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
