What do we think of split level/upside down houses?

MrsSA

Hi all,

So DH and I are currently in the process of looking for a new house to upsize to (very exciting!).

We have found a house we both really like the look of, in a really great area, with good schools- the only thing is that it's a split level house as it is built on a slope. The usual day to day rooms are at street level (kitchen, lounge, utility, WC etc) and the bedrooms (plus bathroom) are below them via stairs and a sun room that goes into the garden. Please see below for a floor plan to make more sense of that!

DH isn't sure about these and I've only ever known one other person to have one and never really thought much about it at the time, so I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were on them? Pros, cons etc.

TIA

Robin9

We have one built in the 1970's and we've been there 20+ years and love it.

Built into the side of a hill ground floor has main bedroom (nice and cool in summer)/ensuite with study and utility /store - integral garage car port; upstairs lounge, , kitchen 3 bedroom - back leads onto garden.

Originally I think there must have been concern about water seeping into the downstairs as there was a void behind garage and bedroom. We never found this an issue and built into it.

First year we found the lounge cold and put additional insulation in garage ceiling.

You do go up and down the stairs a lot

MrsSA

Interesting! The up and down stairs could be a great way of increasing our exercise levels

All 4 bedrooms are on the lower level of the house with the usual stuff overhead (lounge, kitchen, dining etc)

Robin9

To clarify my earlier post

Downstairs - main bedroom/ensuite; utility/store; integral garage

Upstairs - lounge/kitchen/3 beds/bathroom

[Deleted User]

In my case I lived in a maisonette with garage/bedrooms on ground floor and lounge/kitchen on upper floor. We were high on a hill as well, so views from the lounge were wonderful, but I couldn't get over the feeling that it was just 'wrong' to have bedrooms on the ground floor and of course, with access to the garden through them. I never really got used to it.

Because it was a maisonette, as you so often find, the rooms were larger than usual. I would never have called it 'split level' lol, it was an upside down house to us lol (aren't all houses split level?)

But that is just me.

It did mean that you had to go up to the lounge/kitchen from outside which was slightly more awkward with heavy shopping than a 'normal' ground floor kitchen house. Obviously bedrooms are normally at the top level because you don't use them so much. I have slight mobility problems now, and living in a 'living/kitchen on ground floor' house is a lot easier for me. If someone knocks on the door its just a few steps to get to it. I seemed to be constantly going up and down stairs with the front door on the lower floor. It wasn't unknown for people to walk away if I wasn't quick enough answering the door so I used to panic a bit if I heard a knock and was expecting a delivery.

alba7

I live in an "upside down" house too. It's built into the side of a hill, so looks like a bungalow from the front garden, then the bedrooms are downstairs, facing across the valley. It's great in summer because the bedrooms are so much cooler than the lounge, so better for sleeping. Also the view from the lounge window across the valley is spectacular!

Nebulous2

It will divide opinions when you come to sell and may limit your market. So are the advantages worth it?

Why is it built like that - is it a sloping site?

A friend has just built a house on a sloping site and had to pay an engineer and a builder a lot of money to build a retaining wall. He has a large lounge with a balcony on the first floor. It overlooks a famous beauty spot and has cracking sunsets. Sitting on his balcony in a nice evening with a beer he thinks it was worth every penny and more.

So the benefits may well outweigh any perceived disadvantage.

As the baby boomer generation are getting older my impression is that bungalows are becoming more and more in demand. Around here they certainly attract a premium over anything with stairs. I'm also meeting people who haven't downsized but who have confined their movements to one floor in their house.

How would that work with this house?

Doozergirl

alba7 wrote: »

I live in an "upside down" house too. It's built into the side of a hill, so looks like a bungalow from the front garden, then the bedrooms are downstairs, facing across the valley. It's great in summer because the bedrooms are so much cooler than the lounge, so better for sleeping. Also the view from the lounge window across the valley is spectacular!

This.

It's the way we should probably build houses. I've lived in two houses with the lounge upstairs and loved the light and the view from both. Heat rises too, so it makes sense to be upstairs during the day and down at night.

Our friends have a house like yours - it was a bungalow at the front. They've extended over the front recently so it has two storeys at the front and two at the back and it's huge now. Not upside down though.

jackieblack

Personally, although I love the idea of 'upside down' houses (have stayed in a couple of holiday cottages with this layout), I'm not comfortable sleeping on the ground floor as I like to have a window open at night. I couldn't live in a bungalow now I'm on my own either, for the same reason, although I have in the past.

Bass_9

I viewed a house like this and it was nice enough, with absolutely beautiful views. It needed quite a bit of work in addition to a high price (which could be the case with any house) but what really put us off was the idea of sleeping of a different floor to potential children in the future. It also didn't have much of a garden but this will not be the case with all spilt level houses.

So you just need to be aware that it could limit the appeal of the house, depending on the layout. Others like it have sold in the past but seemed to take a while. I know friends who have lived in different style spilt level houses which have been totally different and much more saleable, so I think it just depends on the house really.

seashore22

I have really liked the upside down houses we've stayed in on holiday.

The only reason I wouldn't want to live in one is security. We have our bedroom windows open at night all year round and I would obviously be more nervous of doing that on the ground floor. It would probably be a deal breaker for me, but not for those who seem to like living in hermetically sealed houses.