I work as a residential architect in
Minneapolis, and many of the calls
I’m getting these days are from the
owners of post-WWII ranch houses.
Few architects or builders get excited
about remodeling ranch houses. Yet
the reality is that while we’ve been
busy remodeling Victorians, Cape
Cods, and bungalows, the first wave of
ranches built after the war recently
crossed the magical 50-year mark.
Ranches are officially historic now, and
we need to start treating them with
more respect in the coming years —
when we’ll be remodeling ranches by
the millions.
Rethinking the Plan
Ranch owners typically have the
same complaints as other owners of
historic homes: The rooms are small,
the kitchen is cramped, and there is