After the housing crash, in some areas, inspectors stopped including the lower level as gross living area and called it a basement because it's partly below grade. Some people ended up with houses worth a third or half (for split entries) as much as they had been. And some were unable to sell to anyone except cash buyers because many split entries have all the bedrooms on the lower level, so the houses suddenly had no bedrooms (because only rooms in the GLA get listed like that). Banks wouldn't issue mortgages. The language really only changed after Sandy, when so many people with lower level NYC brownstone flats got flooded. The value was discounted because they were no longer GLA-eligible spaces. I had a friend in DC with one of the half-underground condos split from s Georgetown town home who got screwed at the same time. Her condo's floor is 6" below grade. Guess who dug out the foundation of her split level? That would be me. (Yes, in my case, it was fine.) The language now has a clause allowing for partly below grade areas to be counted in GLA if it's customary for the area for similar structures. The Sandy thing was covered in The NY Times.

I know this is an older post but I am completing a garage conversion so I thought maybe I could help and hop off what others have mentioned. #1 DO YOUR RESEARCH!! Our garage conversion has taken over a year because of zoning and permit nightmares. As someone else has mentioned this is not an easy transition and not only is it costly up front, if you are thinking of selling within the next 10-15 years you may be better off relocating instead of renovating.....also for sanity purposes! If you are eliminating a garage it's a good idea to think about how you will replace it. We built a 32x24 pole barn in the corner of our back yard and are putting in a driveway next year. However, you have to look at the blue print of your lot and zoning. For example, we have a decent size corner lot but we still have to abide by the 60/40 rule for greenscape: we cannot build on more than 40% of our "greenscape" on our lot. In addition, the structure had to be so far behind the house so when any of our neighbors stood on their front porch they wouldn't be able to see it. Because split levels are laid out so awkwardly and we have 4 kids and another on the way we decided to make our oversize 2 car garage a kitchen, living room, and dining room so all the bedrooms are upstairs and living space is downstairs. When it comes to the entryway it seems silly to get rid of the driveway since the main entrance is still in the front. You don't want to give up off street parking. Even if you build a garage in the back and have a sidewalk leading to the front door think about walking groceries all that way....that's what a buyer would think: too confusing. I agree with what others have mentioned about the windows. You want to create a seamless look in the front so definitely try to keep the same style windows. Adding some flower boxes along the front or some sort of retainer wall that matches the current style leading to the door could work just be sure there's room for proper grading so you don't end up with water or rot around the base of your new structure. The floor inside will have to be leveled and a new footer installed for that same purpose but best not to add any unnecessary obstacles. If I were you I would consider hiring an architect to go over what you're thinking in terms of design inside and out. It's worth the extra couple hundred dollars to pay someone with experience and knowledge of zoning for your area to lay it out for you. Best of luck!!!!!

What's your personal style? I assume as first time homebuyers that you're on the younger side, but that could be totally off. Beverly's suggestion of the West Elm chandelier would look super fabulous! I'd probably pair it with a huge statement piece instead of a series, but that's just personal preference. I'd definitely repaint in a much lighter shade and let the chandelier and art do the talking.

Thank you to everyone's suggestions thus far! I really appreciate it. I agree with everyone that a good deal of landscaping in front is a must and would go a long way towards adding curb appeal to the front of the home. Beverly- what if I have the budget to change the entire level of the roof over the single story part of the home? I was thinking I could do a dramatic higher A-pitch style roof to add visual interest and also enable the addition of a long front porch? We just keep envisioning a french country exterior and we will do what we can (within reason- not going the entire value of the house) to get that look. Changing the roof line (to either an A pitch or a multiple "peak" look) would also give the appearance of a larger home and also allow us to raise the ceiling heights in the main living area of the home - i.e., opening up the entire kitchen and living room to each other as well). I did get an estimate to move the AC unit and it was around $1500 so not cost prohibitive for what we want to do.