Ranch House Style -- A FREE MacDraft Floor Plan for the Mac!

Ranch-style houses were also known as American ranch, California ranch, rambler or rancher. The ranch house is a uniquely American architectural style. First built in the 1920s, the ranch style was extremely popular in the United States during the 1940s to 1970s, as new suburbs were built in the cities.

The style is often associated with tract housing built during this period, particularly in the western United States, which experienced a population explosion during this period with a corresponding demand for housing.

The ranch house is noted for its long, close-to-the-ground profile, and minimal use of exterior and interior decoration. The houses fuse modernist ideas and styles with notions of the American Western period working ranches to create a very informal and casual living style. Their popularity waned in the late 20th century as neo-eclectic house styles, a return to using historical and traditional decoration, became popular. However, in recent years the ranch house has been undergoing a revitalization of interest, so its popularity comes in waves, somewhat dictated by situational pragmatism.




An Unfurnished Ranch House




A Furnished Ranch House


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