Not-So-Divinyl

As I have discussed in earlier entries, Raised Ranches are generally disliked for their lack of curb appeal. They are boring boxes with windows. They lack character. What can be done about this? Adding texture is one way to enhance the exterior appearance of a Raised Ranch. Texture is, in my mind, one of the most important components of house and home design. It can help to minimize the boxiness – from Raised Ranch to Colonial and beyond. It creates a multi-sensory experience for the viewer. Our appreciation of style and beauty is greatly affected by both the tactile and visual effects of texture, particularly as they relate to house design. I would encourage anyone looking to improve their Raised Ranch to consider only those roofing and siding materials that will increase the amount of texture on the exterior of the building.

Siding is an immensely important element in the look and feel of a house. It should not be an afterthought – its effect on the appearance of the home is profound, perhaps even more so than the design itself. Certainly, it can be used to mask "blah" design flaws and inadequacies. Traditionally, homes in the United States have been sided with wood, stucco, stone, brick, or a combination thereof. These elements can determine how light is reflected and influence our natural desire to touch. Contrasting textures, such as wood with stone or brick, can distract the eye from the otherwise plain lines of many house designs. The post-World War II era brought us cookie cutter houses and aluminum siding, which would be cheaper (over the long-term) and more durable than the previously mentioned products. Applying this low-maintenance siding in cascading layers would mimic the look of wood clapboard with a much longer expected lifespan. Aluminum eventually gave way to vinyl, a cheaper alternative with similar durable qualities yet an even less natural look. From a distance, it is not always possible to distinguish between these types of siding and wood clapboard, although I would argue that clapboard absorbs light in a way that plastic or metal could never achieve, particularly as it wears over time.

About ten years ago, a neighbor of ours chose to re-clad his Raised Ranch in – gasp – vinyl, a choice I would never recommend. It now looks like a glorified mobile home. While there is nothing wrong with mobile homes, they do not generally belong in million dollar neighborhoods. Vinyl siding is also perfectly acceptable, but should be used for houses that already have texture, angles, and other ways of distracting the eye. Our next door neighbor announced last summer that he would be replacing his cedar shakes with new siding. We prepared for the worst (his brother was the vinyl offender down the street). As it turned out, yes, he would use vinyl, but he chose a staggered style, which was the original arrangement of shingles on all of the Raised Ranches in the neighborhood (see photo - Pink Floyd's got nothin' on me and by bedroom window view!!!). With vinyl shutters to boot, it still looks overly uniform and lacks a certain element of spontaneity in the way light is absorbed and reflected, but it is vastly more bearable than the “mobile home wanna be” down the street.