What is a Split-Level Home?
A split level home must have at least three levels to be considered a true split level. Typically, one half of the split level is one story, while the other half is two stories. Types of split level homes include the California-style and the Raised Ranch. Frank Lloyd Wright made the California-style split level famous. He designed four California-style split level homes in the mid 1920s as experimental cost-cutting homes. The homes feature cement block and open floor plans. Much of the block used is beautifully patterned, however, and is called “textile block.” The Millard House in Pasadena was the first to display the textile block, and its living room is two stories tall. Wright’s split level Freeman House in Los Angeles was also built using the textile block. The Freeman House overlooks Hollywood and features the first all-glass corner windows in the world. A Raised Ranch split level home has a basement, often part below ground and part above ground, that can be used for living spac
