Houses

mnnice · March 2013

So my husband and I are house hunting. Alot of the houses in our budget are split level entry way which i'm not crazy about. Does anyone live in a split level and can tell me some pros and cons??

What were your must haves when buying your home??

sbevmc09 · March 2013

Are you talking about a bi-level (where you walk in the door and have to either go up or down) or a split level (the house has different rooms on different levels, like a 3 level split will usually have kitchen, dining, and living rooms on the main level, bedrooms up a few stairs, and usually family room, laundry room, and maybe an extra room or something down a few stairs from the main level)?

Laineybelle · March 2013

I don't have a split level, but we had a few must haves on our list when we bought our house. We wanted a single story, at least 3 bedrooms, a large backyard and a quiet street. We were able to get all of those in the house we bought, but we've had to do some upgrades along the way for other stuff. We completely remodeled the kitchen last year, had recessed lighting installed throughout the house, new carpet, landscaping, a new walkway to the front door, and tons of other stuff.

If you can look past some if the easy fixes, and just focus on the location, floor plan, lot size and the house's potential you might be able to open up yourself to a few more options. Good luck!

mnnice · March 2013

sbevmc09:
Are you talking about a bi-level (where you walk in the door and have to either go up or down) or a split level (the house has different rooms on different levels, like a 3 level split will usually have kitchen, dining, and living rooms on the main level, bedrooms up a few stairs, and usually family room, laundry room, and maybe an extra room or something down a few stairs from the main level)?

yes, a bi-level.

beany02 · March 2013

i dont have any advice but i can relate. We are getting ready to start the process and everything i see online in our area is split-level or bi-level. I really want a traditional house with bedrooms upstairs and everything else downstairs, but they are hard to find around here. good luck!

Cherryblossoms07 · March 2013

We won't be living in the house we just bought very long but the things that were a must for us were: three bedrooms, quiet neighborhood, good schools, and not much upgrading needed. If the house was a bi-level or split level then it was almost an automatic no for us. In the end, we went with the only house that was not a bi-level or split level that DH had looked at.

carrotsoup70 · March 2013

I have been in my current house for 6.5 years. The things I wish I could change are:

bigger garage

more storage

double sink in master (we have a double vanity but only one sink...its just weird)

the master is right off the living area and I can hear the tv in the bedroom.

Things that I like about my house:

I only have 1 neighbor (next to a park and backs up to a green space)

open floor plan

large master bedroom

its a ranch so there are no stairs

the garage entrance is close to the kitchen so hauling groceries is easy

that my water heater is in the garage so I don't have to worry about it flooding my house

we have split bedrooms so my guests have their own area

eaglesfan700 · March 2013

Things that were a must for us:

School district

An older home with character (no new construction)

Good neighborhood with sidewalks and walkable to a lot of things

4 bedrooms

original hardwoods

We are living in our dream house. It needs some cosmetic work, but we have the awesome SD, neighborhood, charm and space. H loves home improvement and has already completely re-did our kitchen. He had wanted a fireplace and we don't have that, but it is NBD

peacelove&mama · March 2013

The house we live in, DH bought with his late wife. It's way too small now that there are five of us, and we want something that's ours. She was very tied to this house so no matter how much remodeling we do, it will never be mine. And we've remodeled the entire house and backyard.

Our must haves for when we move:

5 good size bedrooms. We need an extra for my family when they visit.

2 bathrooms with at least 1 tub.

Large kitchen/living room.

Garage.

Large backyard. Another pool would be nice but it's not a deal breaker.

Central air. We don't currently have it and it gets nasty inside in the summer. We bought a portable AC while I was pregnant, and it helps some.

Lots of storage space.

peacelove&mama · March 2013

The house we live in, DH bought with his late wife. It's way too small now that there are five of us, and we want something that's ours. She was very tied to this house so no matter how much remodeling we do, it will never be mine. And we've remodeled the entire house and backyard.

Our must haves for when we move:

5 good size bedrooms. We need an extra for my family when they visit.

2 bathrooms with at least 1 tub.

Large kitchen/living room.

Garage.

Large backyard. Another pool would be nice but it's not a deal breaker.

Central air. We don't currently have it and it gets nasty inside in the summer. We bought a portable AC while I was pregnant, and it helps some.

Lots of storage space.

ETA my parents house is a split level. Five stairs up, five stairs down from the foyer. Groceries are a bit of a PITA, as is when a group of people come in at once. Then it's crowded and awkward to get shoes and jackets off. Other than that, no complaints. Bonus, you get a little extra workout lugging groceries up the stairs, lol.

Arnegard · March 2013

Here, the split entry is very common. We looked at a ton of those when we moved here and I did not want them at all. 1) most had 4 idenitical bedrooms, 2) 2 rooms upstairs and 2 downstairs. We also moved when I was PG w/ DD2.

If we move from here, we want a 3 car garage and a master bath.

HarrietNJMommy · March 2013

I ddin't want a split or a bi-level or a ranch. I (and DH) wanted a center hall colonial with all the bedrooms upstairs.

The only thing that I would want to have now is an extra bedroom (we only have 4 bedrooms and 4 kids), a "square" large kitchen (we have a long galley kitchen, and a crafts room/library/study. But we're not moving! LOL!

nosoup4u · March 2013

We finally bought a house this fall. Our must-haves were: in the neighborhood we've been living in the past few years, guest bedroom/bathroom, not in need of extensive renovations, finished basement, vintage (not new construction) and near decent neighborhood schools.

We ended up with a 6 bedroom/3 bathroom house, which seems insane, but one bedroom is an office for DH and I, the other is the playroom, and the last one is our guest bedroom (for our parents).

shortstuff15 · March 2013

We would love a split level. Our dream home is a custom build though and we are so far from that, so we don't have a lot except that we will have a gas fireplace in our master bedroom/bath and probably 6 bedrooms/3 baths.

We currently have 4 bedrooms/3 baths, but are working on renovating the basement. It won't change bedroom/bathroom count, but the basement will at least be liveable!

Mom2Mack1 · March 2013

We live in a bi-level. It definitely wasn't my first choice for style but it is in a neighborhood we love. I've actually come to really like the layout/style. Yeah we have stairs to come into the house but with a 2-story you have stairs to get to the bedrooms which I'd hike much more frequently. One thing I don't like is with kids we of course have a baby gate at the top of the stairs. It's a pain to squeeze an infant carrier or groceries through the small opening. So, if you do get a bi-level make sure you pick a gate wisely because it will get a lot of use!

freezorburn · March 2013

Our house is a bi-level (split entry) and we love it. When we were house hunting, we hoped to find a craftsman with a front porch, which is a very popular style in Seattle, but everything we looked at needed a lot of work and we wanted something that was move-in ready.

The bi-level style has advantages over the other homes in our area in that it is newer (1964) and therefore the rooms and closets have nice, even proportions. Everything except our laundry is on the main level. The basement level is our garage, 3/4 bath, laundry, and finished basement which has taken turns as library, media room, guest room, etc. The style of house can handle of a fairly wide range of tastes as far as what you like in terms of furniture, art, etc. I really miss this house -- we are currently renting it out to my brother while we are living abroad in a house of stairs!

Must haves for us:

move-in ready (we have since renovated)

space for our books

home office/studio for me (I was in grad school at the time)

2+ BRs (we have 3)

at least 1 and 3/4 baths (we have 1 full and two 3/4 baths)

garage for at least 1 car (we can potentially fit 1 large and 2 small cars, tandem)

walking distance to amenities and buses that would take us to work/school

easy access to freeway

located near good schools in an area where homes have a history of holding their value (we didn't have kids at the time, but we wanted to be somewhere where the demand would stay high, and it has)

penguingrrl · March 2013

We haven't bought yet but have had lots of time so far to think about what we need/want and what we don't lol!

First priority is school district. I can handle a lot of "bad" in a house as long as it's in the school district we want (which we currently live in). We'll have to be flexible because once we're ready to buy it's a really small town so there's not a lot of inventory and very little in our price range.

Not a bi or split. I just don't care for those. Luckily there are few in this town. I'd prefer not a ranch, but am open to one if that's the best option when we're looking.

At least two toilets. 1.5 bathroom would be fine for us, but we haven't had a second toilet since having kids and it's getting harder all the time.

3 bedrooms. One for us, one for the girls and one for Drew. More would be nice but realistically may not be an option.

Older house preferred. If I can get a Victorian for our price that would be a dream. It can be a fixer upper. There are quite a few small Victorians in our town so that may be an option.

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