What Is A Split Bedroom Floor Plan

First appearing in the U.S. in the 1950s, the split bedroom floor plan quickly became a favorite with homeowners. A split bedroom design offers much-needed privacy for the homeowners that is not available in many other home designs, but this design option is not right for everyone. Daily activities increasingly separate family members, and the split bedroom design increases this separation. Families with younger children often prefer the traditional design, while those with older children or no children prefer split bedrooms.

Description

A split bedroom design is simply a home that places the master bedroom on one end of the home with the remaining bedrooms in another location, usually on the other side of the home. A variation of the split bedroom floor plan is the master bedroom on the first or main floor with the additional bedrooms on the second floor. Traditionally, bedrooms are clustered in one area of the home with a long hallway to access the sleeping areas.

Origins

Many credit the split bedroom floor plan to Arthur Rutenberg, but Rutenberg gave credit to his brother Daniel. Working with two other brothers in their Florida-based Rutenberg Construction Co, Arthur and Daniel introduced and built the new design in Florida homes. The design quickly became a favorite, and split bedroom homes soon dotted the Florida landscape before spreading throughout the country. The split bedroom design is now the standard in traditional, affordable family homes.

Advantages

A split bedroom floor plan offers additional privacy for the master bedroom because this room is separated from the other bedrooms in the home. Children and guests do not disturb the occupants of the master bedroom. In addition, this floor plan maximizes the usable space in the home because long hallways are reduced or eliminated.

Disadvantages

A split bedroom design separates the occupants of the master bedroom from the children of the home. In emergency situations, such as a gas leak or a fire, the homeowners must travel from one end of the home to the other to rescue children. Older children also have more freedom to come and go unnoticed when the master bedroom is secluded.

Tags: split bedroom, master bedroom, bedroom design, floor plan, split bedroom design, bedroom floor plan