Rancher

During the post-war era the American suburbs filled up with these unpretentious ground-hugging homes. Traditionally a single story house, the Rancher fused Modernist styles with ideas of the American west. Typical features included a long low roof line, sharp angles, open floor plan, large windows, exposed beams, sliding glass doors, vaulted ceilings and an attached garage or carport.

A product of a time when land was plentiful and cars reigned supreme, the Rancher isn't shy about taking up space. Attached garages and carports underlined the importance of cars to the American lifestyle for the first time in popular architecture. Rooms in a Rancher tend to flow into one another and this style doesn't bother creating living space by building upwards. With all of the living areas on a single level, the Rancher claims a great deal more ground than your average bungalow or four square but it doesn't grandstand in the midst of its neighbors. The Rancher keeps a low-profile.

Also known as the Western Ranch, American Ranch and California Rambler, these homes evolved out of Frank Lloyd Wright's design for the Prairie House. The new roost of the suburban pioneer, it's estimated that 70 percent of all houses built between 1945 and 1970 in America were ranchers.

Having been large on the scene for so long, the humble Rancher has seen a number of variations over the years. The Split Level Ranch and Raised Ranch are perhaps the best known of these. These house styles retain the characteristics of the Rambling Ranch but with additional stories and levels. Though the foundation remains above-ground, these homes often have a finished basement and in the case of a Split Level Rancher, they have a basement as well as a second story.

Though Ranchers fell out of fashion sometime in the early seventies, the cycle is coming around again and Ranchers of all kinds are experiencing a resurgence in popularity. New and ambitious homeowners are rediscovering, revamping and generally respecting the ways of this icon of American architecture.