Buying A Home
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Bi Level Homes... Pros and Cons:
Hi!
My boyfriend and I are set in wanting a Bi Level Home ( first house for the both of us . ) Which will be built from the ground up so we can decorate it our way. Won't be for awhile still, but I'd like to know ahead of time, some of the pro and cons of a Bi Level House and what some of you think of a house like this ( Bi Level ) . It's just gonna be him and I and either 1 or 2 dogs. 
Any feedback would be great! Thanks! 
~Forever and Always
Travis & Andrea
9/23/08 ~
Re: Bi Level Homes... Pros and Cons:
I'm srry, my bad..lol.
Bi level meaning when you walk inside, you have a foyer, basement on side and garage on the other and then you walk up the steps like 1/2 flight, and then into the house.
Heres the link to the house he and I want
http://www.finelinehomes.com/new/floor_plan_detail.asp?office=&md_id=52
We just bought a house somewhat similar to that, except when you enter the front door there's a landing and you either go down a 1/2 flight to the finished basement (family room), laundry room and garage entrance or up a half flight to the kit/DR/Living Rm and bedrooms. Most of the houses in our area are like this and one thing you'll want to consider is how you are going to use that basement section. Every house we looked out has that "basement" area finished to use as a family room or office. It's great as it's extra living space but storage space is then really limited. We went with our house because unlike the other split levels, it had a wide/huge foyer and staircase so the storage closet under the stairs is also much larger than other homes. Storage seems to become a big issue with these houses as many people in the neighborhood seem unable to use their garages for cars but instead park in the driveway and use it as storage. My husband vows we will never become like that, but I do worry as I can be a pack rat sometimes.
Also if you do have/are planning to get dogs, consider the flow path for letting them out. I love that we have deck right off the main living space so we can see when she wants to come back in. If you are going to have to go downstairs to the basement to let them in/out all the time, will that become a pain if you are going to keep it a storage area rather than living space?
Hi LarissaB!:
My BF wants to have 1/2 or more of the basement an Enterainment Center and the other half an office for his work papers, ect. What he then wants to do is under the Basement he wants to put a storage room there to strore things, hoildays stuff ect. That'll only be like 1/2 the basement. Then he wants a deck off from the kitchen and thats for to let the dogs out.
I do not like split level entries .
I am also not a fan of buying a house with a boyfriend. Please have in place an exit strategy as not all relationships end in marriage --- and you do not state that you are yet engaged. Everyone thinks it won't happen to them, but it does happen and it can be a mess untagling home ownership responsibilities and you untangle the relationship
We have a split level home. The only thing I do not like is that when you open the front door, there isn't a lot of space on the landing. So if you are trying to bring in some packages (or in my case, a carseat), you need to maneuver to get around the door before you can go upstairs. So if you have the option when planning, try to make sure there is enough space that you can enter the house easily.
Other than that I like my home plan. The layout is very organized feeling which appeals to me.
I agree with pp. It's hard to bring big things in and still be able to close the door. Also, I wish we had more storage. Our 2 car garage will likely become a 1 car garage when we have kiddos and need more storage. I also suggest making sure you have a formal dining room. Our bilevel feels much larger and more open than many of the ones we looked at (or our neighbors). The difference is the dining room and larger living room area.
I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "under the basement" There is no under the basement. The basement is the lowest level there is.
I agree with the pps that the front entry way of that particular plan is tiny and will probably be annoying trying to bring things in to the house, like groceries. I'm not a huge fan of a full flight of stairs to get to the main level, for the same reason.
Most raised ranch/split level/bi level homes only have half a flight of stairs to get to the main level of living.
I prefer more of a tri level home to a bi level home:
http://www.thehousedesigners.com/plan/1523/
But if you really want a bi level I'd really consider going for something more traditional like this:
http://www.thehousedesigners.com/plan/the-raleigh-1303/
Personally, I'm not a fan of the house you posted. It seems like the entry is really cramped. Also, I think having the entry on the basement level of the house is inconvenient. Think about hauling all your groceries up the stairs every time.
From that same builder's website, I think this plan is better. The finished square footage is similar to the plan you listed, but I think the flow of the house is better. Plus, if you finished a basement in this ranch style home, you could have even more space.
Not that it really matters, because you should build the house that works best for you, but it seems that bi-level homes are not very popular these days. They were popular in the 80's and early 90's, but not many builders are even building them anymore. Look at the website where that plan came from, there are lots & lots of options for 2-story and ranch homes, but only a couple options for bi-levels. This tells me that not many people want bi-level homes. It's something to think about for resale value - a bi-level home may be harder to sell when you're ready to move on.
Mr. Sammy Dog
Bi level homes are actually very popular here because you get a lot of useable space (a daylight basement), and a garage, with a lower construction cost than a traditional ranch style home.
It's probably a regional thing.
Just not ones that look quite like that one!
It's hard to do when looking at plans but you have to really take the time to look at the individual spaces (even the tiniest of spaces like that entry), and picture how you're going to use them. Picture yourself with an arm full of groceries, or an infant carrier, or greeting a group of guests that all arrived at the same time in that entry.
Another thing to think of with that floorplan- there's no bathroom downstairs, and the upstairs hall bath is a long way from the staircase, so if downstairs is your family room, you have to go up the stairs every time you use the bathroom.
Also, I hate to say it because I know you're excited about new construction, but based on what I saw on the website and the fact that they built quite a few bilevels in the 80s, I think you could get a much higher quality home if you purchased a "used" one.