A historic home, as defined by the National Register of Historic Places, is at least 50 years old. So, it’s official now: the 1950s ranches are historic.
But unlike the Victorian, Cape Cod and farmhouse that preceded the design, the ranch isn’t generating waves of nostalgia.
Why?
“It’s just not cute,” says Anthony Rubano, architect and project designer for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. “In fact, I’d say it is the least respected of the historic styles.”
But the 20th Century ranch’s intention was not to be cute. It was a functional style, designed to be mass-produced for the thousands of World War II veterans who needed homes for their new families.
Fast-forward to 2002, when builders continue to use the term “ranch” to describe their one-story homes. But the ranch of today bears little semblance to the ranch of the ’50s, when the picture window was a status symbol.
Today’s ranch is bigger and pricier than its predecessors. It is more grandiose than down-home, more fanciful than functional.
Vince and De Anna Zaccardi’s new three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Aurora is typical of the new ranch offerings, with a covered, recessed entry; brick front; volume ceilings, and a 2 1/2-car garage.
At 2,000 square feet, it is twice as big as the average home of the ’50s.
“Moving to this house from a two-story, we lost some square footage,” says Vince Zaccardi. “But we’ll make up for it when we finish the basement.
“The first floor has an open floor plan, with a family room off of the kitchen. It provided plenty of room for 30 people at Easter.”
The Zaccardis’ home is in the Deerbrook subdivision, built by Joe Keim Builders in Geneva. Including upgrades, the semi-custom home cost about $270,000.
Although the Zaccardis are in their 30s, their No. 1 reason for choosing the ranch model was its lack of stairs.
“We didn’t want to be going up and down to get to the baby’s room,” says Vince Zaccardi, father of a 6-month-old.
It was not ever thus.
Although Frank Lloyd Wright had designed some rambling ranch houses in the 1930s, they were for the rich, says Rubano. And like many architectural styles, the ranch was watered down for the masses.
“The ’50s ranch represented several things for the vets,” says Rubano. “It was a chance to have their own home instead of living with their parents or in apartments. And, it was part of a massive move to the suburbs, where they wanted homes that spread to cover the new, wider lots.”
Days of the pioneers
The veterans’ families were the suburban pioneers and the ranch fit their lifestyle.
“Kids wore coonskin caps and pistols in holsters, the family watched ‘Bonanza’ on TV and saw westerns at the theater,” recalls Rubano.
Reasons for buying a ranch house haven’t changed all that much.
Ginner and Carl McGraw chose a, 1,860-square-foot ranch, although they are a generation older than the Zaccardis.
“We’ve lived in ranches and two-stories, and we like the idea of not having stairs, the openness,” says Ginner McGraw.
“When we entertain, we can see everyone.”
Pulte Home Corp. built the McGraws’ home in the Carrington Reserves development in West Dundee. The two-bedroom, 2-bathroom home features nine-foot ceilings, a sunroom and a full basement that they plan to finish. Including upgrades such as hardwood floors, the price tag was $290,000.
The McGraws report their new neighbors, who chose mostly ranches, include empty-nesters like themselves, young couples and several handicapped people.
The ranch style reached its peak in 1950, says the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)’s director of research, Gopal Ahluwalia, when it accounted for 86 percent of new homes. By 1970, the percentage had dwindled to 74 percent. By 1990, 46 percent. That increased slightly in 2001, the last year tallied, says Ahluwalia, to 47 percent.
He doubts the ranch will ever reign again for several reasons — more two-stories have first-floor master suites that allow older owners to avoid stairs and options such as stair-lifts and home elevators that help two-story owners navigate or avoid stairs.
However, in the Chicago area, at least, many builders that built two-stories exclusively have added ranches to their offerings. Many of those that had a ranch in their product mix all along report recent increases in ranch sales.
“We had so many requests for ranches, that we decided to add one to our portfolio when we built Park Place in Oswego,” says Peggy Taheri, vice president of sales and marketing for Richard Smykal Inc. in Wheaton.
Park Place’s 2,100-square-foot, three-bedroom, 2-bathroom ranch has an oversized kitchen, dining room, great room, two-car garage and master suite with a soaking tub.
The $249,900 price tag includes a basement and first-floor laundry room.
A step down the price ladder is the Allerton ranch, built by Burr Ridge-based Chestnut Homes, Inc. Its 1,407-square-foot ranch, priced at $155,990, includes two bedrooms, two bathrooms, two-car garage, front porch and master bedroom. Popular upgrades include a fireplace and sunroom.
“People like the `wow’ options — volume ceilings, plant shelves, deluxe bathrooms, French doors,” says Chestnut’s director of sales and marketing, Cindy Cook.
Ranches are steady sellers in the line of one- and two-story homes offered by Reserve One Homes of Cary, says vice president Jeff Brown.
Reserve’s 2,170-square-foot Eden ranch has three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a two-car garage. The first-floor laundry room, basement and nine-foot ceilings are standard. Hot upgrades include a front porch, three-car garage, fireplace and solid-surface countertops. Base price of the Eden is $232,490.
“Our ranch sales have been about 3 percent,” says Brown. “But at our new development, the Walkup at the Park in Crystal Lake, we predict 7 to 8 percent — not just because that’s what the Baby Boomers are telling us they want, but because many couples in their 30s with kids want it, too.”
The ranch has become a mainstay in the custom market, too, although these ranches look even less like the ranches of old.
McHenry-based Lanco Development Co.’s 2,450-plus square-foot ranch, for example, has multiple roof angles, a grand entry and copper-topped bay window. Lanco is building this model at its lots in The Fairways of Turnberry, The Woods of Turnberry and The Hills of Turnberry, all in Lakewood. Lanco buyers can choose from ranch designs starting at $396,000, including half-acre lots.
Most of Lanco’s ranches have three to four bedrooms, 2 1/2 to 4 bathrooms, three-car garages, nine-foot ceilings upstairs and in the basements, and first-floor laundry rooms.
“Most choose a formal dining room, eat-in kitchen, great room and den and/or living room,” reports Curt Langille, Lanco’s president. “Both empty-nesters and parents of teenagers like the split-bedroom plan that separates the master suite from the other bedrooms.”
Popular amenities among Lanco’s custom crowd are screened porches, gazebos, security systems, solid-surface countertops, oversized trim, six-panel doors, fireplaces and hardwood floors.
“The empty-nester ranch buyers like the ranch for entertaining, for having the family over,” says Langille. “They like the wide, open floor plans and don’t necessarily want a formal dining room because everyone winds up in the kitchen anyway.
“The empty-nesters don’t mind downsizing from the 3,000-square-foot, two-stories to 2,500-square-foot ranches because it’s less to take care of and the openness of the ranch makes it seem much bigger.
“The families who buy them like the big basement with nine-foot ceilings because they want to finish them for the kids, for exercise rooms or for home theaters.”
Least likely to buy a ranch, say the builders, are the young, first-time home buyers who want the most square footage for their money.
“Space-per-dollar, the two-story still wins,” explains Smykal’s vice president of design, Frank Johnson. It is cheaper to build skyward than to expand the foundation.
Also, the ranch usually requires a larger lot.
“But, as the Baby Boomers age, we predict more and more will want ranches,” says Johnson. “The ranch can cost more because of the larger footprint, but can have everything the two-story has, from fireplaces to curb appeal, without the stairs.”
The ranch of 2002 has evolved so far from its origins. That raises the question: Will builders ever return to the spartan, post-war ranch?
“You wouldn’t think so, because today’s buyer wants so much more,” says Langille. “But I never thought we’d see avocado-green tiles again, and they’re back. So, who knows? Now, they’re retro.”
Ranch house revival
A mainstay of the 1950s, ranch houses are seeing a resurgence. Some reasons:
– People enjoy living on one level, especially as they age.
– Newer ranch houses are bigger, and have far more luxury features than earlier versions.
– Architects provide an “open” design, with volume ceilings, giving the house maximum sunlight.
