Why are so many homes built like this? (Atlanta, Douglasville: 2015, apartments)

[ddm2k]

As you move outward from Atlanta into areas with two-lane country roads, I can't help but notice one style of house that seems to be VERY popular, or was popular at one time. The split level. Several times as many as we have anywhere in NC.

And this layout, in particular. You have to walk up stairs, then you still have to walk up or down another flight once you step inside. Why was this design so popular as opposed to a traditional two-story or ranch?

https://images1.apartments.com/i2/KJ...mary-photo.jpg

[CaliDreaming01]

They used to be popular for a few reasons. A split level plan maximizes the livable indoor square footage at a more affordable price. Also, you get more separation between the bedrooms and main living areas than you would with a ranch. For people who don't like stairs, you only have to climb a half of flight of stairs instead of a full flight of stairs to get to one story to the next.

Still not a fan of them though. I wonder if they will make a resurgence one day. I prefer either a ranch or a 2-3 story house.

[aries4118]

Originally Posted by CaliDreaming01

They used to be popular for a few reasons. A split level plan maximizes the livable indoor square footage at a more affordable price. Also, you get more separation between the bedrooms and main living areas than you would with a ranch. For people who don't like stairs, you only have to climb a half of flight of stairs instead of a full flight of stairs to get to one story to the next.

Still not a fan of them though. I wonder if they will make a resurgence one day. I prefer either a ranch or a 2-3 story house.

Good post.

And I totally agree with the bolded above.

[brown_dog_us]

It was a cost thing. That pic is basically a 2 story house on a slab, and that is what we moved to for affordable starter homes.

btw, ranches are too expensive to build and require wider lots.

[arjay57]

Originally Posted by brown_dog_us

It was a cost thing. That pic is basically a 2 story house on a slab, and that is what we moved to for affordable starter homes.

btw, ranches are too expensive to build and require wider lots.

That makes perfect sense but it never occurred to me.

When I was growing up we thought split levels were rich people's homes! A house like the one in that photo would have been considered massive in our neighborhood.

[sedimenjerry]

Those are older homes and reflect that widespread growth that occurred in Atlanta decades ago (pre 90s I believe).

[atler8]

Originally Posted by ddm2k

As you move outward from Atlanta into areas with two-lane country roads, I can't help but notice one style of house that seems to be VERY popular, or was popular at one time. The split level. Several times as many as we have anywhere in NC.

And this layout, in particular. You have to walk up stairs, then you still have to walk up or down another flight once you step inside. Why was this design so popular as opposed to a traditional two-story or ranch?

As a point of clarification of terminology used here, the home pictured is actually a "split foyer" in that the entry landing is just that; an entry. From there the choice is to either go upstairs to the level up one half flight of stairs or down one half flight of stairs to the level below.
My dad was a home-builder & built a true split level for our family when I was in the 2nd grade. It had 3 levels but the basics of it's layout featured a front door entry into a level that was more than just a landing. There was a living room, a kitchen & a dining room on that level.
On one side of the living room, there was an up and a down half staircase which both led to good-sized levels, one stacked on top of the other.
The op is correct though There are a ton of the split foyers as pictured in the suburbs.

[ddm2k]

Originally Posted by atler8

As a point of clarification of terminology used here, the home pictured is actually a "split foyer" in that the entry landing is just that; an entry. From there the choice is to either go upstairs to the level up one half flight of stairs or down one half flight of stairs to the level below.
My dad was a home-builder & built a true split level for our family when I was in the 2nd grade. It had 3 levels but the basics of it's layout featured a front door entry into a level that was more than just a landing. There was a living room, a kitchen & a dining room on that level.
On one side of the living room, there was an up and a down half staircase which both led to good-sized levels, one stacked on top of the other.
The op is correct though There are a ton of the split foyers as pictured in the suburbs.

Thank you! I noticed this difference in the examples in GA vs what we have in NC (2 stories one side, 1 story on the other).

[ATLTJL]

I remember looking at pictures of houses when I started looking in the mid 2000s.

I noticed that almost every single house west of town in places like Douglasville and Lithia Springs were built like this (at least, back then). I really don't care for the look, which is one reason (among many) I never seriously looked in that area. In the northern suburbs, you don't really see this design much. I'm sure it exists, but it's not the dominant style like it is in some areas.

I didn't even know what to call it, I just knew I didn't want to have to walk up stairs to get to the front door. Especially because they don't even build nice brick stairs, just those sorry wooden stairs that it looks like a high school kid made in shop class. I think the house in the photo looks like two trailers stacked on top of each other. But I can't really be an elitist... I have a mass produced house from a crummy national builder, myself.

[bryantm3]

a lot of this is explained by time when split levels were popular. construction got way flimsier and cheaper in the mid 60s, you saw a move from traditional brick and plaster to brick façades, pre-fab, and drywall in a short period of time. most were cheaply built and this made buying a larger house in the suburbs much more affordable. at the same time, they were notoriously bad for not letting in a lot of natural light and can have kind of an RV feel to them. in addition, lead paint and asbestos (the scarier of the two) weren't banned until the very late 70s, the same time that this style of house was beginning to fade. all of these factors combined i think, make it a style of house that people don't really recall fondly.


the 60s were a unique moment in time, i think, for atlanta. i have noticed this too— once you get outside of downtown areas of alpharetta and roswell, there are almost zero homes built before the 1960s. the only homes you see that are older than that are clustered together in sort of little villages. you'll be on this rural road with literally nothing but farms or modern development, and then you'll come across an intersection with maybe 3 farm houses, a general store, and a couple of ranch houses. this has led me to believe that before the 60s these roads weren't even paved. it takes me no time at all today, but back then it probably took a good hour to navigate the roads into downtown alpharetta. living that far out in the country, it was probably just a matter of safety and practical access to resources that people in rural areas built their homes in tight clusters.


all those miles of country roads that i see as being really "rural"... even those are paved and dotted with homes and businesses since the 60s. it's strange to imagine all of that just being a lonely dirt road just extending for miles into the forest. really makes me rethink my concept of 'rural'.


back on the subject, it's possible to turn these homes into something really special. you just have to be willing to put in the time and effort.