Whaddya call it?

The poor, underappreciated Raised Ranch. In doing my research, I have found web posts where people have made blanket statements about Raised Ranches such as “I hate them all”, “I personally despise these houses as annoying and pointless” and “That floor plan is appalling.” Frank Lloyd Wright, whose open floor plans probably inspired the Split-Level/Bi-Level/Raised Ranch style, is likely rolling in his grave. Here’s the dirty little secret of Raised Ranch owners: This floor plan WORKS! It is great for small-scale entertaining, and especially wonderful for young families who want to keep small children safely confined to one floor. However, it does have its limitations, which will begin to reveal themselves as you read on.

This style of house is difficult to define. There are a multitude of different versions of the Raised Ranch – Bi-Level, High Ranch, Split-Entry Ranch – and there are some subtle but distinct differences between them. But what they share in common are a main floor with kitchen, living room and dining room, bedrooms and bath(s), and a lower level living area and garage. The main difference lies in the number of stairs between the entry and the two separate levels. In some homes, the entry is at ground level. In others, you must ascend a short flight outside to get to the front door, and then make a choice between walking up or walking down a full, half or partial flight of stairs. Another difference is the placement of the garage – either on the front or side of the house with entry directly into the lower level. Houses with a side-entry garage are likely to have smaller garages and more space on the lower level. In houses with front-entry garages, the garage runs the entire depth of the house and the interior area is smaller.

One of the main disadvantages of the Raised Ranch is its lack of curb appeal. It is generally a box with a pitched roof. There are no unique architectural details in the exterior design. Zero! As a result, it is up to the committed owner to “make it interesting”. I became fascinated with this subject when my husband and I purchased a Raised Ranch five years ago. The style of house was our last choice, but all of our other “must-haves” were fulfilled with this purchase: ¼ acre of land on a cul-de-sac within walking distance of the beach. Oh, and we were on a budget! This particular home had an added bonus – it was three doors down from my in-laws, which was convenient for babysitting help, warm Italian meals, and general good company anytime we wanted. The question was, could this house satisfy our need for a “home with character” to complement all of the “characters” in our lives?

Built in 1969, our house was filled with original “details”, such as wrought iron railings (inside and out), plain bottom moldings, hollow doors, original kitchen cabinetry (that had been painted and updated), formica countertops in both bathrooms and the kitchen, and linoleum throughout the downstairs hallway and utility room. The previous owners had renovated the downstairs family room with Pergo floors, slightly more interesting bottom moldings, built-in bookshelves, a brick (gas) fireplace, and solid core double doors to the large closet and under-stair storage space. However, there were enough polished brass details (door knobs, fireplace cover) to remind everyone that the work had been completed in the early 1990’s. In addition, the original wood frame windows had been replaced throughout the house with cheap vinyl. The garage window had escaped this fate – and was merely boarded up and painted over. The path to homeowner’s bliss had been laid before us by a series of cheap upgrades that would simply have to go!