Background of the Ranch Home
Ranch-style home designs are known for low and wide single-story profiles, large picture windows, sliding glass doors and attached front garages. These close-to-the-ground homes were first built in the U.S. in the 1920s, but they didn't gain widespread popularity until the post-World War II era into the 1970s. As suburbia spread, the ranch-style house became one of America's favorites.
The popularity of ranch-style homes waned in the ‘80s and ‘90s, but it’s making a comeback as younger homebuyers rediscover the ranch’s charm—much like they did with bungalows.
Why Engineered Wood is Driving the Ranch Renaissance
Award-winning custom homebuilder Mike Schwartz once used fiber cement siding for ranch home renovations, but he wasn't satisfied with the quality or aesthetic. "Fiber cement is much thinner than engineered wood," says Schwartz. "When you look down the wall, fiber cement has a wavy look."
Schwartz recently bought a ranch house in Puyallup, Wash., to remodel and eventually live in. Choosing LP® SmartSide® Trim & Siding prefinished with ColorStrand™, Schwartz now recommends the prefinished product to his customers. “They do a great job of prefinishing it in the plant, and the outcome is always beautiful,” he says.
Additionally, many ranch remodelers prefer engineered wood siding to conventional wood because it eliminates the time required to discard warped and split pieces, cutting down on installation time so owners can enjoy their homes sooner.
A New Siding Option for the Ranch-Style Home
LP® SmartSide® Smooth Trim & Siding is a new siding option that is versatile enough to complement both a traditional or modern aesthetic, including the ranch-style home. Here’s why:
Get Inspired
Thinking about sprucing up your ranch-style home? Check out some inspirational ideas here to get the creative thoughts flowing on a variety of exterior home design styles.
To help you start visualizing your home’s look, we’ve gathered a list of modern house siding ideas you can accomplish with one of the most durable siding solutions on the market: LP® SmartSide® ExpertFinish® Trim & Siding.
Continue ReadingWhen it comes to your home's exterior, choosing siding colors is the perfect opportunity to showcase your personal style while enhancing curb appeal. As 2022 unfolds, let's take a look at this year's trending exterior house colors and strike inspiration for your next home update.
Whether you're tackling the project yourself or hiring a siding contractor, choosing to re-side your home in warmer months can help the process. Brian Mathis, Construction Services Associate at LP, shares his beginning steps to siding a house and the advantages to re-siding in warmer months.
The beginning of spring is a great time of year to assess your siding for signs of damage. After a hard winter season with weather concerns such as ice and low temperatures, siding damage from winter and its affects can happen. If missed, small fixable areas of siding damage can turn into larger concerns down the road.