Rediscover the Ranch
by Tom Jackson
THIRTY YEARS AGO the ranch-style home was everything anybody could ever want--roomy, informal, and affordable. Today, value-conscious home buyers with an eye for remodeling are snapping up these humble, hardworking classics. Reasons? Ranch homes age well Their straightforward construction means few, if any, structural problems. Plumbing, wiring, and mechanical systems are usually in good working order. The floor plans still work. Most ranch homes have adequate kitchens and bathrooms, an informal family room, and open traffic patterns. You personalize the style. Homes with historical styles often restrict your remodeling options, but a ranch home offers an enormous range of material, color, and style choices. The neighborhoods are comfortable. Most ranch homes were built in neighborhoods that now have solid property values and big trees. If you are looking for ranch remodeling ideas, take a tip from Randy and Gaerda Zeiler. With a small addition they transformed this no-frills ranch into a sun-dappled delight.
Bump Out the Back Wall
Here was a home with a beautiful backyard, but no way to see it from inside. A big brick fireplace obscured views. The owners bumped out the back wall 8 feet and replaced the brick fireplace with a freestanding unit. The extra space gives the living room a nearly square floor plan, which feels more comfortable than a narrow room.
Capture the Light
A bevy of windows in the new gable wall lets your views take wing and spreads sunshine deep into the house. Triangular windows fill the gable and large picture windows frame the sights below. Even without sunshine, the window grids and the fireplace make an artful composition.
Raise High the Roof Beam
By raising the ceiling over the addition, the homeowners effectively increased the view and daylight by 50 percent. The lofty overhead space also helps to define the boundaries of the living room and dining room without resorting to walls that would cut up the floor plan.
Glass-Block Greetings
To shield the entry from the interior rooms, the Zeilers placed a glass-block wall between the main living area and the front door. This provides privacy, but allows light and easy access to the kitchen.
Where to Put the Lights
The lack of interior walls leaves few places to hang light fixtures, but a pair of decorative sconces finds display space on the wall that encloses the glass block. Another pair perches above the fireplace on the new rear wall.
Connecting with the Kitchen
The Zeilers felt that the kitchen was an integral part of their lifestyle. They designed the new floor plan to remove the walls between the kitchen and the rest of the home. The result is a kitchen that functions like an extension of the living and dining rooms.
Spotlight on Cooking
Miniature halogen lights hang from the ceiling and provide dramatic spotlights on the island cooktop. Rather than cordon off the cook, the placement of the island puts the cook at center stage.
Mixture of Materials
Granite covers the island and the countertop back-splashes, but the rest of the countertops are done in money-saving laminate that closely matches the granite.
