During the 1950s, ranches accounted for almost 90 percent of new U.S. homes. That percentage bottomed out at 43 percent in 2006 and has since risen slightly, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
But in the Midwest, the return of the ranch has been far more dramatic: Single-story new homes jumped from 44 percent in 2003 to 52 percent in 2008, the last year for which figures are available.
Although many of those are patio homes targeted at retirees, the traditional family ranch is slowly reappearing.
During the past few years, several central Ohio homebuilders have introduced three-bedroom family-style ranches boasting more than 2,000 square feet.
At Parsons’ suggestion, Romanelli & Hughes built a 2,914-square-foot ranch model at Mansard Estates in Galena in 2008. Since opening the model, Parsons said, five of the 12 homes the company has built in the subdivision and neighboring Walnut Grove Estates have been ranches.
Dominion Homes, central Ohio’s second-largest homebuilder, also introduced a family ranch home, the 2,230-square-foot Waltham model, as part of its Tradition collection last year in several central Ohio subdivisions.
And Hallmark Homes, which entered the central Ohio market last year, offers its 2,354-square-foot Westport ranch at its Oak Park community in Dublin.
“Everyone said we need to build a ranch, ranches are what’s selling, and I said if that’s the case, we’ll build it — and in the first month we offered the design, we sold three of them,” said William Hayes, who oversees Oak Park for Hallmark Homes.
Hayes said the company plans to introduce three more ranch models at Oak Park, an atypical number for the New Jersey-based builder.
“In the Midwest, the ranch seems to be enjoying a resurgence,” he said. “We don’t see that as much in our other markets.”
New family ranches share a single-floor plan and three-bedroom design with their 1950s ancestors, but, as Parsons likes to say, “This ain’t your mama’s ranch.”
For example, Romanelli & Hughes, Dominion and Hallmark ranches all come with at least 9-foot ceilings (the Romanelli & Hughes model has 10- and 12-foot ceilings) and walls of windows in the rear of the house, giving the homes a larger feel.
“Today’s ranches feel more open; they have more windows and don’t feel so confined,” said William Cornely, president and CEO of Dominion Homes.
Layouts get an update, too.
In the newer floor plans, the master suite is separated from the two other bedrooms, as opposed to traditional ranches, which cluster bedrooms in one wing or down one hall.
The most striking difference, though, is the reduction or elimination of formal rooms: The homes group kitchen, living and dining uses into one large living area at the rear of the house.
“The main focal point of the ranch is around entertaining,” Hayes said. “The kitchen is the center; everything revolves around (it). Families just don’t use that formal space anymore.”
In place of a formal living room, ranches often offer a “flex room” off the foyer that can serve as an office, den, formal living room or media room.
Although some contemporary ranch plans offer open dining areas, others dispense with a dining room altogether. Romanelli & Hughes has built smaller versions of its ranch model that replace the dining room with a larger breakfast room off the kitchen which a homeowner can dress up for big holiday meals.
“Who needs a formal dining room anymore?” Parsons asked. “We’re very informal now.”
Modern ranches also come with 8- or 9-foot-deep basements that can be finished, taking advantage of the homes’ large footprints.
As Parsons quipped, “The best part of a ranch? What you get up, you get down.”
In its Mansard Estates model, Romanelli & Hughes finished about 1,300 square feet in the basement — plenty of space for a bar/entertainment room, theater and fourth bedroom and bath — leaving 1,600 square feet for storage, utilities or future living space.
The large ranch footprint, however, is a prime reason that ranches slipped in popularity. As an industry rule of thumb, two-story homes are 20 percent less expensive to build because the foundation, basement and roof are smaller, and framing costs less.
Such expenses turn a $300,000 two-story home into a $360,000 ranch.
Charles Ruma, president of Virginia Homes, which has offered three or four ranch designs for several years, said many buyers who say they want ranches end up purchasing a two-story home because they can get more space for their money.
But for other buyers, cost is less important than the convenient layout and accessibility as the homeowners get older.
According to a National Association of Home Builders’ survey, 52 percent of all buyers prefer a single-story plan to a two-story. The figure skyrockets with older buyers: 79 percent of buyers older than 55 prefer a single story.
The aging population probably will continue to drive the rise in ranches, although the homes might come in a variety of designs.
Westport Homes is working on a ranch design that will feature two master suites, with the idea that empty nesters might use one bedroom for an elderly parent or for guests, said Jack Mautino, president of the Columbus division.
“Baby boomers are aging differently than prior groups,” he said. “They’re not looking to go live in a community that’s 55 and older. They like their independence, their single-family home. They still want to be outside, with the privacy of outdoor living and a garden.
“What I anticipate is we will see more ranches, maybe smaller ones, as people hold onto their homes much longer.”
Jim Weiker, THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
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