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I've never heard of a "tri-level home." Is that the same as a split level? If so I have no interest--they are ugly as sin and the majority were shoddy construction from the 1980s.
If it is just a house with three levels that seems pretty standard. My house has a basement, a main floor, and an upstairs. Most houses in my area are the same, except for those constructed specifically for people with mobility problems.
You must not leave St. Paul proper much as MN is loaded with split entries, 3 level splits and 4 level splits. You can't even tell from the outside that a lot of the newer ones are multi-level:
It depends where in the country you are My split is 1900sq ft w/ 3.5 bath. My 2 car garage, mudroom,den and half bath are on one level. The 5 steps up to my Kitchen LR and DR this is also my front door. Then 5 steps up to 3 BR and 2 bathrooms. My basement is fully finished w/ a full bath. We didn't do it many home owners knock down the wall separating the kitchen and dinning room to have an open concept. We have a good size linen closet upstairs and a coat closet when you walk in. Storage is not really an issue. A trend by me is building over the main level and making these homes 3k+ sq ft.
If you have young kids they are basically trapped when in the den, that's a huge plus. Due to the levels you can easily hide in your house due to the layout. The trend today is open concept colonials, in a few years the trends will change. Overall I like the levels, with that said these homes are not designed for elderly people or someone with mobility issues.
This your typical 1900sq ft 3br 2.5bath home by me
I've never heard of a "tri-level home." Is that the same as a split level? If so I have no interest--they are ugly as sin and the majority were shoddy construction from the 1980s.
Grab a calendar and an architecture book! This style began in popularity in the 1950's and were very popular in the 1960's and 1970's....their popular began to fade in the 1980's. A tri-level is a split level.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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There must be some geographic differences in terminology. For me a split level is only two stories, you have steps up to the front door, and have to go up to the main level, kitchen./living room/bedrooms, bath or 2 or down to the lower level, usually family room, bath, and den or bedroom. Tri-Level is what the new developments are doing now in our area, which is really just a traditional two story but with a basement. They are also doing dual masters, and besides pantry, are adding a "spice room."
I'd buy most SFHs. But the problem here in Denver is that they've all been priced out of the average Millennial's reach. $300k+ for starter homes here. It's a joke.
Lived in a tri level, cookie cluster of row homes. It was sardines in a can. Small backyard.
What is fun about racing down three flights of stairs during a fire drill? Forget the fire escape stairs...you had to hope to gawd it wasn't winter and the cold/ice hadn't locked the brackets.
When hubby injured his knee...the stairs were his enemy. It made zero sense for us to stay. We were renters ...and no amount of persuasion by our landlord worked.
Young or elder these styles are not flexible to health and safety issues.
Co worker did a modern three levels...think Frank Lloyd Wright . Style..gradual...he utilized the landscape to create the illusion of one floor living...plus it was 90% self sufficient. He was mandated to have public sewer...
You must not leave St. Paul proper much as MN is loaded with split entries, 3 level splits and 4 level splits. You can't even tell from the outside that a lot of the newer ones are multi-level:
I am well aware of the prevalence of split level homes in MN and beyond. I have just never heard them referred to as "tri-level homes" before. My rural hometown was probably 10% new construction McMansions, 10% very old farmhouses, 20% trailer park, and 60% horrid split levels from the 80s.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ss20ts
Grab a calendar and an architecture book! This style began in popularity in the 1950's and were very popular in the 1960's and 1970's....their popular began to fade in the 1980's. A tri-level is a split level.
Around here the 60s and 70s were mostly MCM-influenced ranch homes. Split levels cropped up more and more from the late 70s through the 80s and a bit into the early 90s. It makes sense--different things are in style at different places in different regions.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hemlock140
There must be some geographic differences in terminology. For me a split level is only two stories, you have steps up to the front door, and have to go up to the main level, kitchen./living room/bedrooms, bath or 2 or down to the lower level, usually family room, bath, and den or bedroom. Tri-Level is what the new developments are doing now in our area, which is really just a traditional two story but with a basement. They are also doing dual masters, and besides pantry, are adding a "spice room."
Definitely some regionalisms going on here. Using the terminology that I grew up with, "split level" is a catchall that would refer to any architectural style with half-levels where various parts of the house don't line up with one another. "Split entry" is a subset of that specifically describing a setup where the entry foyer is the only part of the house at ground level so you must immediately go either up or down.
This is very regional terminology. Where I am in New England, a split is a center entrance raised ranch with a half flight up from the front door to the upstairs part and a half flight of stairs down from the front door to a finished basement. A tri-level is a raised ranch with a ranch bolted on the side. The front door is at the ranch level which is often on a slab or crawl space. There is then a half-flight of stairs up to the bedrooms in the raised ranch side of the house and a half-flight of stairs down to a basement/garage.
Around me, there are 20 splits for every tri-level. A split or raised ranch is the cheapest structure to build. A tri-level costs more per square foot since it typically has the living/dining/kitchen in the single level side. For that money, most people would go for a colonial or cape instead and bolt on an attached garage.
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