Go Far®Why Puget Sound has so many split-levels
The split-level and its cousin the split-entry boomed here during the region’s postwar growth decades — they put a lot of house on the sloped lots common around Lynnwood, Edmonds, Bothell, Everett, and Shoreline, cheaply. The trade-offs are familiar to anyone who owns one: a compartmentalized main floor with a closed kitchen, a tight entry landing where everyone bunches up, a half-buried lower level that never quite feels like living space, and finishes frozen somewhere around 1978. The structure underneath, though, is usually sound — which is exactly what makes these houses such strong remodel candidates.
Move one: open the main level
The single highest-impact change in almost every split-level we touch is removing the wall between the kitchen and the living or dining room. Because the main level usually carries roof or upper-floor loads, that wall is often structural — plan on engineering, a beam, and a permit. In the Seattle area a single-story load-bearing wall removal typically runs about $5,000–$12,000 all-in, more when plumbing or ducts hide in the wall. Pair it with a kitchen remodel (roughly $45,000–$110,000 for a full remodel here) and the whole main floor changes character in one project.
Move two: fix the entry
The split-entry landing — front door opens onto a half-flight up and a half-flight down — is the era’s most disliked feature. Full relocations are major surgery, but wider stairs, open railings in place of half-walls, better light, and a rebuilt closet turn the pinch point into an actual foyer for a fraction of the cost. We usually fold this into a broader main-level scope.
Move three: make the lower level earn its keep
A split-level’s daylight lower level is its hidden square footage — already framed, already roofed, often with above-grade windows on one side. Finishing or remodeling it into a family room, office, or guest suite behaves like a basement remodel on the budget sheet, and the daylight side makes egress easier than in a true basement. With a separate entrance and the right layout, some lower levels can go further and become a legal basement ADU with rental income.
What a full split-level remodel costs
Split-levels price like other houses of their vintage: a full interior remodel in the Seattle–Snohomish market lands around $100–$250 per square foot, and a down-to-the-studs renovation with floor-plan changes runs $250–$400+. One era-specific note: a house built in the 60s or 70s likely carries original wiring, galvanized plumbing, or thin insulation, and the right time to replace systems is while the walls are open. Budget for it up front rather than discovering it mid-project.
Remodel, add on, or move?
Because the bones are good and the lots are often generous, split-levels reward staying put: remodeling avoids the transaction costs and today’s pricing on a replacement house — math we walk through in Addition vs. Moving. Where the house is simply too small, split-levels take additions well, particularly rear main-level extensions and primary-suite additions over the garage wing. If you own one and are weighing options, we’re happy to look at the specific house — every split-level is a variation on a theme we know well.