Split Level Remodel Ideas: Modernize Your Interior, Exterior, and Curb Appeal

If your split-level feels dark at the front door and choppy once you're inside, those are the two things owners complain about most, and they happen to be the two easiest to fix. The staggered layout that makes a split-level feel closed off is also what gives you room to work: short flights of stairs let you connect levels, rework the entry, and pull in light without changing the home's footprint. That structure is already built and paid for, which is why most of the ideas here cost far less than a full addition.

Costs still swing widely by scope and home size, so it helps to have a number to plan around. You can estimate your remodel cost before you commit to anything. The ideas below cover the interior, the exterior, and curb appeal, and they apply whether your home is a true split-level or the two-story bi-level layout many people group under the same name.

Split-level or bi-level: how your layout changes the plan

Figure out which layout you have first, because a bi-level house remodel and a true split level remodel put money in different places. A bi-level, also called a raised ranch, has just two levels and a single entry landing where you head up or down the moment you walk in. That landing is usually the biggest problem and the best place to start: open up the sightlines, rethink the railing, and turn it into a real foyer, and you've handled most of what feels off.

A split-level has three or more staggered levels joined by several short flights of stairs. With more levels and more staircases, the flow between them and the stairs themselves carry more weight, and the lower, often below-grade level is your best shot at adding living space. Those separate levels are an asset many owners overlook: they give you natural zones for a work-from-home office, a teen or in-law suite, or bedrooms set well away from the noise of the main floor. All bi-levels are a kind of split-level, but not all split-levels are bi-levels, so match the ideas below to the layout in front of you.

Split level remodel ideas for a contemporary interior

Remodeling split level homes usually comes down to three things: more light, better flow, and an entry that works. The ideas here take them one at a time.

Open up the entryway

Split-level entryways tend to be tight, a landing wedged between two flights of stairs with no real foyer. Adding built-in seating and storage, like a bench with cubbies or a slim coat closet, gives everyone a place to drop shoes, hang coats, and stash umbrellas. From there, a large mirror, light wall color, a gallery wall, and a streamlined railing make the same square footage feel brighter and more deliberate, and a statement light fixture sets the tone at the door.

There's a limit to how open the entry can get, and code and structure set it. The stairs need a compliant guardrail and handrail, so a railing can't simply come out for the sake of sightlines. The wall you want to open may also be load-bearing or hide the stair framing, ductwork, or wiring, which changes both cost and scope. Confirm both with your contractor before you commit to a fully open landing.

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Knock down walls for an open floor plan

Older split-levels were built as a series of small, separate rooms, practical at the time and closed off by today's standards. Removing non-load-bearing walls between the kitchen, dining, and living areas opens the main floor into one connected space with better light and flow, and it suits both entertaining and keeping an eye on the family.

Cost matters here, because the type of wall drives the price. Taking out a non-load-bearing wall is one of the more budget-friendly structural updates. A load-bearing wall costs more, since it needs a support beam and engineering, so confirm which one you have before you settle on a layout. If a full open concept feels like too much, half walls let light and sightlines through while still defining rooms, and the partial wall can hold built-in storage or seating. For a real example, see our 1970s split-level kitchen remodel.

Open floor plans still have plenty of fans, especially in split-levels, but they've picked up a growing set of critics. Devin Henry, president of Nomadic Real Estate, has seen an open layout backfire in the wrong home.

"Taking out all the walls felt modern at the time, but it made homes loud, short on privacy, and one-dimensional to buyers. Listings with fully open layouts were sitting roughly 18 to 22 days longer than comparable homes with some room separation."

– Devin Henry, President, Nomadic Real Estate

He puts era-specific finishes in the same category, noting that barn doors and shiplap got so tied to one HGTV period that buyers now walk in and think, "that's an old house." Keep some separation, and avoid finishes tied to one specific year. Both your day-to-day comfort and your resale price hold up better for it.

Give your stairs a visual refresh

In a split-level, the staircase connects every level, which makes it one of the best places to spend a remodel budget. Outdated railings, carpeted treads, and heavy balusters from the original build date the whole interior. Swapping wooden spindles for slim black metal railings, glass panels, or clean newel posts updates it quickly, and pulling up old carpet to reveal hardwood treads, or painting risers and treads in two tones, adds to the effect. Subtle stair lighting improves safety at the same time.

For more direction, see our stair banister remodeling ideas.

A warning on the flip side: a refresh shouldn't slide into gutting the details that give a house its character. Kristen Herhold, director of public relations at Clever Real Estate, saw what happens when a seller went too far in the name of modernizing.

"I listed a home where the seller had stripped all the original character, crown molding, built-ins, and hardwood trim, and replaced it with drywall and cheap trim to 'modernize.' The space felt hollow, and we got significantly fewer showings than comparable homes on the same street."

– Kristen Herhold, Director of Public Relations, Clever Real Estate

The fix came from putting character back. Once a stager returned some architectural details, interest picked up, and the buyers who eventually offered said the home finally "felt like a real house" again. Update the finishes that date a staircase. Keep the trim, treads, and built-ins, the details buyers only notice once they're gone.

Lean into angled ceilings and bold color

Angled ceilings are a built-in asset in many split-levels. Highlight them instead of hiding them: paint them a crisp white or a soft contrasting tone, and add lighting or exposed beams that follow the slope to draw the eye upward.

Paint is the cheapest idea for pulling a split-level out of its original decade, and the easiest thing to get wrong. Pastels and muddy tones wash a space out or echo the original era. Rich neutrals, warm whites, deep charcoals, or one bold accent color used with intent modernizes a room faster. Painting the wall behind a fireplace terracotta, for instance, emphasizes the angle overhead while balancing the visual weight of staggered ceiling heights.

Increase lighting through multiple approaches

Poor light does more to date a split-level than the floor plan does. The original builders were stingy with windows, and the stairwell core sits far from any exterior wall. Add daylight and the rooms feel current before you touch anything structural. Enlarging windows, or turning one into French doors onto a patio, brings in the most. Indoors, layering ambient, task, and accent lighting (recessed cans, statement pendants, under-cabinet strips, hallway sconces) warms up the space, and skylights or solar tubes reach rooms with no exterior wall. Our guide to renovating a space without natural light goes deeper.

Unify the flooring

Older split-levels often mix shag carpet, linoleum, and dated tile, which makes the levels feel disconnected. Running one cohesive floor throughout, and onto the connecting stair treads, pulls the home together. On lower levels, especially below grade, LVP or engineered wood handles moisture better than traditional hardwood.

Add living space by finishing the lower level

The lower levels of a split-level are the easiest place to gain square footage. Refinishing the basement or converting the garage can add a family room, home office, guest suite, or gym without touching the footprint, and the return per dollar is often strong. Watch for moisture, ceiling height, and code, especially if you're adding a bathroom or a bedroom. For bigger structural moves, read Split Level Additions: What to Know Before You Build.

Split level remodel ideas for a contemporary exterior

Split-levels get knocked for curb appeal, since the staggered floor plan can look blocky and the original 50s and 60s materials look dated. The exterior is very much in your control, and these updates tend to cost more than interior cosmetic work but return more at resale. You can gauge the payback with our renovation value calculator.

A few of the highest-return moves:

• Update the siding. Fiber cement, composite panels, or vertical wood in a contemporary color modernizes the facade quickly.
• Paint the brick or trim. Dated brick painted soft white or deep gray is a dramatic, low-cost change.
• Modernize the windows. Larger, energy-efficient windows with black or dark-bronze frames update the exterior and pull in more light. Split-levels were often built with small, sparse windows, so resizing the openings does as much for the rooms inside as it does for the facade. New windows also recoup a solid share of their cost at resale, which makes them easier to justify than a purely cosmetic swap.
• Upgrade the garage door. Often the largest feature on a split-level, so a clean-paneled or frosted-glass door changes the whole front of the house. Because it takes up so much of the street view, it's also one of the cheapest ideas to shift the home's style.
• Refresh landscaping and lighting. Clean walkways, modern planters, and contemporary sconces frame the home and lift curb appeal after dark.

A front porch or portico is one of the better ideas for breaking up a split-level's long horizontal lines and give it a real entrance.

Many split-levels have a small, understated entry, so adding a front porch creates a more welcoming arrival and anchors the facade. For a full gallery of exterior ideas, see our split level home exterior remodel images and tips.

Summarizing split level home remodeling ideas

Every idea above, with a ballpark price range to help you prioritize. Costs move with home size, material choices, and local labor, so use these as starting points rather than quotes.

Remodel your split level with Block Renovation

Split-level layouts come with real complications: load-bearing walls, elevation changes, and moisture in the lower level. Block matches you with vetted local contractors who compete for your project, reviews each scope to catch missing line items and red flags early, and releases payments only as the work gets done. Compare quotes side by side and get peace of mind throughout your renovation with a one-year workmanship warranty and price protections. Thousands of homeowners have renovated with Block.

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