The split-level home: From reviled to revitalized

After (No. 1): A sense of arrival

To create a sense of arrival for this split renovation (which includes a major two-floor addition in the rear), a front porch with columns was added. The even number of columns and odd number of spaces create an eye-pleasing if false sense of symmetry, says architect John Mangan. An ornamental shed dormer was added atop the pushed-up roof to balance out the home. Stonework was used to help create a warm approach to the home and to wrap the base of the porch, tying the two together.

After (No. 2): An open, inviting kitchen

Cramped, dark kitchens that don't engage the rest of the house are one of the biggest complaints about splits. Architect John Mangan added this new kitchen to the two-story addition to the home. Now the kitchen opens onto an informal eating area and has an island for people to gather around. Because the neighboring house is quite close (as is often the case in these older neighborhoods), Mangan used that "dark" wall to relocate the range and add a visually interesting tile pattern that draws the eye instead of punching a new window in the wall.

Before: The garage plays center stage

"One issue that we've got here is the garage door – it's the main focus of the composition," says architect John Mangan of this Bethesda, Md., home. "There's no shadow, no sense of relief in it," he adds of the home’s austere brick face. The door gets lost in this façade.

After: A better entry and a large addition

Architect John Mangan gutted the home's main level and added a portico to accent the entry. As with the first home in this slide show, a large, two-story addition was added on the back. "You're in essence engulfing the house with an addition," he says. In order to accommodate that, "we ended up literally taking that roof off" and putting on a new roof that spanned the house, he says. Note the other details that change the look of the home, such as a shingle roof and the elliptical window.  The brick façade of the original home was retained and painted white.

Before: A typical split, with all its drawbacks

In this Washington, D.C.-area home, the homeowner again was wrestling with standard split challenges: a dominating roofline, an obscured main entrance, a blank-faced façade above a blah garage. (Note the big "gutter," or blank space, between the two window "eyes" of the house.) The home's rear, meanwhile, was almost featureless, save for some very large round shrubs, says architect John Mangan.

After (No. 1): A revitalized home gets personality, space

"We added a story, essentially," turning this from a three-bedroom to a five-bedroom home, says architect John Mangan. This roof also grew hugely, and is now covered in shingle. Decorative dormers break the run of the roof, he says. Notice the small roof over the garage door, which breaks up the monotony of that space while keeping people dry as they pull down the door.

After (No. 2): Better backyard/home harmony

After this two-story addition, the rear of the home opens up more into the backyard. And the master suite tracks across the upper floor of the house, giving views of that yard.

After (No. 3): From midcentury split to Colonial splendor

Some details can really help transport a midcentury split into another era. In this case, Mangan Group Architects added elements that transformed the home into a Colonial-derived home – "though it lives quite contemporary inside," architect John Mangan says. "I think the thing that works well on the house is the combo of the half-round window with the heavy dental molding in that pediment."

After (No. 4): An open foyer

"The foyer spaces tended to be a little tight and claustrophobic" in splits, architect John Mangan says. How to fix that without tearing apart a home? One way is by making wider openings to the adjacent rooms, which creates more breathing room and lets the light in. "We probably also removed an entry closet and relocated it," says Mangan. Stairs are often abrupt and ugly in splits, he adds. Here, "we try to celebrate the hand-railing."

Before: Dated and somber

This well-kept but dated home needs a breath of modern style. Between the massive roofline and the tall bushes, the entrance is dwarfed and lost. The home's board-and-batten façade is quite somber -- dark, even -- and too dominated by vertical lines.

After: A human-scale entry and added visual interest

Updating the exterior of this split-entry was the goal here. Added balconies create a horizontal element across the entire home and break up the vertical wall on the right, says architect Ann Robinson of Salt Lake City's Renovation Design Group. A contemporary porch awning focuses attention on the doorway at a human scale. Landscaping boulders and a stairway make the approach much more visually interesting and friendly, Robinson says.

Before: A hidden, uninviting entry

Where's the front door? In this “before” picture of a Salt Lake City-area home, the entrance is invisible – hardly the way to welcome guests to your home. The porch also is dark and uninviting. Note the wide space between the windows of the house and the monotonous repetition of brick.

After: A new porch and water-smart landscaping

This formerly beaten-down-looking split-level got a dramatic exterior makeover. A porch and obvious entry point were added, replacing a covered walkway of drab, dark brown. The brick façade was largely kept, but board-and-batten-style siding was added on the top to "create a brick wainscot look and create a visual break," says architect Ann Robinson. A large tree that dominated the home was removed, and desert landscaping that accentuates the home and needs little watering was installed.

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