Like a lot of people, when Debbie Martin heard the word bilevel, she thought of boxy, 1970s-era homes that seemed well past their prime.

So when she went to check out new bilevels in West Lampeter Township's Summer Breeze development, Martin was a bit, well, skeptical.

She also didn't like the idea of traversing steps after having lived in a rancher.

But when Martin saw the houses up close, she couldn't believe it. She ended up purchasing one.

Inside and outside, the home is a modern, attractive version of a bilevel, Martin said. "It's very classy," she said, and "makes a very nice appearance."

And while bilevels aren't in danger of eclipsing two-stories or even ranchers in popularity, they are making something of a comeback in Lancaster County, as cost-conscious buyers look for more efficient use of living space.

Today's bilevel — which can typically be built for less than $200,000 —employs the same basic design as its predecessors from the 1970s: a front landing halfway between two floors, with steps going up to the main part of the house and also down to the lower level, which includes a garage and additional living space.

What's different is that these homes are built with modern-looking exteriors, and have such features as cathedral ceilings on the inside. They're also more energy-efficient.

Eugene Hoover, sales manager at Gateway Realty Inc., said four developments marketed by Gateway include bilevel plans — Summer Breeze; Autumn Hills and Lincoln's Meadow in Ephrata Township; and Stonegate Commons in Conewago Township, York County.

In Lancaster County, the bilevels in Gateway's subdivisions are $189,900-$194,900.

While many builders and buyers still see the design as outdated, it's gradually regaining popularity, he said.

The potential of the bilevel in the current housing market started to become clear a few years ago, Hoover said. The layout offers "an efficient use of floor space" and "lives large" for the price, he said.

Also sometimes called a split foyer or raised ranch, the bilevel usually has the bedrooms, dining room, kitchen and living room on the upper floor and an expandable lower level with a built-in garage, Hoover said.

"It's really nice for a younger couple," he said, who can finish off the lower floor as their family grows.

And a bilevel can be built into a hill, with the lower floor at ground level in the front and below ground level in the rear, Hoover said.

New-home buyers who are initially tentative about purchasing a bilevel can be won over once they view the modern layout, he said.

"Oh my goodness, this has a cathedral ceiling," is the kind of reaction Hoover will hear. Walk-in closets in the master bedroom are not unusual either, he said.

Today's bilevels also may have details like bump-outs, adding dimension to the facade and carriage-style garage doors creating aesthetic appeal, Hoover said.

They have more of a "two-story look," he said.

Gerald Horst, president of Horst & Son Inc., which constructed Debbie Martin's bilevel, said the design "fell out of vogue but is coming back again."

"It's an efficient, inexpensive way to build," Horst said, so "you can keep your price point down."

Like a rancher, the bilevel also offers one-floor living, and that makes it attractive to buyers as well, Horst said.

Doug Zook, president of Oakwood Custom Homes, builds bilevels that are typically $180,000-$199,900.

He said he uses one bilevel floor plan that he modifies, depending on buyer preferences. The house is constructed on a truss system with nonweight-bearing walls, making customization easier, he said.

More homeowners today also are choosing to finish the lower level into a family room, office or fourth bedroom, Zook said.

Randy Hess, president of Hess Home Builders, said bilevels (and split levels) are returning as some buyers seek housing that's more functional.

They don't care about reverse gables and other details that enhance a home's appearance but add a lot of cost, he said.

"It's not that McMansions are going away," Hess said, "but people are beginning to shift away from that."

However, there are still areas of the county where new bilevels wouldn't sell, so their appeal isn't universal, he said.

"It depends on where you are."

Hess Home Builders offers a bilevel design, the Brandywine, in its River View subdivision in Bainbridge, Conoy Township.

The 1,040-square-foot house comes with three bedrooms, a full bath and an unfinished lower level with a roughed-in powder room. Including lot, the price is $179,900.

"We took an old plan and tweaked it," Hess said, so the home fits current building codes and is more energy-efficient and open.

"This is a house my dad and uncles built in the '70s," he said. "It's the same basic plan."

Hess Home Builders is erecting a Brandywine for Jonathan Collins in Manheim Borough.

Originally, he had a different type of house in mind, Collins said, but because his lot is on a flood plain, he needed to switch to a bilevel.

Collins and his fiancee, who will be married next month, are happy with their Brandywine, which will have three bedrooms, 1 1/2 baths and a two-car garage.

"We're excited," he said.

Bruce Walton, president of Sherman & Walton Inc., built quite a few bilevels when they first became popular more than a generation ago.

Like many housing designs, the bilevel originated in California and spread out from there, Walton said. "It was a new plan that came on the market," he said, and builders and buyers appreciated its appeal.

Locally, the heyday of the bilevel was the mid-1960s to the late 1970s, Walton said; Sherman & Walton erected more than its share in neighborhoods like Manheim Township's Belair.

"We cranked out streets of them," he said. "It was a good, versatile house that didn't cost a lot."

People moving from Lancaster city to the suburbs were drawn to the floor plan, he said. A bilevel was affordable for young couples and families who liked having a finished family room on the lower level, Walton said.

Today, he said, some of the original owners of Sherman & Walton bilevels still live in them. The company has even done remodeling work to bring the residences up to date, Walton said.

Hess Home Builders' Randy Hess said demand for bilevels and split levels replaced the rancher boom after World War II.

(The split level was popularized in the late '60s and early '70s by the television series, "The Brady Bunch.")

And when that residential phase ran its course, two-story colonials were the next hot trend, he said.

Hess said he doesn't know if renewed interest in bilevels will continue. But as long as a segment of the market is pushing for more utilitarian floor plans, he said, that'll probably be the case.