone could spread out over 4 floors. Even put in home gym.

Cons: aesthetically unappealing and some social stigma

Your living space is much more divided up.... which i think is the biggest pro or con of this type of house. But whether it is a pro or con depends on the specifics of your family.

I really like being half a flight of stairs away from the kids. I can be in the kitchen and they’re just a bit away in their bedrooms. It’s enough of a seperation but not too much. Works well for us.

Pros - they were cheaper because people didn't like them over colonials.

Cons - people like them now so they're almost as expensive as colonials.

I love them, but they are a drag on value. Great for mid-century modern look, in my view. Look for water damage on lower level.

Besides aesthetics, what are practical pros and cons of living in a split level house?