Posts Tagged world war ii
Ranch Style House Plans For Easy Living
n the post-World War II era when GI loans, and Americans taking to automobiles and commuting to work, fueled a building explosion in the suburbs. This style was particularly associated with inexpensive tract housing developments since these homes are cheap to build and maintain. The house is marked by a long, low profile, and the minimal use of interior and exterior decoration. These houses fuse modernist styles and ideas with the romantic image of American western working ranches, which creates a very casual and informal living style. The popularity of it waned in the latter part of the twentieth century with the rise of neo-eclectic architectural styles and a return to using traditional and historical decoration.
Recently the ranch style has undergone a revitalization of popularity, with preservationist movements in some ranch style house neighborhoods, and also with a renewed interest in this style by a younger generation which did not grow up in ranch style homes. The style revival is similar to that experienced by other styles such as bungalow and Queen Anne architecture, which were quite popular at one time. It faded as a desired style of housing resulting in teardowns due to disinterest and decay and then resurged with a renewal of interest and the gentrification of surviving houses.
Tags: exterior decoration, gi loans, hobby area, queen anne architecture, rectangular floor plan, sliding glass doors, story dwelling, style revival, working ranches, world war iiRelated posts
Ranch House Plans – Levit and Beyond
Ranch style houses – the easy-living emblem of the post World War II lifestyle – have now become historic. The ranch house plans Levit style which dominated the suburban neighborhood ethos of the 1950’s and 1960’s have attained the cutoff age for listing in the National Register of Historic places; and historians of architecture accordingly have been scrutinizing ranch houses with an eye to placing them in their proper historical context. Ranch-style houses were first built on southern California ranches in the middle of the 19th century; and the ranch style was reborn there a century later. In the original model, based upon Spanish colonial architectural style, a single-story, linear arrangement of rooms was arranged along a long porch called a corredor. The corredor gave access to all of the rooms without wasting space (as interior hallways do). At the same time it opened each room to the cooling breeze and light from outdoors. When new rooms were needed, they were simply added on to the corredor; so typically ranch houses grew asymmetrically into L’s or U’s, and the corredor’s expanded into patios with gardens.
The first modern-style ranch house was built in San Diego in 1932 by architect Cliff May, whose association with Sunset magazine resulted a wave of publicity for the western ranch house. Other popular magazines, such as American Home and Ladies Home Journal, contributed to the craze by sponsoring design competitions and offering house plans to their readers. A mass of returning WWII veterans with G.I. Bill mortgage money provided an avid market for this inexpensive, functional type of building. Builders and developers throughout the United States quickly discovered that these designs were fast and cheap to build – especially en masse – and they were popular with consumers. Ranch style houses today are typically asymmetrical and informal, one-story boxes or else L-shaped, in which function is more important than style. They feature low-pitched hip or gable roofs with overhanging eaves; an attached garage which juts out of the main house; a long and narrow front porch; picture windows in the living room and sliding glass doors which open onto a patio in the rear; and some house plans ranch w2f basement too.
Tags: california ranches, cutoff age, design competitions, gable roofs, interior hallways, mortgage money, national register of historic places, suburban neighborhood, sunset magazine, world war iiRelated posts
The History of American Ranch Style House Plans
Ranch style homes originated in America, making them a unique domestic design. Throughout the country, the long, low, casual style of ranch style houses offers easy living on almost any budget.
Ranch homes originated during the 1920s to satisfy the need for more housing. These homes were inspired by Spanish colonial architecture from the 17th and 19th centuries with single story floor plans. During the 1940s to the 1970s, ranch style houses were in their heyday as suburbs erupted across America. Original ranch houses were usually a single story with a low, long roof. Simple, open ranch style house plans were typically in a rectangular, U-shape or L-shape design. Vaulted ceilings, exposed beams, large windows with shutters, overhanging eaves and an attached garage are all characteristics of original ranch homes. The interior and exterior of ranch homes was simple and uncluttered.
During the beginning of the 20th century, modern architecture and Spanish colonial ranch designs were fused to create California ranch style homes. Three basic concepts associated with California ranch homes are an unpretentious character, livability and flexibility. These affordable houses began to erupt throughout the Southwest. After World War II, 30 year mortgages were more readily available making it easier for people to become homeowners. As the number of home buyers increased, so did the need for affordable housing. Ranch homes became a top choice in suburban areas across the country because of their simplicity, flexibility and budget-conscious price.
Tags: california ranch, california ranches, century modern architecture, dovecotes, ranch houses, shape design, spanish colonial architecture, style house plans, vaulted ceilings, world war iiRelated posts