If you’ve been browsing property listings, you might have come across the term ‘split bedroom’ in reference to the floor plan of the house.
This is a phrase that many people haven’t heard before, especially if they have always lived in two or three-story properties. To learn all about split bedroom layouts, along with their pros and cons and possible floor plans, read on.
What Is a Split Bedroom?
A split bedroom describes a type of architectural floor plan in residential properties where the master suite is separated from the rest of the bedrooms in the home.
Typically with this layout, you can expect the living room, kitchen, and other common areas to be found in the middle of the house, with the master bedroom on one side and the remaining bedrooms on the other side.
With this floor plan, the master bedroom is divided from the other bedrooms by the central living areas.
This is a type of floor plan that is generally only found in one-level living properties because homes with two stories would have all of the bedrooms positioned together on the top floor. You can have a split-bedroom floor plan in a detached single-family home or in a single-level apartment.
Split bedroom layouts are not very common, in spite of the fact that they are quite sought after. This means that homes with a split bedroom layout can charge a premium, so the property price will be higher than those of a similar standard without a split bedroom layout.
This type of layout is not considered to be very modern, and therefore most newly built properties will not feature split bedroom floor plans. They are more commonly found in ranch-style homes built during the second half of the 20th century or in apartment complexes.
Advantages of a Split Bedroom Floor Plan
Privacy
Having a master suite on the opposite side of the house to other family members or guests gives both you and the occupants of other bedrooms a much greater level of privacy.
Having the common living areas separating the master suite from the other bedrooms means there will be a significant physical distance between you and the bedrooms on the other side of the property, allowing you to feel like you can be yourself in the master suite without the risk of other people hearing you or intruding.
You won’t have any foot traffic walking past your bedroom, which will make for a more private and peaceful space for you to fully relax in.
The split bedroom floor plan will also be popular with teenagers in bedrooms that are far away from their parents, so they can feel like they have privacy to do their own thing and have a bit of independence away from the master suite.
This floor plan also makes the property work well for guests because anyone staying with you will have their own space and not feel like you’re living on top of each other.
Noise Reduction
One of the biggest advantages of split-bedroom homes is the reduction of noise. If you are in the master suite away from other bedrooms, you won’t be able to hear the music blasting from your teenager’s bedroom or children waking up early to get ready for school. If anyone wakes in the night to use the bathroom, they will be too far away from you to disturb your sleep.
This also works in reverse, and you can feel comfortable making noise in the master bedroom without worrying that you’re disturbing others. You can watch TV in the master suite or talk without having to whisper, safe in the knowledge that you won’t be waking up any sleeping children.
Teenagers will be able to have friends in their bedrooms without fearing that their parents are in the next bedroom listening to their conversations. Split bedrooms are also great for people who work shifts because they can get up early or come home late without waking anyone up.
Space
In floor plans with a split bedroom, the space can be better utilized because there is not such a need for hallways and corridors to lead to different bedrooms.
Instead, the master suite and other bedrooms can be positioned right off the main living areas. This means that the space that would ordinarily be used for a hallway can instead be used to make the other rooms bigger. There are more spaces and hence will be more choices to design master bedroom floor plans.
Home Office
If you work from home, then having a split bedroom layout can make a positive difference to your life. You can set up a home office in one of the bedrooms far away from the master suite so that you feel like your work life is separate from your private life.
This physical distance between your bedroom, where you relax, and the home office, where you work, also enables you to have psychological distance between the two, allowing you to compartmentalize different areas of your life better. Having to walk for a minute between your bedroom and your office can make you feel more like you’re at work rather than working from home.
Value
Split-bedroom layouts are not common in properties, which is interesting given that they have so many advantages and so few disadvantages. Most people who grew up in two-story homes won’t be familiar with split-bedroom floor plans, but once they learn about them, this is a property layout that is very much sought after.
The simple fact of supply and demand means that homes with a split bedroom layout can be listed for more money, as there will be no shortage of buyers looking for a property with this floor plan. If you are considering an extension to your home to create a split bedroom layout, then this will be a worthwhile cost as your property will be worth considerably more when finished.
Disadvantages of a Split Bedroom Floor Plan
Children
One of the reasons why families decide against buying a home with a split-bedroom layout is the fact that they will be sleeping far away from their young children.
This can be difficult if you have a baby who has moved to their own room, but you still need to get up throughout the night to feed them. The inconvenience of having to walk through the house rather than pop into the bedroom next door can make a big difference to tired parents.
You might also be worried if young children are crying in the night following a nightmare or wetting the bed, and you are too far away to hear them if your master bedroom is on the opposite side of the home. With a split bedroom layout, you also won’t be able to easily keep a tab on youngsters to make sure that they aren’t having screen time while you’re asleep.
Even with teenagers, you might feel uncomfortable being too far away from their bedroom because it means you can’t keep an eye on them. If you’re worried about them sneaking boyfriends or girlfriends into the house, then being far away will only increase this worry as you won’t be able to hear what’s going on.
Distance
Having bedrooms that are a short physical distance away from your children can actually create an emotional distance between you. In a split-bedroom house, you will probably find that you see less of your children and everyone spends more time apart doing their own thing, which can be a problem if you place a lot of value on closeness and family time.
Common Split Bedroom Floor Plans
Two Bed Split Bedroom
In a standard two-bed split-bedroom floor plan, you will have the kitchen, living room, dining room, and any other common areas located in the middle of the home. The master bedroom, along with an ensuite and potentially a dressing room, will be situated on one side of the property, and the remaining bedroom and a further bathroom will be situated on the other side.
Three Bed Split Bedroom
In a three-bed split bedroom, you will usually have the master suite on one side of the common living areas and the two remaining bedrooms situated on the opposite side. In some three-bed split-bedroom floor plans, the second and third bedrooms can be separated by some distance, for example, with one at the side of the house and one at the back, though this is less common.
Four Bed Split Bedroom
Much like the three-bed split bedroom layouts, a four-bedroom split bedroom layout will see the master suite and the remaining three bedrooms being separated by the common living areas in the middle of the home.
These bedrooms will usually be clustered together away from the master suite, and they may all share a bathroom or have their own ensuites. Less commonly, the three remaining bedrooms could all come off the main living areas and be positioned around the back edge of the property.
