by Debra on Monday, September 29, 2008
If you own a ranch style home, previous owners may have made changes to the house that weren’t keeping with the style. Some people like to update their homes with each new style while others prefer to maintain the style integrity. If you’d prefer to stick with the original style and are thinking about the trim for 50s ranch style homes, you might be surprised which trims shouldn’t be used.
On the interior of the house, molding and trim was used to hide gaps that might occur when sheet rock or paneling was installed. There was usually simple trim around the windows and doors, so they tried to match the other trim in the house to that.
Many people have added crown molding to ranch style homes in order to give the illusion of a higher ceiling. But this type of molding isn’t appropriate for ranch houses because ranch houses are simple and unpretentious. To be true to the house, you really wouldn’t use trim for 50s ranch style homes.
Crown molding is better suited to a traditional or even a formal style house. Ranch style houses are anything but traditional or formal, so it would be better to use a simple molding or not use any at all.
What about the baseboard trim? Depending upon where you live, you might have different styles of baseboard trim for 50s ranch style homes. Normally, however, they were very simple and understated like the rest of the house.
On the outside, there was simple trim around the doors and windows; however you may have also had exterior shutters on a ranch style house of that era. At the time, nearly all trim was painted white, but the shutters may have matched the color of the roof or a darker shade of the house color.
If you’re thinking of painting your house, how do you paint the trim for 50s ranch style homes? That all depends upon the type of exterior you have and what color you plan to paint it. Look around at the other homes around you. Do you want your home to be similar to other homes or do you want it to stand out? Try painting your door a bold color and then painting the trim the same color as the door.
There wasn’t always trim for 50s ranch style homes when they were originally built. Whether or not a house had trim could have been based upon the architect plans, the builder, or the location of the home and what was normal for that area. How to paint the trim now is entirely up to you.
If you do plan on adding some simple trim to the interior of your ranch home, here is a good resource to teach you how.
Trim Made Simple W/DVD (Made Simple)
photo credit: markomni
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by Debra on Friday, September 26, 2008
The door is more than an entrance to your home; it’s a way to invite others into your life. Traditional doors for 1950s ranch style homes were solid wood doors that had small windows in various configurations to allow you to see who was at the door.
When homeowners remodel, they often switch out the front door of a home hoping to make it look like a different style of house. If you’re remodeling your house, you may be interested in finding traditional doors for 1950s ranch style houses to bring back the original look of your home.
There are manufacturers around the country that have taken great pains to research mid-century ranch homes from across the country. They then create the doors that will be best on your home to give it that authentic 1950s ranch style look. The benefit of the new doors is that they’re energy-efficient and built to withstand any weather that may come in contact with them.
What do you do if you’re not familiar with traditional doors from 1950s ranch style houses? Go to your public library and check out an architectural design book with the varying styles of houses from the 1950s. The book should have a number of pictures that will allow you to see the doors.
Ranch house doors changed somewhat when new architectural styles developed. From the late 1930s to the present, considered to be the Modern and Mid-century Modern style, the doors were plain and unassuming. There was little decoration except for thin, sometimes frosted, horizontal windows in several configurations. Others had vertical, square, or diamond shaped windows.
The Post-War years, late 1940s to early 1950s, showed how the doors reflected more of a traditional design. Some believed these changes were based upon British plank doors. The windows were much smaller and were often placed diagonally on the door.
Between 1950 and the 1970s, Ranch/Rambler style houses were becoming less popular, traditional doors changed again. They became more geometric in an effort to help this style home appear more modern.
If you’re thinking about returning your 1950s ranch house to its original glory, at least from the outside, you may want to find a traditional looking door. Look through library books, online, or tour neighborhoods to see this type of door for yourself.
Finding traditional doors for 1950s ranch style houses is possible today. Besides finding manufacturers that can recreate new doors in the style you want, you may be able to find actual doors from that era at architectural supply companies. Decide on the look you’d like to have and then do the best to find that traditional looking door that will welcome guests for years to come.
photo credit: David Boyle in DC
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by Debra on Tuesday, September 23, 2008
One complaint ranch style home owners have is that some of the windows are too small. Many homeowners think replacing ranch windows is the answer. What is the process for replacing windows and how expensive is it?
There are a few things you want to consider before enlarging the windows in your home. If your windows are original to the house, it’s quite likely that replacing the windows will save you money on heating and cooling costs each year. In fact, you may notice enough of a difference in your utilities that you consider replacing all of the windows in your house.
You can choose either double glazed or un-plasticized polyvinyl chloride (UPVC) windows. The prices vary greatly, so be sure to do your homework before settling on which type of window you buy. One way to help you decide which type of window to purchase is to think about the amount of time you’ll be remaining in the home. If you plan on staying there for a while, you may want to spend the extra money for the better windows.
Shop around and ask for free in-home estimates. Get estimates from at least three companies; more estimates would be better. Ask for copies of their contracts to read at leisure so you can compare the contracts as well as the windows.
Talk to several contractors who can do the work for you rather than having the window company install them. Ask friends, neighbors, and the local builders associations if they can recommend contractors who are ethical, do their work in a time manner, and at or under budget.
Expect to spend between $300 and $1,000 per window, depending upon the quality of the window. Of course, the size of the window will also play an important role in how much the replacement window costs. If you’re only planning to replace one window, you may want to go with the better window. You can take your time to replace other windows either as needed or as you have the money.
Are you concerned by the cost of windows? Is it important to have a triple-paned window or is a double-paned window sufficient? Compare the warranty that comes with the windows and ask if the warranty can be transferred to any future homeowners.
Replacing ranch windows is something that many homeowners consider. Their reasons for doing so may differ, but the desired outcome is probably the same. Homeowners replace ranch windows to save money on heating and air conditioning or to let more light into their home. Whatever the reason for replacing the windows, it’s a remodeling job that will surely be a welcome change.
Windows & Skylights
photo credit: Theodore Scott
photo credit: dorothyhess18
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