if the basement is full height, I don't see how this could be a problem given the information you provided. utilities, elec/gas/propane/hvac all might have a role in the answer, but, I cannot tell you without seeing the space.

You are going to have to move your stairs to do this. Load bearing walls could become an issue. And you'll be cutting into your foundation. You will need a structural engineer to help you out.

I think it's a smart idea if you can do it. Splits are a tough sell in my area.

Thank you all for your quick reply.
to answer some of your questions
- Yes, the basement is full height and is a walk out
- I'm gonna keep the garage as it is and the remaining square footage is quit sufficient for the living room, dining area and for the kitchen
Please look the attachment for the back view of the house.

What i believe i need to do is remove the stairs and move the front door to the ground floor, will that be a huge task to implement.
Will county approve such remodeling?

if the basement is full height, I don't see how this could be a problem given the information you provided. utilities, elec/gas/propane/hvac all might have a role in the answer, but, I cannot tell you without seeing the space.

Sam,

I don't think this will be that easy. You will have to rework the foundation and cut out a door in the concrete, and probably have to re-grade a bit too. You will need to smash through the pre-cast steps to remove them as well as the concrete supports under the steps. I imagine you will be able to get a permit to build this, but I can't imagine you will want to proceed without consulting with an architect or another designer. I assume you will need proper construction drawings to get a permit too.

Where are you planning on moving the new basement door to? Will you enter in the same spot as now, but just at a lower part. If so, you will need to rework your stairs?

Carol

sam,

If you consider moving your door to where there is a small window beside the garage, you could turn your old door into a window and keep the stairs where they are located. See inspiration photo below. Can you post an interior plan of the lower level? Also, do you have plumbing rough-in in an appropriate spot for your kitchen sink in the basement of your home?

[Craftsman Staircase[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/craftsman-staircase-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_745~s_2116) by Ellicott City Architects & Building Designers Brennan + Company Architects

Carol

Thanks Carlo, your suggestion is very good, i will consider the option of keeping the stairs as it is and converting the window as a main door,

I have attached the floor plan, any suggestions is appreciated

Thanks a lot.

Where are you planning to put your kitchen? Is it to go in the area market wet bar? What kind of climate are you in? Do you have need of jackets, boots, etc. How many live in the household?

Carol

Moving a kitchen is VERY expensive. I think it much less likely there will be an issue with permits, than with equity/cost.

And, the suggestion to put the door where there is a window is a VERY good one. Then, you don't have to mess with the stairs, which is also a very good idea. If you mess with the stairs, you'll have to bring them up to code, and that may be difficult to do in the present space...

Thanks for the comment

The "new kitchen" is right below the existing one so i'm thinking it wont need much of plumbing and wiring, as you can see in the image the new kitchen will replace the wet bar that has some plumbing in place, do you think it would be a lot more expensive than a regular kitchen remodeling and updating?

Thanks,

The good news is you have plumbing in your basement location so that will make a big difference in the cost of new kitchen location. The bad news is, you will pay for electrical with a new stove location and other electrical. I don't think moving the new kitchen to a floor below is a deal breaker. It would cost lots to gut your old kitchen and redo that space too. Lots of people move they kitchen over to a new spot on the same floor. Moving it directly one floor below (especially with plumbing already in place) does not seem worse than that.

Carol

Thanks Carlo,
Do you have any estimate on the cost of moving the kitchen, how much expensive will it be compared to a regular kitchen remodeling?

Thanks
Sam

Hi Sam,

It is Carol (not Carlo). A regular kitchen remodel where everything is staying in the same place will of course be cheaper than moving a kitchen to a new spot as you will pay for more plumbing and electrical. How much more, I cannot say. Hopefully, someone else will chime in. You could post the cost for moving a kitchen question on the kitchen forum and someone might be able to advise you on the extra plumbing and electrical costs. You will have counter and cabinet and probably appliance costs for re-doing a kitchen no matter the location.

Carol

My Apology Carol, and thanks again for ur input
I will try posting info about kitchen cost in the kitchen forum and post an update here,

I have one Question regarding remodeling the Split foyer ,
what do you think of a house without a basement? since what am planing will converting the basement as a main floor, i will no longer have a basement.
Do you guys think of any challenge i may face in the future?

Thanks,
Sam

Sam,

I think your idea of allocating the basement level to kitchen, dining and family room and the bedrooms on the upper level is a good idea. As long as you have good windows on all sides of the basement (our split foyer only has big windows in the front of the house). Also, keep in mind the ceiling height will be compromised by the ducting which will take away a bit from the feeling in your main living space (maybe the worst of the ducting runs can be tucked inside storage closets). Don't forget to allocate adequate storage closets/room in your basement level as you or future families will miss the storage that a basement brings. You may need a shed too if you only have a single garage. I would also be planning very generous sized closets upstairs too as storage loss will be noticeable. You could also investigate some storage area in the attic to replace the loss in the basement.

Another thing to consider is there will be a big mess and some cost to cutting the concrete down at the window area to create a new basement level door. Concrete dust will get everywhere.

Carol

This is my all time favorite remodel of a split entry. I think it's just amazing. Maybe it will provide some inspiration. Creative split foyer ideas are kind of hard to come by...

Here is a link that might be useful: Design Sponge: Heidi and Joel Allen Reno

Thanks Benjesbride,

It's amazing,
Can you please post the floor plan, so that i can understand the layout.

Thanks
Sam

It appears no floor plan was made available, so one would have to analyze the photos in the link to get an idea. In the before and after photo, it looks like the after photo is actually a mirror image of the back of the house, which a little confusing.

This photo shows the old and the new sections. It looks like - very basically - that they added a new stairwell to the exterior front of the house, added a small third floor, and added carports.

Good luck with your renovation!

Thanks benjesbride,

Thanks
Sam

Would it be cheaper/easier to create what I think is called a "reverse floor plan" to get your bedrooms on a separate floor?

Maybe you could just convert the family room to a master suite with a walk out and rework the rest to fit two bedrooms.

Split entries in our area are often positioned so that upper level living space can take advantage of views. If that's the case with your home, you might want to keep the kitchen/dining/living where they are. The master could be combined with the bedroom next door to create a new family room that could also access an extended deck across the back if the whole house.

There are advantages to basement bedrooms too. They're often quiet and nice and cool in the summer.

benjesbride,
I didn't understand the what you refereed "reverse floor plan" can you explain a little more?
My main goal is to have a separate floor for bedroom and living/kitchen area, in my case after remodeling their will be three bedrooms upstairs and living/kitchen will be on the lower level.

Thanks
Sam

Thanks

I think benjesbride is suggesting keep your living area upstairs and put your bedrooms downstairs.

Personally I think that has as much resale value as a split entry. But your re market may differ.

Yes. Living area upstairs, bedrooms downstairs.

It seems a lot more affordable way to get your bedrooms on a separate floor than your living space, if that's the goal. Moving the bedrooms downstairs would essentially be moving some walls and adding a master bath, I guess. Plus you could live in the house during the renovation.

We're doing a whole house renovation and being displaced to a rental gets pretty expensive. Not to mention inconvenient.

I'm curious, though. What is your reason for renovating this house? Why not just sell it and buy a traditional layout house? We've gutted our little house because of rare location and view.

Someone on another forum posted the below link as an example of a formerly split-foyer home that was remodeled to move the front door to the second floor. I'm not sure about the interior layout, as the family in that case also added another floor, but it would be a way to make your second floor the "living" floor and then the bedrooms could be moved below.

Personally I love this transformation. That said, depending on the grading/elevation surrounding your house, this could end up creating too many steps (i.e., a whole flight) just to get to your front door.

Here is a link that might be useful: [From split-foyer to 3-story[(https://www.houzz.com/photos/from-split-foyer-to-3-story-country-style-home-with-wrap-around-porch-traditional-exterior-dc-metro-phvw-vp~673891)

This is a link to an old document (from 2003) that has some design ideas for remodeling split-level and split-foyer houses. It's worth a look.

Here is a link that might be useful: Split Visions - A Planbook of Remodeling Ideas for Split-Level and Split-Entry Houses

Where you ever able to find anything on this? I am considering this, as my parents are getting older and really need a single-level living arrangement, but have a split-foyer, and really do not want to leave their neighborhood.

Cheaper to move. Just keep an eye on the local market.

We're doing a remodel + addition of our split-entry / split-foyer to move the kitchen downstairs. The reason is because we need a multi-generational home in a very aggressive housing market (metro Seattle).

In most cases this may not make financial sense, but the ability to cook and serve food on the ground level is a key consideration for us due to accessibility concerns. By tying in to a new addition for a full bath and bedroom, we get the desired outcome for a fraction of a new construction equivalent. A new construction home would also be on a much smaller lot and require a change in school districts so everything considered, this changes makes sense in our scenario.

Unlike the original poster, we will not be relocating the front entrance and I echo the thoughts of others about the costs outweighing the benefit of doing that. Our existing garage and new addition are at grade, so we will simply add entries via both of those locations to gain access.

We'll see how much, if at all, this changes our market evaluation. Home buyers will certainly be expecting the kitchen and dining areas on the upper level. But having the kitchen downstairs means that a homeowner won't be carrying (1) groceries up, or (2) trash, recyclables, and compost down. I believe a good listing and proper staging can highlight this change. We'll further tie-in the downstairs kitchen and new addition via an outdoor kitchen and eating area.

Given the current change to remote working due the pandemic, the upstairs dining and/or kitchen areas are now available for remodeling to a dedicated home office which is now desirable. By making the addition and downstairs ADA compliant, we also open ourselves to that market.

My only concern is that the house may stay on the market longer until it finds a family in a similar multi-generational situation as ours, which seems to be increasing in demand.

We have a split foyer on our street of mainly split foyers that has a kitchen up and down. They have a grandmother living in the basement (above ground). There is another split foyer on our street that has a door beside the garage (it is a single garage). I think you might want to keep the plumbing and electrical in your old kitchen (maybe make a little bar area), so someone else can use it as a kitchen again in the future. That way your lower area could become a granny suite or rental income.

Im curious if you have started and have any pictures of your reno for the split level!? D Lohr