If you’re looking to build on a sloping site, you’ve likely come across a range of home designs. But did you know that split level homes can be the most effective and sustainable way to build on an unlevel site? Although sloping sites often offer great views, more affordable land prices and are also readily available, they can be challenging to build on if you don’t have the right builder or home design. G.J. Gardner Homes’ range of split level home designs were created to be the most effective and sustainable way to build on unlevel sites (also known as sloping blocks).
Search our website
Please enter a search term below and we will do our best to help you find the information you are after.
Designed for stylish living
All of our split level home designs help you make the most of your land and the views it has. We create our designs with your lifestyle in mind, removing unsightly retaining walls, costly excavation processes or impractically steep driveways. But our home designs don’t just work with your land, but they also consider your lifestyle and living requirements, whether you want more entertaining or private space in your home. This means that you get to enjoy the dream home you’ve always wanted, regardless of the block type you’re building on.
Sustainable living meets style
Sloping blocks naturally lend themselves towards being more sustainable, as they require less earth to be moved to begin construction. Thanks to their multi-level construction, split level homes also mean you get to enjoy views from multiple living areas and can help you create more private areas for your family members to relax. Our split level designs are created to naturally fit in with the flow of your block, making them more aesthetically pleasing. So not only will they fit in with your lifestyle, but also with the native landscape of your environment.
The evolution of split level homes
Believed to have been originally derived from the ranch (and by extension horizontal Prairie homes) split level homes were created to divide public and private spaces through the use of short, half levels.
Split level homes first gained popularity in the 1950s and hit a popularity peak in the 1970s as a result of the classic sitcom The Brady Bunch. Of late Australia has seen a resurgence in this style, mostly due to the type of land readily available for purchase.
Versatility at its finest
Split level homes allow you to create multiple private areas in one home, and keep different areas separate. Providing you choose the right design, they also ensure that you utilise your property’s natural features, such as the view and landscape. Working with the features of your land means you can minimise costs, and take advantage of why you bought the land in the first place.
Choosing the right design
Before building on a split level block, buyers must understand what goes into designing and building on a slope. Many people buy sloping sites without understanding the complexity of building on a slope compared to a standard flat piece of land, leading to more challenges during construction. While many buyers have some previous ideas of how they would like the house to look or function, any alterations to a design must always work with the site. This ensures that the build is cost-effective and makes the most of the existing landscape.
Choosing a design that marries the land and the home will ensure a better building experience and result. Ultimately, designing a house around a site’s slope often means that the buyers end up with a much nicer place that is more sustainable, more functional to live in, and more cost-effective to build. Buyers will have to collaborate with builders to ensure that the split level home design that they have chosen works well with the slope of the land.
Partial Split Homes are designed with one or more small splits, that step with the slope of the site, reducing the need for extra site works including retaining walls that would otherwise be required to flatten the site to build a level home. With a small set of stairs between levels, a split can in some cases provide a more open feel, with higher ceilings ideally for living areas, depending on the slope direction on the site.
Half Split Homes are designed to suit moderate sloping sites requiring half a flight of stairs between floor levels. Configurations include at least three-floor levels, on sites that slope down, up or across the site, producing a two-storey portion to the front, rear or side of the home. These types of split level homes provide good separation of private and living areas with the ability to provide specific zones for each floor level.
Full Split Homes are designed for steep sites requiring a full set of stairs between floor levels producing at least two-floor levels. This results in a two-storey front, rear or side building structure. Ideally, these homes place the main living spaces on the upper floor levels to take advantage of views achieved by elevated living, with lower levels designated for entry, garage or additional bedroom, kids and guest spaces.
Split Level Home Designs
Here at G.J. Gardner Homes, we have created a range of split level home designs to suit different types of slopes. We understand that choosing a home design that works with sloping blocks is critical to ensuring a cost-effective and smooth building experience. Our split level home designs have been created to utilise the positive natural features of the site, like any views, solar aspects and landscape. By working with the site’s natural features, we minimise the site costs and take maximum advantage of the site and its features. We have carefully crafted our split level home designs around a site’s slope to ensure that our home builders end up with a much nicer place that is more sustainable, more functional to live in, and more cost-effective to build
If you are looking into building a split level home or have recently purchased a sloping block of land, the team at GJ Gardner would be happy to help you understand your home building options. Take a look through some of our home designs, or find your local office today to start your journey.
Split Level Homes FAQs
-
Is it more expensive to build a split level home?
Like many questions when it comes to the cost of building a home the answer is: it depends. There are many factors to take into consideration when building a split level home. At a minimum, these can include the home design you have chosen and the slope of your land. Per square metre, the cost may be higher for a split level home due to structural issues but on the other hand, when buyers choose a design that doesn’t work with their land, they may spend more making the site appropriate for the house design. At the end of the day, a design that works with your land structure and slope will be cheaper than trying to excavate land to suit a home design.
-
What are the benefits of a split level home design?
The benefits of building a split level home include increased sustainability (thanks to less earth needing to be removed), their aesthetics fitting nicely into the surrounding environment, the ability to create more private areas due to their split level design and also the benefits of getting to enjoy wonderful views from multiple areas in your home.
-
How many stories is a split level home?
The number of stories in a split level home will depend on the design you choose. Where a stacked split style will feature up to five levels and is often chosen by families for the amount of space it provides, a split foyer may only contain two levels. At the end of the day, the number of levels will be influenced by the split home design you choose.
-
What does split level home mean?
A split level home is a home style that was designed for sloping blocks. They are built to compliment the natural angle of the land, rather than require mass excavation to make the home fit. The split element comes from the floor levels being staggered, with sets of stairs leading from one area to the next.