When my husband and I were shopping for our dream home, I envisioned a historic, stately colonial with pillars, high ceilings, and a sprawling center staircase. What we fell in love with was a three bedroom, two and a half bath ranch that was built in 1954. Three years later, we are loving ranch life and have not looked back.
Initially, I had to get over the stigma of the ranch home. Popularized in the 1950's when Suburbia was on the rise, and the land was cheap, the ranch home was designed to meet the needs of the middle class. Due to its fast fame, the design was copied over and over, each time getting cheaper and cheaper. Just like anything that is quickly a trend and mass produced, the novelty of the ranch home wore off and was replaced with a negative reputation for being plain old cheap, one-level living for the lower middle class.
Fast forward almost 70 years and the ranch home is making a comeback. There are many things about the layout of my home that I wouldn’t trade for multi-level living. The first is that the design of my ranch is ideal for entertaining. The kitchen and living room are the two largest rooms, both as wide as the entire house. When we think about how much time is spent in those two rooms, it is ideal to have them be the most spacious and inviting. Although mine is not, many ranch houses are designed with an open concept, which is also ideal for entertaining and family life.
One cannot ignore the benefits of one-level living for the aging. I try not to think into my elder years too frequently but if my husband’s knees are anything like his father’s, I will be thankful not to have to help him up that sprawling staircase of my previous dream house. This style home is immensely more maintainable for the less feeble as well. I don’t have to take a ladder out for window cleaning, power washing or painting the exterior of my home.
If the typical 3 bedroom, 2 bath home doesn’t meet your spatial needs, the ranch is easy to add on to. Adjoining a room, building up or finishing a basement is all easy additions to the ranch style home. My husband and I were able to finish our basement quite costeffectively and we added 800 square feet of extra living space.
Not convinced yet? Let's talk resale value. The ranch home has great resale value and a broader market than many stately colonials. The ranch is often affordable for first time home buyers and attractive to retirement home buyers. Folks up north are interested in ranch style homes for their heat efficiency. And, like our family, many find the affordability and adaptability of a ranch very appealing.
Here are some ranch homes available in Rutland County.
