Architectural Styles Defined: Ranch Style...

Part 2 in our unfortunately delayed series of articles on the misuse of terms as they apply to the architectural style of a building, and how that misuse leads to poor communication between clients and professionals. Here’s an in-depth look at what defines the “Ranch Style:”


The Ranch Style is considered one of the more varied and difficult styles to define. This is because it is one of the rare styles born out an socioeconomic shift more than an actual architectural movement. The roots of the ranch style were the tremendous housing and commercial construction needs of post World War 2 America and the Baby Boom. America's most renowned architect of the time was arguably Frank Lloyd Wright who's 'prairie style' had gained much popularity do to it's rejection of victorian box and its vertically accentuating aesthetic. Concurrent with the Crafstman Style, it featured long overhangs, but was driven primarily by an accentuation of the horizontal plane and the use of open spaces within the interior.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House:

Post-War Ranch House:

The Ranch Style continues this stretching of the horizontal plan but, while still not formal in its spacial arrangments, is less open in plan in order to simplify the structural loading of the building. In addition, the common ranch will typically have more simplified detailing and smaller overhangs in its original condition in order to be produced more quickly and efficiently.

As a result of this lack of true stylistic origin, the Ranch Style has been adapted to many different types of homes and as a result is derided by many critics of architecture as not being a true style. However, with roots in the one of America's most celebrated styles and being perhaps the most widely implemented building type in this country, it would be a mistake to simply dismiss Ranch Style. It may lack the openness and sophistication of detailing that a Prairie home would have, but in doing so it created a vernacular for the middle class that is maleable to regional and individual tastes.

For Architects, this creates an unique remodeling situation where changes to the original structure can be driven by a client's personality as much as the original style of the home. Because of this, for better or worse, the Ranch Style should be considered a true style of american individualism and the middle class.

Architectural Styles Defined: Craftsman Style…

One of the most troubling aspects of architecture and real estate is the misuse of terms as they apply to the architectural style of a building, and how that misuse leads to poor communication between clients and professionals. Here’s an in-depth look at what defines the “American Craftsman:”

The Craftsman, or “Arts and Crafts” style began in Britain as a response to the relentless grandiose nature of the Victorian era which was consumed with all things ornate. Victorian architecture had evolved primarily into applied bays, peaks, and other features onto a basic architectural box, with all of these elements tied together with fanciful detail elements that had little to do with the structure underneath them.

It was a movement based on truth in materials and a construction method that celebrated the designers and craftsmen who built them by exposing their structure as an architectural design element. Craftsmen homes would typically be represented by natural materials such as wood and stone that were not painted over or applied as simple veneers, and intentionally used multiple combinations of materials in order to both break up the design of the building and highlight more expensive materials by using them in targeted areas.

The movement has seen a strong recent revival based on its historical adaptability with local materials and construction methods within any given region. Though current sustainability practices make heavy timbers a less responsible choice, and stone is more likely to be a veneer than a structural system, the style can still be considered truthful to its roots through calculated exposure of materials and by taking advantage of inherent design features such as extended overhangs for solar shading benefits. The style is adaptable in form and materials, low pitch roofs and mission style detailing in the desert west and California, shaker inspired carpentry in the northeast, and heavier use of bricks and screened porches across the Southeast.

At its heart, the American Craftsman is a complete rejection of Victorian ideology. To be truly craftsman, a building must tell the story of how it is built through its design, not merely use vernacular materials.