4 Things to Consider When Designing Your Ranch House

Designing your ranch house is an exciting milestone in one’s life journey as a ranch owner. There’s so much fun to be had and even more decisions to be made: the design, features, floorplan, and, of course, the little details that tie it all together.

First things first, guidance should always be requested from a civil engineer to figure out which section of the property is safest to build on.

Ranches are gorgeous plots of acreage, but if they’ve never been touched by a human hand, or haven’t been touched in a while, there may be dangers that aren’t visible to the untrained eye. When a ranch is first purchased, there are usually lots of obstructions and rough to work around. That’s why working with an experienced ranch broker, like Brandon Bownds, is a major benefit for those scouting for property. When giving someone a tour of their potential new ranch, Brandon leverages the insight he’s acquired from his years of working closely with civil engineers. His knowledge helps accurately visualize how and where on the property a ranch house can be built.

Once those hazards are removed, there will be trees and brush that need to be cleared before the foundation can be laid. And that’s when the fun starts!

Find the Right Ranch House Design For You

Step one of building your ranch house is to narrow down which style you want your ranch house to be.

• California Ranch
• Raised Ranch
• Suburban Ranch
• Storybook Ranch
• Split-level Ranch

Check out this blog featuring details of the ranch home styles and see which one’s the best fit for your taste and needs. Once you’ve found it, the next step is to start thinking about what you want the inside of your home to look like.

Don’t Forget Your Much Needed Ranch Features

The building process is very different from constructing a house on any regular suburban lot. There’s a lot of functionalities that should be kept in mind.

What spot in the house are you going to designate as the decompression station after a long day of hunting, where you can kick off your boots and shake off the mud? And you’re definitely going to want to show off that prize-worthy buck, so you’re going to need higher-than-average ceilings. It’s best to identify all those details early on so you can create the most efficient floor plan that will cater to your daily life.

Let’s Talk Floorplans

A typical ranch house will be one story with an open floor plan. Open floors make the home feel inviting and provide better access and visibility to the whole house. The lack of a stairs means the entire area of the main floor can be utilized, instead of giving up square footage to a bulky staircase. This also eliminates the nuisance that comes with climbing stairs daily. With that being said, a ranch house will usually have a basement that acts as an entertainment room, a space for extra bedrooms, or even a wine cellar!

Figuring out the perfect size for your ranch home is one of those decisions that will follow you for as long as the home stands, so it deserves some deep thought.

• How many people will live in the home?
• Will you be having guests and sleep overs often?
• How much space for leisure and entertainment do you want inside the home?
• Do you want extra features like an office, pool, or home theater?
• How spacious do you want each room to be?

These are all questions that arise as the time comes to designate what each space will be used for. However, by asking yourself these questions in the beginning of the home-building process, you can make sure that all the pieces of your home flow smoothly into each other instead of having awkward sectioning.

Remember you can always add onto your home later, so if you’d only like to consider the necessities for now, make sure to have those future plans in the back of your mind when you solidify your home’s blueprints.

The Final Touches

One of the most important details is also something that probably hasn’t crossed your mind yet, and if it has, then you understand just how important it is. The windows: from the front-facing windows that are essentially “the face” of your home, to the back windows that you’ll gaze out of as you admire the ranch in your very own backyard.

That view, just like all those other fine details, will be what transforms a new house into your home. That’s why you want to make sure you find a builder who can share your vision, and add value to your build by leveraging their experiences: what parts of your desired home design work, and which parts can be improved.

If you’ve yet to find that unique piece of ranch land you’ve had your eye out for, that’s what experts like Brandon Bownds live for. With all this new knowledge and guidance, we think you’re ready to take that step. It’s never too late to live your ranch life.