Home Design Ideas

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Kind of a Ranch Style Posted: 03 Nov 2011 06:29 AM PDT a ranch house Known as American Ranch, Western Ranch, or California Rambler, Ranch Style houses can be found in nearly every part of the United States. Ranch Style houses have many of these features: Single story Low pitched gable roof Deep-set eaves Horizontal, rambling layout: Long, narrow, and low to the ground Rectangular, L-shaped, or U-shaped design Large windows: double-hung, sliding, and picture Sliding glass doors leading out to patio Attached garage Simple floor plans Emphasis on openness (few interior walls) and efficient use of space Built from natural materials: Oak floors, wood or brick exterior Lack decorative detailing, aside from decorative shutters Variations on the Ranch Style: Although Ranch Style homes are traditionally one-story, Raised Ranch and Split-Level Ranchhomes have several levels of living space. Contemporary Ranch Style homes are often accented with details borrowed from Mediterranean or Colonial styles. History of the Ranch Style: The earth-hugging Prairie Style houses pioneered by Frank Lloyd Wright and the informal Bungalow stylesof the early 20th century paved the way for the popular Ranch Style. Architect Cliff May is credited with building the first Ranch Style house in San Diego, California in 1932. After World War II, real estate developers turned to the simple, economical Ranch Style to meet the housing needs of returning soldiers and their families. The briefly popular Lustron Homes were essentially Ranch houses made of metal. Real estate developers Abraham Levitt and Sons turned to the Ranch Style for their planned community, Levittown, Pennsylvania. Because so many Ranch houses were built quickly according to a cookie-cutter formula, the Ranch Style later became known as ordinary and and, at times, slipshod. However, during the late 1950s and 1960s, a few real estate developers re-invented the style, giving the conventional one-story Ranch House a modernist flair. Sophisticated Eichler Homes by California developer Joseph Eichler were imitated across the United States. In Palm Springs, California, the Alexander Construction Company set a new standard for one-story suburban housing with stylish Alexander Homes.

Newest Story House Design Posted: 02 Nov 2011 06:28 PM PDT Single-floor houses have earned a sadly undeserved reputation for being inferior to their multi-story counterparts in the design culture of our day. This simple but stylish and elegant modern home shows that you do not need a second story to make a structure feel like a complete and luxurious home.   If anything, this home plays to the strengths of having only one story. For example, there is an extremely strong connection between interior and exterior – floor-to-ceiling curtain walls of sheer glass connect the owner to the natural environment from all sides of the house. As with the many see-through walls, the accessibility of the roof works in favor of the one floor of the home. Natural sky light is available in any room of the house through strategic openings over gathering areas. So, the next time you think about what makes a house worth admiring or living in remember that there are strengths and weaknesses to any configuration but in many cases a single-story home solution can be the better option for livability all around.

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