How2Day: Types of Ranch Style Homes

Ranch-style houses typically are long and low. D. Berry/PhotoLink/Photodisc/Getty Images
Influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright's Prairie style homes, the first ranch style houses were built in America in 1932. This home's key features include a sprawling open floor plan with few interior walls, one-story elevation with symmetrical or cross-gabled footprint and a low-pitched roof. Ranch houses are often configured in an L-shape or a U-shape and many have a long horizontal floor plan with large windows and porch supports. The exterior design is simple and materials used for construction include wood and brick.

The most popular architectural style in late 1940s America, the classic ranch's simple design allowed home builders to provide economical post-World War II housing. Classic ranch homes have a simple rectangular, single-story floor plan in an L or U shape. There is often a basement and an attached garage that leads to the kitchen or laundry room. Most classic ranches have a modest living space, low roof height and small footprint. The interior living area often consists of two bedrooms, one bathroom, a dining area, family room and a full kitchen with an island. The exterior and windows commonly feature shutters and wood, brick or stucco siding. The roof is usually gabled, but sometimes cross-gabled.

In the early 1950s, designer Cliff May incorporated modernist elements to the traditional western ranch house. These new Californian ranch homes merged indoor and outdoor spaces so Californians could enjoy the sunny climes. In many Californian ranch homes, you'll find that all rooms are connected to outdoor spaces. Often the house is wrapped in floor-to-ceiling glass windows that allow natural light into the interior. Contemporary influences can be seen in the open floor plans, exposed post-and-beam ceilings and clerestory windows. Many of May's designs are L- or U-shaped and positioned toward the back of their lots, making it easy to create compound-like spaces for pools or gardens.

These ranch-style houses are built on a raised foundation. There are two types of raised ranch houses: the single-story raised ranch and the split-level, or multiple-story, raised ranch. Raised ranch homes come with "daylight" basements -- a partly above-ground basement that often opens up to a backyard patio. This daylight basement is used by most raised-ranch homeowners as a game room, laundry room or work shed. A built-in garage can often be found in the lower level of the house. The split-level gained popularity around from 1945 to the 1980s. In order to accommodate uneven topography, it was built on several levels. In most split-level ranches, the front entrance opens to a foyer. At this foyer are staircases that lead down and up, toward living areas and bedrooms. Often you'll find backyard patios, accessed through sliding doors, and garages on the ground level.

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