The split-level style home plan began as a variation of a ranch style home (sometimes known as a multi-level). They often maintained the shallow pitched roof and architectural styling however rather than one level floor plan split-levels have various levels at varying heights. Generally split-levels are a one level portion attached to a two-story section. Garages on split-level homes are often tucked beneath living space. Basements in split-level floor plans are generally very shallow thus the windows are just above the ground level providing a lot of sunlight through the windows into the lower level. These types of house plans are often described as having "daylight basements." There are several advantages to building a split level home. The footprint of the home is small (like two stories) since the various levels are stacked. As a result some of the more expensive parts of a home-the foundation and the roof- are smaller than they would be on a ranch style home. There are many areas where, due to higher water tables, full depth basements are likely to have flooding problems. Multi-level floor plans are excellent for this type of area since they are not built deep into the ground like a full basement. Due to the smaller footprint and the ability to built split level plans in higher water table areas, these types of floor plans were very popular for quite some time in the 80's and 90's as high density developments required flexible floor plans provided adequate size while taking up less ground area.

Throughout the years split-level home plans have evolved significantly. You can now find split-level floor plans of all types of architectural styles including Country and Victorian.