Michelle Gringeri-Brown - Atomic Ranch: Design Ideas for Stylish Ranch Homes

atomic RANCH

atomic RANCH

DESIGN IDEAS FOR STYLISH RANCH HOMES

Michelle Gringeri-Brown
Photographs by Jim Brown

First Edition
10 09 08 5 4

Text 2006 by Michelle Gringeri-Brown
Photographs 2006 by Jim Brown

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except brief portions quoted for purpose of review.

Published by
Gibbs Smith, Publisher
P.O. Box 667
Layton, Utah 84041

Orders: 1.800.748.5439
www.gibbs-smith.com

Designed by Deibra McQuiston
Printed and bound in China

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Gringeri-Brown, Michelle.
Atomic ranch : design ideas for stylish ranch homes /Michelle Gringeri-Brown;
photographs by Jim Brown.-1st ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 10: 1-4236-0002-9 : ISBN 13: 978-1-4236-0002-2
1. Ranch housesUnited States. 2. ArchitectureUnited States20th century.
I. Title.

NA7208.G75 2006
728'.3730973--dc22

2006004614

Contents

ARCHITECTURES UNDERDOG

A ranch house? Are you kidding me? Those homes are ugly.

If youre house hunting or live in one of the millions of ranches built across the nation after World War II, youve probably heard a sentiment like that from one of your less tactful friends. Maybe you even think so too.

But this book shows that theres more to Americas architectural stepchild than first meets the eye. You say they dont have the curb appeal of a Victorian or bungalow? That their attached carports and garages and sometimes bland facades dont really do it for you?

Well, come inside a ranch house that still shows its midcentury roots and youll see why fifty years ago young homeowners found them to be cutting edge and their own piece of Tomorrow land.

The open floor plans that bring residents together in the kitchen/family/dining/living room foreshadowed todays ubiquitous great rooms, yet were designed on a livable, human scale. The private bedroom wings, the walls of glass that flood the interior with light, and the sliding glass doors that erase the barrier between indoors and outthese are other hallmarks of the late-40s through 1970s ranch. Durably built with materials that combine the natural (wood post-and-beam construction, aggregate and cork flooring, rock roofs and stone fireplaces) with the modern (Formica counters, radiant heated concrete floors, aluminum windows, plywood cabinetry)these postwar homes may not look flashy but they were designed to last.

The homes may be decidedly modern looking, like the flat- or gable-roofed Joseph Eichler tracts in the San Francisco Bay area, or the butterfly roof houses in Palm Springs and Sarasota, Florida. Or they may be modest, unassuming L-shaped or split-level ranches that have been built so often across the nation that theyre virtually invisible. You probably drive past dozens of such homes on your way to work every day.

We think that the midcentury ranch house deserves a place of honor in our hearts and minds, and we think that postwar neighborhoods should be preserved for the next generation. Buying, renovating, and living in a ranch-style home can be a great joy, and well show you inspiring examples of people who get what a ranch house was designed to be. This mousey little wallflower of a home may very well be the stuff of your dreams.

Heres to the bad boy of architecture.

Dive into wonderful homes that showcase original midcentury details, architecturally appropriate renovations, and inspired furnishings. Their homeowners love vintage and contemporary modern, making for a personalized take on stylish living.

Eichler Two-Timers

When the homeowners arrived on moving day, the front of the house was completely exposed. After the renovation, the flat-roof Eichler looks pristine and original.

Monika Kafka and Tom Borsellino had already lived in this San Jose neighborhood before relocating to Chicago. But work and a hankering for the sunny, casual California lifestyle pulled them back. Borsellino found a house and bought it with his wifes blessing but without her actually seeing it. He told her it needed a little work, and an early inspection indicated some dry rot and termite damage. Mostly it seemed to be suffering from claustrophobic 60s-meets-Asian decor.

When the couple, with a two-year-old and two-month-old in tow, pulled up to move into the house, the front facade had been stripped down to the insulation, and the babys room was completely open to the street. It was 105 degrees outside, but an even more stunning 108 degrees inside. Kafka was not charmed. In all, 90 percent of the distinctive grooved Eichler siding needed replacing, and while the walls were open, the couple opted to insulate and ground the electrical system. Although the roof was only four years old, they decided to install operable skylights in several rooms and replace the black tar and gravel with an insulating foam roof, which Borsellino estimates has cooled off the house 15 to 20 degrees.

The construction crew had found substantial damage in most of the posts and some of the beams, and awaited Borsellinos directions on what he wanted to doas if he had an option. The original kitchen cabinets were painted a sickly harvest gold, and Borsellinos first inclinationthough one that runs counter to his preservationist tendencies was to rip it out. But with the huge structural job they had fallen into, the kitchens aesthetics were the least of their worries.

From late summer on, three to five guys were here every day, Kafka says. She

our previous Eichler was the beta plan for this later model;
this house is much more functional.