What A Split Level Home Is & Ideas for Your Chicago Home Remodel

Split-level homes are among the most common types of home styles throughout the Northwest Chicago suburbs. In communities like Arlington Heights, Palatine, Buffalo Grove, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights, and others, many families live in split-level homes built between the 1950s and 1970s.

For some homeowners, these homes can initially feel dated or difficult to modernize. Kitchens may feel closed off. Entryways can feel cramped. Lower levels are often underutilized. But with thoughtful planning and the right remodeling strategy, split-level homes can become some of the most functional, welcoming, and character-filled homes in the neighborhood.

Many homeowners assume they need a larger house or a new home when the real issue is how the current layout functions. A well-designed remodel can completely change how a split-level home feels and is lived in.

Table of Contents

1. What Is a Split-Level Home?

2. Why Split-Level Homes Are So Common in the Chicago Metropolitan Area

3. Pros and Cons of Original Split-Level Homes

4. Best Split-Level Home Remodel Ideas

5. Why a Master Plan Matters

6. Work With a Design-Build Team Experienced in Split-Level Homes

7. Rethinking Your Split-Level Home

What Is a Split-Level Home?

A classic American split-level house is an architectural style with staggered living spaces connected by short flights of stairs. Rather than stacking rooms across full stories, split-level homes separate living areas across multiple half-levels to create distinct zones for living, sleeping, and recreation.

There are many different types of split-level designs, and the terminology surrounding split-level homes can sometimes be confusing because names vary by region. Terms like bi-level home, tri-level, raised ranch, and multi-level homes are often used interchangeably, depending on the layout.

In this article, we’ll use “split-level” as a general term for homes, including side-split and back-split, that separate living spaces into distinct areas connected by staggered, half-flight of stairs.

These homes became especially popular throughout the Northwest Chicago suburbs because they offered growing families more living space without requiring larger lots or full two-story homes.

Split-level homes often include:

• Short staircases connecting living spaces

• A partially above-grade lower level with windows

• Attached garages

• Multiple living areas separated by level

• Compact but efficient floor plans

• Mid-century architectural influences

While layouts vary, many split-level homes create a natural separation between entertaining spaces, bedrooms, and lower-level family areas.

Why Split-Level Homes Are So Common in the Chicago Metropolitan Area

Split-level homes became especially popular during suburban expansion in the mid-20th century. They offered growing families more usable space without requiring large lots or full two-story construction.

Today, many homeowners are drawn to split-level homes because they often:

• Offer more square footage at a lower purchase price than other home styles

• Sit in established neighborhoods with mature trees

• Provide opportunities for long-term customization

• Has strong remodeling potential

• Include flexible lower-level living spaces

For homeowners willing to rethink the layout, split-level homes can offer tremendous value. 

Pros and Cons of Original Split-Level Homes

The Pros of Split-Level Homes

Owning a split-level home offers several advantages, making it a popular choice for many homeowners:

• Efficient Use of Space - Split-level homes maximize square footage by building upward and downward across staggered levels rather than expanding outward across the lot. This allows homeowners to gain additional living space, bedrooms, and lower-level areas without significantly increasing the home’s footprint.

• Balanced Privacy and Togetherness - After the peak of fully open-concept living, many families are rediscovering the value of subtle separation between spaces. Split-level homes offer that middle ground, using short sets of stairs to keep rooms visually connected yet not directly on top of one another, so you gain both easy togetherness and a comfortable sense of personal space.

• Abundant Natural Light in Lower Levels - Unlike traditional basements, which are often dark and fully below grade, many split-level homes feature partially above-grade lower levels with larger windows that bring in significantly more natural light. This creates lower-level spaces that feel brighter, more connected, and more livable for everyday use. Some lower-level designs even extend out to the ground-level backyard, creating a seamless transition to outdoor spaces.

• Versatile Lower-Level Space - Lower-level family rooms, dens, or walkout spaces can be converted into “flex spaces,” home offices, guest suites, gyms, playrooms, or secondary entertainment areas.

• Strong Value Potential - Due to their large inventory and often-overlooked appeal in the real estate market, split-level homes are often more affordable than a traditional ranch house or two-story homes, making them attractive to budget-conscious homebuyers or first-time homeowners.

• Open Concept Remodeling Potential - Split-level homes offer great potential for open-concept remodels. Interior walls can often be removed or restructured, creating spacious, flowing layouts that appeal to modern tastes.

• Unique Curb Appeal Opportunities - With creative home design updates, split-level homes can achieve a distinct and modern look. Adding different textures through unique materials, adding larger windows, or an updated entry can give a split-level home unique curb appeal.

The Challenges of Split-Level Homes

Many original split-level homes were designed for a different era, creating opportunities to update the layout for how families live today. With the right plan, these homes can evolve beautifully without sacrificing their unique character.

Areas for improvement include:

• Limited Entry Space - Many split-level homes that have never been updated have small entryways with limited natural light and storage, making it difficult to create a welcoming foyer or accommodate mudroom-style storage for coats, shoes, and bags.

• Front-Facing Garage Dominance -The garage is often a prominent exterior feature, which some homeowners think detracts from curb appeal. However, it can become a beautiful focal point with the right redesign.

• Uneven Temperature Control - The multi-level design can create heating and cooling challenges without HVAC updates.

• Closed-Off Kitchens - Many split-level homes that have never been updated have smaller, enclosed kitchens that feel isolated from main living spaces, which can be less appealing to those who prefer an open floor plan. However, this can be updated with a remodel.

• Accessibility Concerns - The numerous short flights of stairs in a split-level home can be challenging for people with mobility issues or aging family members.

• Resale Perception - For some buyers, the potential of split-level layouts is hard to visualize. However, with the right updates, these homes can be ideal for homeowners seeking a blend of open and separate spaces that uniquely balance privacy and connection.

The encouraging part is that these are all highly solvable design challenges. With a thoughtful remodeling partner and strategic space planning, a split-level can feel brighter, more functional, and more in tune with how you live today—while still benefiting from its naturally zoned layout. 

Best Split-Level Home Remodel Ideas

The most successful split-level remodels focus less on cosmetic updates and more on improving how the home functions day-to-day.

1. Open Up the Main Living Spaces

Many older split-level homes have kitchens that feel isolated from the dining room, living room, and other main living spaces.

Depending on how your split-level is arranged, it is common to remove a wall between the kitchen and living room or one separating the dining room from the kitchen. Many homeowners also choose to combine underused dining rooms with the kitchen to create larger eat-in kitchens with better flow and more functional gathering space.

These changes often allow for:

• Larger kitchen islands

• Better entertaining flow with connected gathering spaces

• Improved natural light throughout the main level

• Better sightlines to children or guests

In many older split-level homes, the kitchen feels visually and functionally disconnected from the rest of the house. Opening these spaces often makes the home feel larger, brighter, and more social without adding square footage.

2. Create “Connected Separation” Instead of a Fully Open Concept

After years of fully open-concept floor plans dominating remodeling trends, many homeowners are rediscovering the value of subtle separation between spaces.

Split-level homes naturally support this balance. Their staggered layout creates openness and connection while still allowing quieter, more private areas for work, relaxing, or everyday family life.

Rather than eliminating every wall, many remodels focus on widening openings, improving sightlines, and creating better flow between spaces while preserving some separation and privacy.

3. Improve Sightlines and Natural Light

Many split-level homes feel visually closed off because of smaller windows, enclosed stair openings, heavy wood railings, or segmented room layouts.

Strategic updates that improve sightlines and light flow can dramatically change how open and connected the home feels without necessarily removing every wall.

Common improvements include:

• Replacing heavy railings or pony walls with thinner modern railings, open vertical balusters, or glass panels

• Widening stair openings to improve visibility between levels

• Enlarging front or side windows

• Installing larger patio doors

• Adding skylights

• Improving recessed lighting plans

• Creating larger casing openings between rooms

Because staircases are such a central visual feature in split-level homes, even relatively simple updates to railings and stairs can have a major impact on openness, circulation, and natural light throughout the home.

For many homeowners, improving sightlines and brightness becomes one of the most transformative parts of a split-level remodel.

4. Remodel the Kitchen for Better Functionality

Split-level kitchen remodels often focus on more than finishes alone. The biggest improvements usually come from rethinking layout and flow.

A remodeled split-level kitchen may include:

• Expanded prep space

• Larger islands for gathering

• Better connection to dining areas

• Improved storage

• More natural light

• Transitional or timeless design finishes

• Better circulation throughout the main level

The goal is to create a kitchen that feels more connected, functional, and natural to live in every day..

5. Reimagine the Entryway

One of the biggest challenges in many split-level homes is the entry sequence. Expanding the foyer, adding storage, increasing natural light, or improving exterior curb appeal can dramatically change the home's first impression.

Popular split-level entry remodel ideas include:

• Adding sidelights around the front door 

• Expanding the front porch

• Creating built-in storage

• Improving lighting

• Updating stair railings in split-entry designs

• Adding warmer exterior materials and textures

6. Remodel the Lower Level Into a Functional Living Space

One of the biggest advantages of split-level homes is the lower level. Rather than treating them like a typical finished basement, many homeowners are transforming these spaces into highly functional extensions of everyday living.

Popular lower-level remodel ideas include:

• Family rooms

• Home offices

• Guest suites

• Playrooms

• Teen hangout spaces

• Home gyms

• Media rooms

• Entertainment areas with wet bars

Because many lower levels include larger windows or walkout access, these spaces often feel far more connected to the rest of the home than traditional basements.

Many homeowners also improve the connection between the lower level and the main living areas by widening stair openings, enhancing stair visibility, updating railings, increasing natural light, or carrying the same flooring materials consistently between levels.

7. Consider an Addition

If your split-level home feels too small, adding space is possible. If your lot permits, adding a great room or four-season room off the back of the home can expand square footage and better connect the house with the outdoors.

Building up is also an option if your lot doesn’t permit building outward.

Adding a primary suite or extra bedroom on the upper level above the main floor or garage can add both space and value to your home. If your home has a lower level or a den that opens onto a backyard patio, consider expanding that space to increase square footage.

8. Add Character to the Façade

The exterior designs of many split-level homes are fairly simple, so adding visual interest can go a long way.

Consider:

• larger windows with clean-lined trim

• mixed exterior materials like brick and board-and-batten siding

• updated garage doors

• modern lighting

• stronger front entry focal points

• improved landscaping and hardscaping

If you prefer a more mid-century modern aesthetic, features like wide horizontal siding, geometric lighting, low-profile garage doors, and bold but refined front door colors can help reinforce the home's architectural character.

Thoughtful exterior updates can dramatically improve curb appeal while helping the home feel more cohesive and intentional overall.

Why a Master Plan Matters

Before you jump into individual projects, it’s worth stepping back and creating a Master Plan for your split-level home. A thoughtful roadmap helps you prioritize projects by floor, phase work over time, and avoid tearing out brand-new finishes later to run plumbing, electrical, or HVAC where they really should have gone from the start.

For example, if you know you eventually want to add a lower-level guest suite or a more spacious primary suite, your team can plan plumbing, electrical, and HVAC paths now, even if those finishes come later, so you’re not opening walls twice.

With that big-picture vision in place, your design-build partner will help align your budget with the plan. Maybe your current investment covers a full reimagining of the main living level—opening up the kitchen, improving circulation between levels, and adding new windows—while also roughing in infrastructure for a future lower-level bathroom or upstairs suite. By phasing your split-level remodel against a clear master plan, you gain confidence that every step you take today is moving you toward the cohesive, functional home you want, instead of a series of one-off projects that don’t quite fit together.

Work With a Design-Build Team Experienced in Split-Level Homes

Split-level homes require a different level of planning than many traditional layouts. Structural changes, sightlines, stair relationships, natural light, and the flow between levels all play a critical role in how successful the remodel ultimately feels.

An experienced design-build team can help homeowners:

• Evaluate layout opportunities across all levels, not just one floor in isolation

• Improve functionality, storage, and circulation so the home feels easier to live in day to day

• Prioritize investments to tackle the most impactful projects first and avoid costly rework later

• Develop phased remodeling plans that work within your current budget and long-term vision

• Create cohesive interior and exterior updates, so your split-level feels like one intentionally designed home instead of a series of add-ons

• Enhance natural light and sightlines while still preserving needed privacy between levels

• Plan ahead for future needs, like aging in place, multigenerational living, or teens needing more independence, so today’s decisions still work 10–20 years from now

The goal is not simply to modernize the home. It is to create a house that feels easier, brighter, more connected, and better aligned with how your family lives today, and how you hope to live in the future.

Rethinking Your Split-Level Home

If your split-level home no longer feels like it supports your lifestyle, a thoughtful remodel can completely change how it functions without requiring a move. At Patrick A. Finn, LTD., we help homeowners throughout Arlington Heights and the Northwest Chicago suburbs reimagine split-level homes through strategic planning, thoughtful design, and quality craftsmanship.

Planning a remodel for your split-level home? Meet with our design-build team for a no-obligation discovery call to discuss your goals, explore practical layout ideas, and get expert guidance tailored to your home and lifestyle.

Download The Ultimate Step-by-Step Home Renovation Transformation Guide to start designing the perfect split-level home tailored to your family’s lifestyle.