What is a Ranch Style House? All About the Rambler

Table Of Content

• The History of Ranch-Style Homes
• Ranch-style houses – the ultimate guide to the look and how to get it
• Maximalism in Minimalism: Designers Share 26 Tips for Infusing Maximalist Vibes into Minimalist Spaces
• Shop by Square Footage
• #12 // Bungalow Ranch with Detached Garage
• House Features
• Modern Ranch-Style Homes

From embracing the simplicity of contemporary aesthetics to infusing unique architectural elements, ranch-style homes offer endless opportunities for customization. Our designers used Benjamin Moore’s Simply White on the siding, columns, pergola, gutters, and downspouts. For some soft contrast, we painted the garage door with Sherwin Williams’ Colonnade Gray.

The History of Ranch-Style Homes

Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann Drop $32 Million on a Beverly Hills Ranch Home - Architectural Digest

Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann Drop $32 Million on a Beverly Hills Ranch Home.

Posted: Thu, 29 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

Also called a raised ranch home, these dwellings have a kitchen, main living room, and bedrooms on the upper floor. The downstairs area usually includes a rec room, garage, and perhaps access to a half-basement. An estate ranch home is a good option for someone who has a large tract of land and needs extensive square footage. Sprawling and elegant, ranch style home design provides an impressive exterior even as a single-story dwelling. Although many estate homes are multi-storied, an expansive ranch house plan is ideal for those who desire a big house but can’t navigate stairs easily.

Ranch-style houses – the ultimate guide to the look and how to get it

Watch a television sitcom from that era, and you’ll be able to spot plenty of suburban ranch-style houses. A ranch style house has been designed to be as close to the ground as possible, with an open interior and floor plan. This design is meant to provide a casual living environment for the occupants, and especially those with mobility issues. The varied angular rooflines and exposed rafters of this contemporary ranch style home add a little bit of spunk, while the wood accents and stone porch provide an earthy feel.

Maximalism in Minimalism: Designers Share 26 Tips for Infusing Maximalist Vibes into Minimalist Spaces

This ranch style is somewhat smaller than the typical ranch homes, with a more simplified design than the California ranch. Our exterior designers at brick&batten can help you blend the outdoors with modern indoor living; just the way your ranch style home was originally created. Our digital renderings offer design options and shopping links for easy DIY updates. A half-staircase leads down to a larger great room or family room, and there is often a half bathroom, office, or guest bedroom on this level. Another set of stairs leads up from the main level to the bedrooms and bathrooms.

Today, they are just as popular and desirable as they have always been thanks to their ease of access and open floor plans. These types of homes take their similarities from bungalow style houses with ground hugging structures and one story living spaces. It traditionally features a low-to-the-ground and sprawling profile with a single story, and a wide, open layout. Ranch style homes fuse modern ideas with the wide open spaces of the American West, creating an informal and casual living space that blends into nature. They tend to have a devoted patio or deck space, large windows, and often feature a finished basement and attached garage.

Shop by Square Footage

Bedrooms and bathrooms are usually located on one side of the house, allowing for a division of public and private spaces. Ranch house plans are typically single-story structures with an extended, low profile. They are characterized by their simple, open layouts, which often include large living areas that flow into the dining and kitchen spaces without interrupting walls or doors. As these two styles embraced a more sectioned-off layout, the ranch house came along to challenge them with an emphasis on an open floor plan and ease of indoor/outdoor living. A contrast to the small, segmented rooms of a craftsman, a traditional ranch home featured an open floor plan with special attention paid to accessibility, openness, and space.

The asymmetrical front porch of this contemporary ranch house is accented with horizontally-oriented stones in brown and tan shades. Rich and warm stained support beams add natural color that pick up on undertones in the accent wall, while the open porch design helps to ground the home. Once overgrown with trees and hidden from view, this ranch-style home's mid-century charm is now on full display. Wood elements, including the front door and horizontal slat siding, add warmth and texture to the white brick facade. Ranch homes are thought to have originated in California during the 1930s when architect Clifford May, known as the "father of the ranch house," began to design single-story homes built for casual outdoor living.

While this type has many of the same features as a California ranch, but are usually smaller and have a simple silhouette. With a strong presence from coast to coast, ranch-style homes are loved for their versatility and flexibility. Rachel Silva, the Assistant Digital Editor at ELLE DECOR, covers design, architecture, trends, and anything to do with haute couture.

Modern Ranch-Style Homes

The wood porch columns, garage door, and front yard fence join forces with the white siding and black eaves to create a classic, charming aesthetic that we adore. Modern ranch home plans combine the classic look with present-day amenities and have become a favored house design once again. The new generation of ranch style homes offers more “extras” and layout options.

A pretty collection of plants, including low-growing shrubs, provides a minimalist complement to the bright yellow siding color. The landscaping accents a low, Asian-style fence that offers a sense of privacy without completely blocking the view. Last year, the couple purchased the 1950 Zimmerman house, designed by the architect Craig Ellwood, in Los Angeles’s Brentwood neighborhood for $12.5m. The residence, with landscaping by Garrett Eckbo – who has been described as the pioneer of modern landscaping – had previously been featured in Progressive Architecture magazine. Just off the open living/kitchen area, the cozy bedroom features wood paneling.

As the name implies, suburban ranch houses are in suburban neighborhoods that sprung up in the 1950s. While single-story ranch-style homes lost popularity in the 1970s, they’re a perfect fit for smaller families. In addition to their low-slung – and often single-storied – floorplan, they also usually have a low-pitched roof, wide eaves, picture windows, and a designated porch or deck. A tiny yard doesn't mean sacrificing attractiveness, as this ranch-style home proves.