The Raised Ranch

still a raised ranch no matter what you do

I never understood of the purpose of building like this. Anyone care to elaborate.

They are really ugly. My house is not a palace but at least it isn’t a raised ranch.

and there's nothing you can do with them except tear them down

It’s called a split-level in my part of the world.

Split levels have some of the rooms at entry level, then some above and below. These houses just have an entry landing from which you go upstairs or downstairs.

R6, we called those a tri-level in my neck of the woods.

[quote]a raised ranch no matter what you do

[quote]It’s called a split-level in my part of the world.

A splanch where I grew up.

I'd rather live on a ranch. Wide open spaces, beautiful horses and I'd wear cowboy boots and hats. One of my weird fantasies. A long way from New England, that.

The basis of the jettied upper floor as shown in OP's example is regional and historical in that aspect of the facade plane of the upper level being projected forward. Seventeen and early Eighteenth Century New England houses often had this facade feature. This in turn was a carryover from Medieval English urban houses where the builders made maximum use of small city lots by making a successively larger footprints for each upper floor above the street level -- a lot of trickery to steal a scant few extra square feet and, of course, the better chucking the contents of chamber pots and other slops out the facade windows onto the street. Gardy loo!

The split level, though, is quite another abomination, only [italic]possibly[/italic] tolerable when then house was given some modernity and asymmetry and complex massing -- but that almost never happens. They are almost inevitably ugly and beyond that confront all who enter with the immediate question, "Up or down?" Up to the living room with dining ell and kitchen on one side, and on the other a hallway servicing bedrooms and bathroom/s. Downstairs was almost always some musty "rec room" sort of thing and then more bedrooms and another bathroom or two and some other rooms no one ever used, all of the rooms too small and with awkward semi-clerestory windows the usual treatment for the front of house rooms. The ones that combine a garage with house are usually even worse.

I sucked hot teen cocks in those garages. A couple daddies, too.

The post above is correct. This is one design flaw that can’t really be corrected or covered over.

The trend has returned in a way. Most new houses where I live have walk-in basements in the back. Because it doesn’t affect the appearance of the front, it’s not as egregious but it’s not a style that’s going to age well.

Here is a huge one with so many different shaped windows and roof lines to create a "lively" facade.

My aunt and uncle had a house pretty similar to the one OP posted.

You walked in the front door and had an option of sex steps or sex steps down.

We’ve always called it a split level.

I lived in one in Upstate New York, which also has plenty of them, until I was 7. My mother hated that house and was so glad to sell it. We moved into a split level. (r6's definition) which now my parents, who are in their 70s, absolutely hate.

Although they were ugly as sin, they were a great use of space and a lot of house for the money. They were wildly popular with growing families. @r2, the purpose was to give all the space of a full basement with all the natural light of being above ground and a place for an incorporated garage

I think the R1 house is cute. You can all [italic]go to hell![/italic]

[quote]an option of sex steps or sex steps down

Pics please.

I’m not convinced the raised ranch concept is as innately horrible as the execution has been, although those squat lower level windows that make them seem like a homes for trolls would be hard to overcome.

The raised ranches I’m familiar with are uniformly atrocious because of very traditional elements like shutters and pediments tacked on to a modern (at the time) structure / layout. And they often have that weird 1970’s wood siding with grooves that is bulkier and less uniform that clapboard or cedar shingles.

I don’t think split levels are as bad. Not my first choice but, unlike raised ranches, I have seen examples that work, especially on very gently slopped lots.

I don’t get R12’s objection to walk-out basements. Those are very economical and efficient in more steeply sloped lots. I’ve seen them done awkwardly, for example, with huge decks covering the lower level doors and windows and took many steps down to the yard from the main level, but the concept is sound.

Raised ranches can be updated, but they're still raised ranches

The did a good job with that house in R20, especially the landscaping that makes the first level seem more like a tall traditional basement. But I bet when you walk in and realize it’s a raised ranch, there is a feeling of disappointment.

WTF is the practical purpose for building half your house into the ground?? Is cooler in the Summer? Does it provide protection from storms?

Please enlighten this Californian.

^ Cheaper. You need the foundation anyway so you incorporate a 3' deep foundation as your raised ranch lower level

No one did it better than our lovely Teresa Guidice in her fabulous New Jersey raised McMansion ranch

They're called bi-levels in many places, where as split levels often have a conventional entry, with two levels on the side (see pic). This style predated the bi-level.

Bi-levels often were built on uneven lots or were built to capitalize on a shallow foundation. Either way, you often had a deck and a patio. THey were popular in the 60s and 70s.

The basements of these place often were difficult because despite being cool in the summer, they often needed a de-humdifier. A conventional finished basement with a deeper foundation was often a better choice for summer.

They are ALL OVER Long Island, NY. Everywhere.

A lot of house for the money, but so ugly.

A friend in high school lived in a raised ranch. You came in the front door and there were two sets of stairs. One set ran down to the living room and kitchen, the other went up to the bedrooms with bathrooms on both floors. My ex has a split level, his office, living room and kitchen are on one level then go up 6 steps to the bedrooms and bathrooms. From the kitchen down 6 steps to the 2 car garage, from the garage down 5 steps to the basement. He was so screwed when he broke his ankle, he had to sit down and push himself up the stairs to use the bathroom or go to bed.

Yes, those half in the ground floors are cooler in the summer.

R27

What you first describe is often known as a Splanch, but it's not a raised ranch. They're big in New Jersey. Splanches are often labeled as split-levels.

When you walk in the front door of a Raised Ranch there are two sets of stairs: 1) stairs on the right go up to LR, DR, Kitchen, three bedrooms, and one or two baths, 2) stairs on the left go down to a rec room, sometimes a fourth bedroom, a bath, and the entrance to the garage. (The house could be flipped, and where the stairs go are reversed. Not oftsn, but I've seen it.))

Hideous, because whatever the purported architectural roots there is a jarring conflation of the entry and ground/underground level that makes it seem like one is facing a house collapse. By establishing the strong horizontals in conventional ways and then jarringly breaking them with the entrance (of all features), the effect is disorder.

The rule is that, if the master of the house, returning from his club inebriated, can mistakenly fall through a window rather than walking through the front door, it's a bad design.

I grew up in one of them in a neighborhood where they made up about 70% of the houses (the rest were single story ranches or split levels). I don't like them, but they were what was new and affordable at the time. At least ours had a few interesting features like cathedral ceilings and a lava rock fireplace. Not a fan, but I wouldn't say they are the ugliest thing ever. Certainly they looked better than the boxy beige cookie cutter style homes which are so popular in California and Arizona.

@r29, Like this, from the front door it's either a few steps up to the main level or a few steps down to the lower level

You could say they're plain or just another variation on the faux colonial style that was popular for decades after WWII, but they are gorgeous compared with the stucco sided little ranches that built in the LA area and parts of the Southwest during the same era. Places like the San Gabriel and San Fernando valleys and places like Downey are full of these ugly little houses. The stucco just looks cheap and often was painted a mud color. Those places have not aged well. The bigger faux adobe places that are more common now don't look nearly as bad, simply because they have more ornamentation and a scale, although they're still pretty dull.

I prefer the split levels that don’t confront you with an up/down decision upon entry. The ones that have rooms on the entry level (e.g. formal living, dining room, kitchen), stairs up to bedrooms and stairs down to an informal living room, garage, etc.

Here's a not altogether unpleasant split-level sales listing (from Illinois in 2017, so the prices bear no relation to reality). With its mature trees and green lot, the extensive use of quality wood inside, the angled and beamed ceilings, and Mid-Century Modern style it's head and shoulders and then some above the sad blue Fauxlonial in OP's first image, though I can't say the split-level plan with the immediate need for a decision inside the front door is very appealing.

Generally bedrooms in the basement level makes me think of cheap 1960s suburban starter homes and the smell of semi-subterranean rooms and Rice-a-Roni dinners.

An ugly but unassuming raised ranched turned into a hideous contemporary.

(called a "split level" but it isn't)

Just when you thought it couldn't get any uglier.

@r36, That's awful. Do they know their house developed a tumor? 😳

I can never understand basements, they seem to be nothing but trouble, always leaking and you have to pump out the water, WTF? Always basement trouble

Raised ranches don't exactly have basements. They are built on slabs. They have concrete walls up to a certain level. Then some earth is pushed on some sides of the concrete. Raised ranches built on correct elevations rarely have flooded first levels. Ground water is never running at or two that level.

at or to that level

Basements are hardly "always flooding". Very few people ever need sump pumps or serious waterproofing. As long as water flows away from the house, you shouldn't have significant problems.

A lot of basements have flooding problems.

Yeah? Well, a lot of people say you’re A WHORE!

When I lived in Western NY, EVERYONE had a sump pump - it was considered a necessity. I didn't even KNOW what a sump pump was (growing up in Southern CA) until I moved there.

Western NY isn't representative of anything other than Western NY and where you lived probably didn't even represent that.

Whatever you say, r46.

🙄

98% of basements experience water damage

R42 That is no longer the case during climate change times. I've had severe basement flooding as a result of hurricane rains, and I live in goddamn Pittsburgh, not anywhere tropical. After that, we had a sump pump installed and it has seen us through the increasingly frequent severe storms that pass through here.

Basements ARE a pain, but we're now also subject to increasingly frequent tornado warnings, so I'm glad that I have one.

These house are not “split levels” Each floor occupies the entire house. In a split level, the house has two sections with part of the house being one level and part being two-levels.

Once again, raised ranches do not have a basement, structurally. They are not built on a concrete- or rock-lined hole in the ground. They are built on slabs.

^ It depends on the style of split/raised ranch, a underground slab (below grade) with concrete walls IS a foundation. That's how they're made. If your raised ranch sits on a foundation that's 3-4 feet below grade that's the foundation and the basis of the lower level in a raised ranch

Imagine my surprise when I just started skimming a story at lierotica - and it’s set in a slutty ranch style house!

Anyway, this layout seems kind of cool if your partner snores - tho I’m surprised to see the phrase “morning room,” which I thought went out with the de Winters at Manderley.

————

[italic]It was the late 1960s and early 1970s and there was a fantastic new concept called "open marriage.” We had a very large ranch style house and we remodeled it to fit our new life style. On each end of the house we made private "apartments." Each apartment had a bed room, bathroom, large den with a fireplace, a very large walk in closet, and a small office space. In the center of the house we created a common area. There was a kitchen, morning room, formal dining room, and large family room. We were able to come and go as we pleased and bring home anyone that we wanted. We would sometimes meet up in the common area but basically lived our own lives however we desired.

Reminds me of home... I grew up in this kind of split-level. I loved it, still think it's floor plan and size of the rooms are great.

Definitely not a raised ranch. If you go to street view, you can see a couple of alternatives to the main pic...

I quote:

Ranch-style houses are a uniquely American architectural style that emerged in the 1930s and 1940s, particularly in the western United States. The design was a response to the growing demand for affordable, easy-to-build homes for the expanding middle class following World War II.

There are key features that differentiate a Ranch-style house from other similar architectural styles, and they include the following:

* Single-story building. Ranch homes typically have one level, making them ideal for families with young children or elderly family members.

* Low-pitched roof. These homes usually have low-pitched roofs with wide eaves that extend over the exterior walls, providing shade and protection from the elements.

* Simple construction. Ranch homes are generally built using simple construction techniques, often featuring a rectangular or L-shaped design.

* Attached garage. Many Ranch-style homes have an attached garage, making it convenient for homeowners to access their vehicles and storage areas.

^ Who are you addressing? This is a thread about RAISED ranch houses

That’s nice, but we’re talking about Raised Ranch houses which definitely have more than one story.

R53 this is a thread about RAISED RANCHES. Which have nothing to do with sprawling ranch homes of over a dozen rooms. A ranch home is ONE FLOOR.

My hissy slap down at R58 also applies to the MORON at R55 as much as moron at R53.

R11 Tell us more!

[quote] A ranch home is ONE FLOOR.

A raised ranch home is not.

Who is it on here that doesn't understand basic architecture?

Is Melania here?

Ranches also are called Ramblers in some areas. Rambler is a common term in the DC area.

^ And they still have nothing to do with RAISED RANCHES 🙄

One more time for you slow kids in the back

This is a common ranch house

And this is a common RAISED ranch house

Now wasn't that easy?

My childhood home in NJ was a split-level. Front door to foyer, or garage to den door; ground floor included also a half-bath*, laundry room, and guest bedroom (we jokingly referred to it as the Music Room because the stereo ended up there). Middle level to the right of ground had the kitchen, living room, and dining room. To the left, above the ground floor, were a bathroom shared by my brother and I, our bedrooms, and my parents room with its "en suite" bathroom.

*wall-to-wall carpeted!

[quote]r65 One more time for you slow kids in the back. This is a common ranch house

[quote] r66 And this is a common RAISED ranch house

They look different.

^ It's just your imagination 🙄

sheesh we have some real idiots on DL

The reason it is ugly is because it is just a big rectangle which creates no interest. My house is just like this but the front of my house is the short side. The only thing that creates interest is the small back porch that comes of the side towards the back. Inside my house is what they call box cars where it is a room that leads straight to another room which leads straight to another room. Nothing vears off and none of the rooms are side by side, just in a row, much like the split level. My house was built in 1925.

Isn't the Brady Bunch house a split level?

Not really. It had a sunken living room, but otherwise was two-story.

These are pretty awful.

The exterior of the real house standing in for the Brady Bunch house was not two story over the living room.

The set itself did not match the exterior, but was some kind of split level, too.

[bold]Inside the slutty ranch style house[/bold] (continued)

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[italic]One particular and monumental night after the golf club broke up I went to find John to tell him I was done and leaving. He asked me to wait a minute and directed me to set on an oversized ottoman in front of the oversized chair he was sitting in. I felt like a dwarf looking up at a giant. He said in a very confidant and firm voice, "I want you to stop by my place as often as you need to so that you can take care of my laundry."

I almost shouted, "WHAT?” I thought it was a joke.

He said, "I want you to start taking care of my laundry."

I was in shock; I jumped up and defiantly shouted, "NO WAY, WHAT DO YOU THINK, I'M YOUR WIFE?"

He very calmly replied, "No, just my girlfriend."

I started to walk away with a hardy "FUCK YOU," when from somewhere came his big hand across my face. It was all I could do to keep on my feet and even though I was sort of standing, my knees felt like they were going to collapse any second.

I looked up at his face, at least ten inches above me, and he did not have a look of anger on his face but his eyes were full of rage.

"When I tell you I want something done, that's what I want, not your potty mouth whining," he said. "Do you understand?"

I prefer elevating ranch.

Massachusetts Suburban Architecture v.2.

These fuckers are just everywhere in Connecticut. Especially the historic town of Windsor. You'll have a beautiful, pristine colonial, then a raised ranch, the a beautiful, pristine colonial, then a raised ranch Rinse and repeat. It's just so jarring when you're driving down the road.

I own and live in this kind of house. They do indeed go by many different names, but we all recognize them as a product of the 1960s and 1970s, mostly in suburban areas of the US. I bought this house to serve as a rental home, while I was taking care of my disabled mother in another home. I really didn't have the expectation that it would someday become my own home for living. My mom is still alive, but she's now living with a sister who lives near me. I moved to my rental house. The mortgage for the rental house has been paid off so I own it free and clear. It's just under 2000 square feet. In its floor plan, the upper level has 3 bdrs, one full bath, and one half bath (the later accessed only through the master bedroom). It also has a smallish kitchen and an open concept living room/dining room adjacent to the kitchen. The bathroom and bedrooms are accessed off of a central hallway. The downstairs level has a laundry room, another full bathroom, a longish hallway, and a large family room. The one car garage is at one end of this level.

There are advantages and disadvantages. The biggest disadvantage (and it is a significant one) is the awkward entrance, which as many have described above, means that if you answer the door, you have to back up the stairs to admit your guest. The next disadvantage is that the rooms are relatively small and being all on the same level and adjacent, don't allow for a huge amount of privacy. The only shower available to the upstairs bedrooms is accessed through the central hallway, which means that if you have guests, they all have to shower and dress in a steamy bathroom or dash to the their rooms in a bathrobe.

The storage is inadequate. Other than bedroom closets, the upstairs only has a linen closet and a small coat closet at the top of the stairs. No pantry.

Now to the advantages. On a relatively small footprint, (less than 35 X 25) there are many rooms, and almost 2000 sq feet of living space. As a pianist, I have 2 grand pianos in the downstairs family room with plenty of additional space to have multiple floor to ceiling bookshelves for all my music scores and enough space to seat 8 or 10 people in front of the pianos if I needed to. That is my teaching studio and music room. My students enter through the garage door, so they never see or come into my living space. The lower level has a full bath, so if I have overflow of guests, or a guest is particular about privacy, I can set up a cot or a blow up mattress downstairs to cover that situation. The lower level was at one point converted to being totally wheelchair accessible including having a roll-in shower. I think the original owner became disabled at some point.

Since the house is stacked, heating and cooling is less expensive than in a more spread out house. I have a door to the lower level so I shut that to prevent all the cold air from the upper level constantly flowing to the bottom. Some houses of this style don't have that feature and can be drafty. I live in a typical western US climate with very low humidity, so mustiness is never a problem.

All that being said, this has never been my dream house. It is built into a hillside, which means that the lower level has full floor to ceiling French doors and doesn't feel basement-like for that reason. It also has awesome views and a lot of light. It has a balcony which sits high and has some views to downtown. It also has a patio down below (under the balcony), so it is decent for entertaining in a variety of ways, particularly in the summer. The stairs don't bother me now, but will become less and less desirable with age. Like a lot of Americans, I'm sort of stuck here because I have a paid-off house and don't necessarily want to saddle myself with a new mortgage at 7% or more.

^ Thanks for the insight

[quote] I’m sort of stuck here because I have a paid-off house and don't necessarily want to saddle myself with a new mortgage at 7% or more.

Why would you need a new mortgage? Sell your house and use the money to buy a different house?

I was raised on a ranch in Central Oregon.

^ Where you raised right?... Central Oregon, of course you were, far right

[bold]Inside the slutty ranch style house[bold] (continued)

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[italic]Two things happened immediately when he started to dump his load into my mouth, I felt one of his hand go to the back of my head so that I could not pull back, and with his other hand, he held my nose so that I had no choice but to swallow. If I did not swallow I couldn't breathe. So in just a little while I had learned three things; I learned how to give a good blowjob, I learned how to Deep Throat, and I learned how to swallow a very, very large amount of man juice. I also learned that I had a boyfriend and that my job was to please him.

R80: Small rooms and limited storage are probably not intrinsic to the style--more about the overall square footage---you could combine two of the bedrooms. The lower level is often used for stage as it tends to be a cross between "basement" and living space. It would be unusual to have an en suite guest room--the showering situation doesn't sound that odd.

I’d have loved to live in a house like that. The house I grew up in was about 800 sq ft, if that. Three tiny bedrooms, a kitchen the size of a walk-in closet and one bathroom. My bedroom was about the size of a prison cell, big enough for a bed and a small dresser. Poverty sucks.

Let’s be a past-its-prime suburb full of these. I also have ugly strip malls and roads not designed for pedestrians.