Okay, so I’ve been itching to expand my split-level home for a while now. It’s a great house, but we’re just starting to outgrow it. I started by just brainstorming, you know, jotting down every crazy idea that popped into my head. No filter, just pure “what if” scenarios.
Initially, I spent a lot of time just staring at the house. Like, really staring. I walked around it a hundred times, trying to figure out where an addition would even make sense. The main problem with split-levels is that awkward middle level, right? It always feels a bit…disconnected.
My first thought was to build up. Could we add a whole second story? I sketched it out, but it looked super top-heavy and weird. Plus, I wasn’t sure the existing foundation could handle it. I’m no engineer, so that idea got shelved pretty quickly.
Then I considered going out. We have a decent-sized backyard, so extending the back of the house seemed promising. I grabbed some graph paper and started playing with different layouts. This is where things got interesting.
The “Mudroom/Family Room” Combo
- Extend the lower level straight back.
- Create a large mudroom/entryway.
- Connect it to a new, spacious family room.
I got really excited about this one. It solved the “disconnected” feeling by creating a more natural flow from the garage and lower level to the rest of the house. I even measured out the dimensions in the yard, using stakes and string to get a real sense of the space.
I realized a few things, firstly I got the tools to do the measuring, from stakes to strings, measuring tape, the whole shazam. I then, after much deliberation marked it out, making sure to double-check and recheck.
The “Master Suite Bump-Out”
This was a more modest idea. Instead of a huge addition, we’d just bump out the back of the main bedroom level to create a larger master suite with a walk-in closet and a bigger bathroom. Less ambitious, but maybe more practical.
Again, with my trusty tools I got to marking, measuring and after much consideration, figured that this was indeed very practical.
After drawing up both ideas, I decided that a mix of both might be the best way. So, I had to put the ideas together to make one good idea. After much delibrating, and many sketches, it worked!
I ended up spending a few weeks just refining these two basic ideas. I looked at tons of pictures online, trying to get inspiration for rooflines, windows, and all those little details. I even drove around my neighborhood, looking at other split-level additions (probably creeping some people out in the process!). All in all, I think this is a very doable idea. I just need to plan it better.