You may have noticed on our house needs/wants list that we specifically spelled out that we did not want a bi-level nor split-level. I grew up in a beautiful bi-level. My parents got the house built and we moved in when I was 8 years old. I remember my parents telling us about it before we moved in, saying that the kitchen was going to be upstairs, and we were so confused. What if we’re downstairs watching TV and need a glass of water? We have to go ALL THE WAY upstairs to get it?? Yes. Yes you do. It’s not a big deal. And it wasn’t. It didn’t really phase me after that.
I guess should define “bi-level” for those who are not familiar. A bi-level home is a home that you usually enter the front door and have the option to immediately walk upstairs or downstairs. The kitchen and main living areas are usually upstairs, and a family room is usually downstairs. Related, a split-level is similar, but has multiple levels and half floors throughout the house.

So when David and I were house shopping for our first house in Maryland, we toured a ton of houses, but eventually settled on a really cute bi-level in an awesome neighborhood. It wasn’t weird to me that the kitchen was upstairs because that’s what I had grown up with. Granted, the kitchen was small, but it was so open and incorporated with both the dining room and living room, that you didn’t really notice.
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