the ranch home: what's not to love?

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6

It all started when I saw Shiva's modern ranch home tour on Apartment Therapy. From that point forward, I think I was hooked. Most people would look at ranch homes and think they're just dull and dated. But lately I've been looking past all of that and seeing these homes as a fabulous blank slate. So understated and simple. Here's why I think they're so wonderful:

- Single floor living for a first house, or early on with small children: no gates, no laundry hauling, no vacuuming stairs. All wins.
- Because of the single floor living, they usually are extremely easy to open up. I long for a very open floor plan some day - great for entertaining!
- Easy to make additions as a family grows: Out the back? Off the side? On top? Garage? Sure. Whatever tickles your fancy.
- The front of the house is usually blah enough to be a canvas for whatever style landscaping you want to add. I've seen some pretty awesome privacy fencing, plantings, pergolas, and even wrap around porches in my research.
- Small: easy to heat, easy to clean, keeps one from acquiring to much junk, cozy.

So yes - one would initially have to look past shag carpeting, linoleum and those dark kitchen cabinets with the colonial hardware. But past that could be a bright, sunny, small, open, unique modernized ranch home. Maybe someday :)