How To: Makeover for a Split Foyer

Measure all floor space for the upper and lower levels. Draw the home's existing layout, so you can envision ways to bring in more natural light and open space. Consider taking out a wall between the kitchen and living room or combining two bedrooms into a master suite.

Use graph paper to define a glass room front addition. Keep in mind that a well-crafted curbside addition becomes the new entrance. Build an addition at least 15-by-20 feet that will hold a coat closet, sitting benches and containers of plants. Construct the addition to enhance the shape of the home, which is boxy. Use the sunroom to create a welcoming space for visitors versus the cramped hallway of the old foyer.

Design a new exterior look with updated materials. Plan to install a roof of cedar shakes and paint all of the exterior brick and siding cream or light tan, for example. Paint bricks with primer and a high-quality brick paint. Use light taupe for all house trim and shutters. Install stacked stone on a retaining wall at curbside for an impressive look.

Work out a detailed plan to add light and space at ceiling levels. Vault the ceiling in the kitchen and main living room. Install skylights in bedrooms to cap sky well shafts. Build each shaft in a pyramid shape reaching from a 5-foot square opening at the ceiling level to a skylight on the roof that is roughly 3-foot square.

Give the kitchen and bathrooms a face-lift. Install light-colored tile floors and paint walls. Add stainless appliances to the kitchen. Save money on kitchen cabinets by painting them a semi-gloss cream color and adding new hardware. Buy new fixtures, such as sinks, premade tubs and premade showers for each bathroom.