Uncomplicated and informal Ranch houses evolved from several 20th century styles.
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 Ranch homes have several levels of living space. Contemporary Ranch Style homes are often accented with details borrowed from Mediterranean or Colonial styles.
Origins of the Ranch Style:
The earth-hugging Prairie Style houses pioneered by Frank Lloyd Wright and the informal Bungalow styles of 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.
The California real estate developer Joseph Eichler popularized his own version of the Ranch Style, and Eichler Ranches were imitated across the USA. After World War II, simple, economical Ranch houses were mass-produced to meet the housing needs of returning soldiers and their families. Because so many Ranch Style homes were quickly built according to a cookie-cutter formula, the Ranch Style is often dismissed as ordinary or slipshod. Nevertheless, many homes built today have characteristics of the elegantly informal Ranch houses that Cliff May originated.
Source About.com
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