1022 Terrace Drive ~ Spacious Split Level Design ~ Quiet Neighborhood ~ $99,900!

If you are looking for lots of room, organic design that accommodates living and entertaining, and a blank canvas for decorating and landscaping, the solid brick home at 1022 Terrace Drive in Salisbury North Carolina is the home for you! This split-level home is available and move-in ready for under $100,000 in a peaceful established neighborhood with old growth shade trees. The space in this home undulates from one room to the next, from one level to the next, offering privacy while achieving a rhythmic flow to the home. There are a number of benefits associated with split-level house plans. From square footage to better utilization of the lot, split-level homes are intriguing in that they offer plenty of practical space while being adaptable to custom decoration.

Benefits Galore!

 

The first and most obvious benefit of the split-level home at 1022 Terrace Drive is the amount of space it contains. Split-level homes are well-known for being great homes for people with children ~ they typically have almost as much square footage on the bottom floor as they do on the top. This split-level home, with over 2100 square feet of living space, is well laid-out and makes smart use of the space available, featuring a variety of living spaces. This layout of split-levels is another enormous benefit. The all hardwood-floor bedrooms and one bath are on the upper floor. The bedrooms all feature high windows that allow light yet privacy. The master suite has its own full bathroom and double sliding door closet. The open, inviting, eat-in kitchen (with new oven and loads of cupboard & counter space!), the combo dining - living room, and one more bathroom are located on the central or main entry floor. The living room features a large picture window that fills the room with light. The main level is where you’ll also find the entrance to the large attached two-car garage off the kitchen. The garage has a handicap ramp so this might be the home, especially with all the space, to consider if you are caring for elderly parents.

One of the most special features of the solid brick home at 1022 Terrace Drive is the large 26’ x 28’ finished walkout basement which includes a half bath, a fireplace with stove insert, a large storage closet, and laundry room. The tiled floor includes a gaming board! For parents with children, the family room becomes the playroom, a place where the kids can entertain themselves, out of the way, but right around the corner.

Possibilities Galore!

1022 Terrace Drive is a GREAT home for the money, priced $21,000 under tax value! The split-level design here is simple and unadorned, offering a clean slate and a chance for the new homeowners to customize it. This could be interior modifications, landscaping, or simply repainting. Almost anything will work with split-level decor.

Keep in mind that the three level split is based on what was originally a Frank Lloyd Wright design. Wright championed "organic" architecture and split-level floor plans keep that concept alive. If you could commission Wright to redesign your split, he might remove the walls between living room, kitchen,and dining room...and replace them with a single half wood/half glass wall, or something equally dramatic ~ and there's no reason you can't do the same.

 

Most people decorate their splits in an eclectic style, and this is great! Most American homes are decorated this way. Most splits are mid-20th century homes, and have existed during a prolific age of changing styles and tastes. With its organic design where the rooms are cozy but connected, you get the most out of what is available to you and have the ability to upgrade and adapt your home in whatever way suits you. People entering the house will be welcomed by the main floor layout, the arched passageway from living room to kitchen, and will feel very little barrier before entering the living room. New homeowners can create a simple barrier by the front door with as little as a series of potted plants on a stand, or perhaps an aquarium, maybe even a bench with a column. The possibilities are limited only by the imagination.

Speaking of Exterior . . .

1022 Terrace Drive sits on approximately a on acre fenced in lot ~ a grassy expanse lined by large shade trees. There is little landscaping in place, a landscaper’s dream to be able to create artistic and welcoming outdoor ‘rooms’, with a deep front yard, a gently graded slope yard at the house waiting to be softened by plantings, gardens, or even stonework, and a large level fenced-in back yard. The concrete patio at the back of the house is a great place for outdoor area for basking and coffee, for entertaining and barbequing, or just sitting back relaxing and watching the kids play in the huge yard. There is even a basketball hoop in place for you to shoot a few baskets before dinner!

The large back yard is on level terrain and offers plenty of space to create areas for an outdoor storage shed, firewood storage, garbage cans, bicycles, or something as simple as a clothesline or a secure run for the family dog

Upkeep and Adaptability

Split-level homes require straightforward maintenance and upkeep - maintaining the working parts of the split-level home is not expensive and is easily adaptable. With its brick exterior, 1022 Terrace Drive will never need more than trim painting! The home is heated and cooled with both gas and electric systems. Property taxes are approx $1473.00 per year. 1022 Terrace Drive has newly updated electrical systems. This home is move-in ready!

Come look today!  

Greg Rapp will be pleased to show you the endless possibilities in your new split-level home at 1022 Terrace Drive…all for $99,900! Call Greg at 704.213.6846 to picture yourself and your family in this spacious home!

The Split~Level Home . . . an ingenious design for family living!

When it comes to picking a home to raise children in, there are few styles of homes that can compete with the split-level ranch house designs.  These versatile homes offer privacy, recreation space, and durability that simply can’t be matched with any other kind of house.  Even though many of the split-level designs are very similar to each other, they allow for plenty of individual character designs and décor.  From the outside, your house might look like every other one on the street.  The interior on the other hand, is all about you and your family.  Here is a look at why this type of home might be just what you are looking for.

The first and most obvious benefit of split-level house plans is the amount of space they contain. Popular homes for people with children, split-levels almost have as much square footage on the bottom floor as they do on the top. Whether the design is simply one floor on top of the other with a connecting staircase or a more asymmetrical multi-leveled version, split-level homes are laid out well and make full use of the space available. Another advantage is how the spaces are separated. The stairs and level offset can help isolate more private spaces (bedrooms and bathrooms) from more public ones (kitchen and living rooms). This isolation also psychologically affects the perception of additional space.

The layout of split-levels is another benefit. While the bedrooms are typically on the upper floor along with the kitchen, dining room, living room and one or more bathrooms, the bottom floor contains the laundry room, garage, large family room and often space to include another bedroom and/or bathroom. For parents with children, the family room becomes the playroom, a place where the kids can go and be out of the way.

Since the garage is attached, it can easily be accessed via a doorway. This has the double benefit of saving space on your lot. An unattached garage occupies a lot of space on a lot that could otherwise be used for a garden or lawn. With split-level plans the entirety of the home is self contained.

Although there are many different varieties of split-level house plans, all of them tend to share similar features. Among their common traits are attached garages, two stories, a basement or bottom level that is partially submerged and their asymmetry. Split-level homes can be in Ranch-style, Craftsman, or other style while still being considered split-level. While typically having two stories, some designs incorporate levels in between the stories. You might see a split-level home with a bottom basement level, a main level, and a smaller level with the bedrooms. Often, the entry hall might be on its own level as well. Different designs aside, there are a number of benefits associated with split-level house plans. From square footage to better utilization of the lot, split-level homes are intriguing in that they offer plenty of practical space while being adaptable to custom decoration.

Split-level homes are easily adaptable. Split-levels are typically feature plain architecture with an absence of adorning features. New or used designs offer a clean slate, a chance for the homeowner to customize it. This could be interior modifications or the addition of a deck, patio or simply repainting.

Split-level house plans offer many benefits. An abundance of space is perhaps the most compelling, as the homes are especially popular among home-buyers with children. It’s not like you have to have children to enjoy living in one of the split level ranch house designs.  They were originally designed for this use though, and it shows.  These kinds of houses are known for giving homeowners plenty of space, conveniently arranged.

With split-level designs, you get the most out of what is available to you and have the ability to upgrade and adapt your home in whatever way suits you. The split-level designs are also popular because they tend to be relatively easy to maintain. Split-level homes require straightforward maintenance and upkeep. Many of the same design features used in Ranch homes are found in split-levels, so maintaining the working parts of your home is not overly expensive.  It’s rare to find one of these houses made with hard-to-find materials.  This means that simple home repairs will only require finding a good contractor and buying standard building materials.

Take a peek at this most interesting slide show, put together by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Historic Preservation Division, that will take you on a historic tour of the Split-Level design:

http://issuu.com/georgiashpo/docs/split_level_nationally_pdf_version

Whether you are raising a family or just need some affordable extra space, the unique split-level house is worth looking into.  Give Greg Rapp a call at 704.213.6846 to explore the homes for sale and the possibilities of owning a split-level of your own in Salisbury, North Carolina! There is an affordable split-level home here waiting for your personal touch!

The Porch Defines and Reflects the Historic Character of a Home

Why is a home with porch space so special? The porch adds two distinct functions to the value of a home: The front entry and the display of the architectural period statement and the intrinsic value, or the actual use of the porch. The relationship of space, features, materials, and finishes, give a home historical character. The porch can have multiple advantages. Whether it is the main, formal entrance to a grand, large home, the formal entrance to a more modest home, perhaps not the ‘front door’ but the entry from a porte-cochere, or the rear of the home overlooking the gardens or another scenic view, it is a place of quiet, family and friend times. The impact to the character of the house in coordination with doors, fanlights, sidelights, pilasters, entablatures, columns, balustrades, and stairs adds value beyond financial gain and benefits you and your family for years to come.

The design of a porch creates an architecturally significant, welcoming entry, that focuses on views of the landscape, provides a retreat, and/or to serves as an extension of the living space of a home.


It can be enclosed by screen, latticework, windows, or design featured walls, and in the beautiful homes in Salisbury North Carolina, they often incorporate period design and statement architectural integration. They are usually architecturally unified with the rest of the house, while decks which are typically open to the sky are not usually architecturally integrated with the home design.

Porches are extra rooms

Providing protection from sun and rain, porches can become an exterior room that generates more square footage to the home that can be used as living space. Accommodated with chairs, tables, and other furniture, the value of the home is greatly enhanced with a porch providing a place of relaxation and entertainment.


The key to a good porch is good design.

When looking for a new home in Salisbury NC, or when putting your existing home on the market, look at the porch and ask the following questions:

Does it match and complement the house? • Is it in the best location? • How functional and convenient is it? • Is the size too big/small for the yard and house?  If you are putting your home up for sale, you may wish to consider updates and features for your porch. You might want the flexibility to have screen windows that could be changed to glass doors. Consider the location of the entry and exits, and the flow in relationship to the main house entry. It may be possible to utilize an existing window or door opening to fit in with the scheme of the house. Does the porch overlook a garden or pool, the street or a scenic view? Are there built-in amenities? How does sun and wind affect the living space?


Curb Appeal: Can A Front Porch Increase The Value Of Your Home?

Beyond the beauty of a porch there are also several practical benefits including a good return-on-investment, enlarged living space, protection for your front door and foyer and more.   These benefits include:

Curb Appeal:  An impressive front entry is a critical aspect of curb appeal. The difference between a “flat-faced” home and a home with a full, covered front porch is most dramatic. Front entryways gracefully defined with architectural components beautifully complement a home’s style.

Added Value: Enhanced curb appeal is always desirable, and can translate into a higher selling price for your home down the road. Real estate agents often mention the importance of the front entry in photo listings and buyer visits.

Protection from the Elements: A front entry with no covering exposes your guests and home to damaging sun and rain. A porch or portico provides great protection for the front door, hardware, trim, lighting—and even, foyer. And your guests will truly appreciate it on rainy or hot, sunny day. It can even help lower your summer energy bills.

Magnetic Affect: If you have children or neighbors, nothing beats a covered front porch for entertaining! It’s a wonderful place to socialize, catch up on the latest news or just relax and enjoy the company.

Living is Easy: An expansive, shady front porch offers a delightful retreat. Add ceiling fans, comfortable chairs and tables and you’ve just added a lot more square footage to your home, not to mention, a special place to unwind and watch the rest of the world whirl by.

As a reflection of your home, an invitation to passersby and an open window to the world around you, the porch can be the threshold to the outdoors, a getaway to read a good book or a place to share coffee and conversation with friends. It will be a place where you build your memories, watch your children grow, enjoy a cool drink in the summer, and the place you find your private moments to take in life.

 

Looking for a home with a porch to build your memories?  Call your local Salisbury NC Realtor Greg Rapp at 704.213.6846 to see a wide variety of homes in Salisbury NC with fabulous porch designs.