From the monthly archives:

July 2008

Remodel Ranch Style Houses

When you remodel Ranch style houses, you want to maintain the simplicity of the style. One of the biggest draws to this house was the livability. It had an open floor plan for the main living area but also had a separate area set aside for the bedrooms. This floor plan allowed traffic to flow [...]

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Which Ranch Style Floor Plan Is For You?

If you’re currently living in a Ranch style house, you may be yearning for some changes, particularly if you’ve lived in your home for very long. If you’re considering changes, how do you go about deciding which ranch style floor plan is for you? Here are some guidelines that may prove helpful. To decide which [...]

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Historical Development Ranch House

Part of the appeal of the traditional nineteenth century adobe (which is often called a ranch house) was how the design was informal yet it played off of the relationship of the inside of the house and the space outdoors. This type of home, a single-story design, was built with long porches, or corridors, that [...]

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Ranch House History

Sunset Magazine, as the voice of western living, was the first publication to define the characteristics of the ranch house. The ranch house, and its predecessors, had been covered in the magazine prior to World War II, but it dedicated an entire book to Western Ranch Houses in 1946.5 Western Ranch Houses by Cliff May [...]

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Every Ranch House Is Not Created Equal

The housing market has changed dramatically throughout history. Immediately following World War II, American homes were primarily in larger cities, small towns, or in farming communities. Between 1945 and 1970, large tracts of land were split into smaller plots of land, creating subdivisions with “tract” housing. Atomic Ranch: Design Ideas for Stylish Ranch Homes The [...]

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Changing the Floor Plan to an Open Contemporary Style

Homeowners of Ranch House Style appreciate the fact that everything is easy to access because of the house only being one floor. However, sometimes they feel the homes are closed off more than what is preferred. Changing the floor plan to an open contemporary style is one way to update your Ranch style house. It’s [...]

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White Washing Over Real Wood Paneling

Hi Debra, I have a question about painting or white washing real wood paneling. We have a VINTAGE 1975 house that we have recently purchased. I love the BONES of the house, but it is in need of some serious updating. The den has real wood knotty pine paneling in a walnut type color finish. [...]

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1950′s Ranch Landscaping

FAR be it from a mere, and comparatively untraveled, gal to question an experts statement. Nevertheless, as I read in a mid-winter issue of one of the news magazines… the subject of landscaping in America came up. I am always interested in 1950′s Ranch Landscaping… so I thought I’d read on…. Best-Selling Ranch Home Plans [...]

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1950s Ranch House Renovation Guide

How could a small addition add value to your 1950′s Ranch Style House? Additions to a home are usually require a much larger budget than remodeling within the house footprint. But if you could add on an entire master suite… wouldn’t that add tremendously to your homes value? photo credit: ryanrumsey Would a 1950′s Ranch [...]

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Choosing Interior Paint Colors Video

In case you haven’t noticed… We love to use vintage movies and pictures in this website. It’s not that we are trying to convey anything nostalgic… far from it. The idea is have a bit of fun while we talk about remodeling ranch style homes. photo credit: Roberto Garcia-S This video is a remake of [...]

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