The Story About the Raised Ranch That Never Dies
Opinion Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the author/producer’s interpretation of facts and data.
By Bill Primavera
Once again, I hear about an admonition a realtor has received: Show me anything but a raised ranch!
Many years ago I wrote a column with the long title, “The Raised Ranch, Love it, Leave it or Change it.” I described how, since its explosive development in tract housing starting in the early 1960s, home seekers have either loved or hated the design.
For those who hated it, the article suggested how the design might be changed, eliciting many responses from my readers asking for architects who might do the job – to this day!
Since the inception of its design, never has the style of a house spawned more opposing opinions than that of the raised ranch. Some prospective home buyers are drawn to it – perhaps they grew up in one – while others say, “Show me anything but!”
“I don’t know who exactly invented the design of the raised ranch, but whoever it was should be shot!” said an architect I know.
Actually, some architectural historians say that the design was created by none other than Frank Lloyd Wright.
The history of the raised ranch and its place in the American housing scene, rising from a clever idea to ubiquitous popularity, then to disfavor as a style, is strictly an American phenomenon. While you see many ranch-style homes here in the New York area, they originated on the West Coast in the 1920s. But once their influence reached the East Coast, the foundation had risen half a story and the one-level ranch was “raised” to create two levels.
The main complaints that my architect friend has about the elevated ranch are the same that we hear most frequently from its other detractors. Basically, the entrance platform between the main and lower levels of the house is normally foreshortened to the extent that it’s difficult to close the front door behind you without stepping up or down a step. Now, that’s an annoyance!
Also, there is no provision for an entry hall closet, and the lower level is cut off from the main flow of the house.
When modernizing a raised ranch, it’s not easy to modify the space. It can become a more sizable project that’s more complicated than redoing a ranch, cape or colonial.
Yet, it’s this very cut-off feeling that some people find desirable for converting a raised ranch into a mother/daughter layout. (I think it’s now referred to as an “extended family” layout.)
The raised ranch creates a lower living space without really increasing the construction cost appreciably. Normally that lower space is divided into one or two rooms, along with a half or full bath and a laundry room. The rest of the level is for the utility room and a two-car garage.
Another factor in the raised ranch debate is that its design has fallen into disfavor more quickly than any other style of house. Certainly, the colonial design has literally been around since the founding of our country, and people still prefer it among all the styles.
Supporters of the raised ranch, particularly contractors who build them, have said that you get more bang for the buck by raising the house on a high basement and creating a whole new level at a fraction of the cost. Detractors would say that while the inside may offer more space at less money, the exteriors are devoid of any distinguishing kind of features, so that large tracts of the design have tended to look alike.
Homeowners today are more sophisticated at all price levels, and they want to distinguish themselves from their neighbors. On the longest block in my town with the most raised ranches, the transformation from alikeness started to take place in the late 1980s. First, it was through the selection of new siding and windows, then with additions, which many times included revamping the two-car garage into living space and extending a wing with a new garage and a “bonus” room overhead.
A while back, I met a husband-and-wife team of architects who first made me aware of clever ways to disguise the top-heavy look of the raised ranch with a front bump-out. They designed what I call an “entrance tower” for the center of a raised ranch that remedies at least two of the design problems. The tower is a one-and-a-half to two-story extension in the middle of the house, which solves the problem of the small entry platform.
The entrance now becomes expansive depending on the dimensions of the tower and provides more room for a coat closet, too. Also, the addition of the tower tends to make the raised ranch look more like a colonial. The tower can soar two stories to impress visitors or to create a second floor for a large elevated walk-in closet or another bathroom.
For anyone who’s living in a raised ranch who wants to update or upgrade the design to a contemporary colonial look, there are a number of talented architects in our area, as well as contractors, who would be happy to oblige.
Bill Primavera is a realtor who specializes in the sale of properties located in upper Westchester and Putnam County. To engage his services, whether buyer or seller, reach him at williamjprimavera@gmail.com or call directly at 914-522-2076.
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