Home on the Ranch

Built for young families

In the neighbouhood where I was raised we were surrounded by variations on the Ranch bungalow. I can confidently say that most people reading this article would say the same. My certainty in this matter is sheer probability. The Ranch and its variations is the most populous creed of housing style on the North American continent.

If you are like me, by the time you were a teenager you never pictured yourself in Ranch when you "grew up"; you would be in a funky loft downtown, or live in a century home somewhere midtown. Its amazing how much one can learn about economics and life's priorities between ages 25 to 30. For example it turns out those lofts require a mortgage just for the parking spot, and that midtown Victorian? ... for most 30 year olds who enjoyed their 20's, you can afford a semi with no lot, no parking and a decade of renovations ahead of you. Who knew?

As a result of these not-quite-mid-life epiphanies, all of a sudden you see Gen XYZ-ers cruising around in their Honda Civics checking out neirbourhoods that, no matter how much they rationalize it, are full of the ubiquitous Ranch. You hear them saying, "you mean to tell me that I can get parking for four, a hockey rinkable lot and a 1500 square foot house for the same as those 750 square foot five-storey Townhouses near the 'Village'?"

As we peer from our car at these neighbourhoods, we see all kinds of things we don't remember. By the time we moved out of them, the population we left behind was fairly senior and the habit of renovating was long past. But drive through a Ranch neighbourhood today and you'll see a number of houses that replaced the curly iron pillars and tin canopies with brand new porticos. The aluminum storm windows have been updated with attractive modern windows, and the angel-stone facade has been replaced with an energy efficient combination of new brick and stucco.

The Ranch style house with its broad roof, standardized dimensions and large plot is re-emerging as the ultimate prospect house. They are easy to modify, they have room to expand, and standard parts are easily obtained retail.

And when I say prospect I mean you can buy one with a child on the way, fill it up, then add-on as required (to the house or the family). A great feature of this type of neighbourhood, is that most of your new neighbours are at the same stage. You all discover together that you can't hit downtown on Friday nights anymore, but you can get together and play cards. And whoever's backyard is within range of the most baby monitors is automatically the host.

So forget that I promised I would never live in a Ranch, and while your at it forget that I swore I would never drive a Mini-van.

For more information on the characteristics of Ranch and other Postwar styles see Postwar Style.

— Brian R. Booth, July 2007

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