Ranch Style Home
One thing you’ll notice when taking a drive around Staten Island’s North Shore are different types of homes available to potential home buyers. Whether you’re looking for an old, historic home, or are more interested in an upscale condominium, Staten Island’s North Shore communities have what you’re looking for.
Although the older homes (Tudor, Colonial and Victorian) certainly appeal to a wide variety of home-buyers, there has been renewed interest in the Ranch style homes over the past few years. Buyers of all ages and preferences love this type of home, and for good reason. If you’re looking to buy a home on Staten Island, read on to find out if a Ranch style home is the perfect home for you.
An American Heritage Home
Unlike the Victorian Era and Tudor Revival style homes, the ranch style originated right here in the United States. The style first appeared in the 1920’s, and has its roots in the North American Spanish colonial architecture of the American Southwest. These homes featured single-story floor plans, low and simple roofs, interior courtyards and huge front porches, portraying an informal and casual style of living.
The combination of this “American Western” style with more modern architectural approaches led to the creation of the California-style “ranch” home. Becoming increasingly popular with the post-war middle class, the United States experienced a boom in the building of these homes from the 1940’s to the 1970’s. In fact, 9 out of 10 homes built in the 1950’s were of this style.
Ranch style homes are known for their long, close to the ground profiles, simple and open floor-plans, and for their relatively simple interior and exterior décor. Most ranches are single-story, however, a popular variation of the ranch style home is known as the “raised ranch,” where the foundation serves as an additional floor (often called a split-level).
Often featured in well-establish neighborhoods with streets lined with large trees, most ranch homes have a design that is either asymmetrical rectangular, L-shaped or U-shaped. The features of these homes include living areas that are separate from the bedrooms, sliding glass doors that open to a patio, large windows, vaulted ceilings, and an attached garage. Often times, ranch homes have exteriors of stucco, brick, wood and glass.
Not just for the Brady’s anymore
There are many reasons why there has been renewed interest in this type of home over the past few decades. First of all, ranch houses are extremely affordable entry level homes, making it appealing to younger and first-time home buyers. Having a ranch style home myself, I always encourage first-time home buyers to consider a Staten Island ranch as the perfect starter home. Also, the single-story nature of the design has attracted older home buyers who are looking for a home they can easily navigate. On Staten Island, ranches are popular with buyers looking for the convenience of a home with not so many stairs to climb, making it an easy house in which to grow old.
Another advantage is the design in itself. Although relatively simple and open, the design and layout of the ranch style home gives home-owners the endless ability to personalize the home to meet their individual needs and tastes. Ranches give you the opportunity to embellish the simple exterior with accents of beautiful front doors, railings, pavers, and eye-catching landscaping designs.
Flexibility to modify and expand the home is another plus. It is extremely easy to add a second-level extension on the home, and the basement areas in a raised ranch are great places to create an extra living space.
The time period in which these homes were built is also something to consider. Since these homes were built mainly between 1940 and 1970, they contain modern infrastructure (cooling and heating systems, wiring, windows, plumbing, doors, and other systems) that can be easily repaired or upgraded. Endless ability to accommodate home-owner preferences combined with the latest building developments makes the ranch style home appealing to many.
You can find ranch style homes all over Staten Island’s North Shore, nestled in among the old Victorian homes and newer construction. In fact, Westerleigh is known for having beautiful ranch and raised ranch homes among older homes.
No matter what style home you prefer, there are many options available to you if you’re interested in buying a home on Staten Island’s North Shore. Check out some of my listings to see if there is a beautiful ranch on Staten Island for you, and feel free to view my website for information on local attractions and other points of interest. No matter what type of home you are interested in, I would love to connect with you. Contact me at www.hollywiesnerolivieri.com or on Facebook and Twitter. Looking forward to seeing what kind of home we can put you in!