By Mike Seiler at May 06 2019 22:40:51
One of the best tips about using a basement for additional living space is to raise the ceiling. Adding an extra foot (or more) in the height of your basement ceiling is much less expensive than adding an additional floor or expanding the overall floor plan, and the added height will eliminate that closed_in feeling you get with so many basements.
The ranch house floor plan was the American Dream in a box from the late 1940s to the mid 1960s. Sliding glass doors, kidney shaped swimming pools and back yard patios created a new informal way of entertaining guests. Though the ranch house floor plan was the embodiment of casual living, most homes of that era lacked architectural details that would make them memorable. By the 1970s, the ranch style house was replaced by the split level home with Colonial or English details. The 1980s saw a reversal of the ranch house floor plan formula that included showy front entries with grand staircases and vaulted ceilings while the back of the house was left almost naked. The only remains of the ranch house floor plan today are the open floor plans, great rooms and hearth kitchens and the current popular trend of an outdoor room. All leftovers from the original ranch style housing era.