Country style living is back and more popular than ever. But not everyone has the space to create a beautiful and roomy ranch home you would find in the countryside.
If you love ranch-style homes, there is another ranch style that splits the comforts and sprawling layout of the ranch home with the practicality of a two-story suburban home.
It is known as the raised ranch house.
A raised ranch house is a ranch-style house but on a raised foundation. When a person walks through the front door, they will enter the second floor instead of the first floor.
Then they can descend the stairs to reach the living room, garage and basement and the other rooms on the first floor.
This style of house is popular because it provides the people who live in the house with more privacy, and the raised foundation protects against floods.
The second floor has the kitchen, bedrooms, bathrooms, and a small living room. The first floor will have access to the basement and the garage, and a second living room.
Whether you decide to purchase or build a ranch-style house, you’re in for a wonderful living experience.
What is a Raised Ranch House?
Many types of housing style line suburban and urban spaces around North America.
The architectural styles of a home depend on the landscape and weather in the area., and developers and contractors choose to build a specific style because it is more practical for the area.
Raised ranch houses, also known as high ranch houses, are common in areas that have ranching professions and are known for cowboy lifestyles.
They fit perfectly between the sprawling open fields of cattle ranchers and urban cities.
Raised ranch houses are also known as elevated ranch houses. This type of house has become very popular since the 1950s.
What’s the Difference Between a Ranch House and a Raised Ranch House?
The difference between a ranch style and a raised ranch-style house is that the ranch-style house is only on one floor. Ranch homes usually have a basement, but the basements are not second living rooms.
The raised ranch house is a two-story house, and the front door is located on the second floor.
Because a ranch-style house is completely on the first level, many homeowners of this house style feel like they do not have privacy.
In a raised ranch-style house, the most important rooms like the living room in the kitchen or on the second floor.
No one on the ground level can look through the windows.
Because a traditional ranch-style house is just one floor, it will extend out rather than up.
Ranch-style homes tend to not have much patio and garden space in the backyard. A raised ranch house will have more patio and garden space.
How is a Raised Ranch House Different From a Split-Level?
There’s one main difference between a raised ranch house and a split-level house and that is the position of the second floor.
The raised ranch house is two solid floors that sits on a raised foundation.
However, a split-level house is not two full floors.
When a person in a split-level house descends down the staircase, the staircase will be half as long as the regular staircase.
This is because the next floor down is not completely one floor below. It is actually halfway beneath the first floor but not fully its own floor.
There can be several floors in a split-level house, but the floors will not be on their own level. Actually, many split-level homes have multiple rooms on half stories in order to save space.
The Pros and Cons of a Raised Ranch House
You may be interested in owning or building a raised ranch house.
They are great houses, but they come with problems just like any other house.
Here are the pros and cons of living in a raised ranch house.
Pros
Protects most important rooms against flood
If you live in an area with a high-water table, it will be prone to flooding even during light rain. That is because there’s nowhere for the rainwater to go.
Normally, the rain would absorb into the ground and then descend into the water table, but if the land already has a high-water table, then the rain will stay close to the ground surface.
Since most of the important rooms, like the kitchen and the bedrooms, are on the top level, they will be protected in the event of a flood.
The first floor living room, as well as the basement and garage, may flood, but your family can escape to the second floor and still be able to cook their meals and rest.
More privacy than a regular one- or two-story home
Nosy neighbors are just the worst. It’s like they have nothing else to do with their lives than learn all about ours.
Living in a raised ranch house means that you’ll have far more privacy, however.
All the most important rooms, like the living room, kitchen and dining room, are on the second level.
Neighbors can no longer walk by and stare into your living room. You can leave the blinds open as long as you like, and they’ll never know what you’re doing.
Usually always has a basement and a garage
A raised ranch house may look more compact than a two-story house, but that does not mean that they are short on room.
Most raised ranch houses have a garage that can hold one large truck or two medium-sized cars.
Along with the garage, a raised ranch house usually has a basement accessible through the bottom level staircase.
Cheaper to build
Because raised ranch houses are built on a raised foundation, all the expenses that go into laying a solid foundation underneath the ground are no longer needed.
According to several prominent home building websites, the average cost to build a three-bedroom raised ranch house along with a garage is around $340,000.
The pricing range to build a raised ranch house is between $200,000 and $600,000. This price is for a 1700 ft home with a patio.
This price is also assuming that the garage is attached to the home and is a drive under garage.
If the homeowner wants to have a detached garage or an attached garage not part of the main two-story home, then the price will be more expensive.
Cons
Raised ranch houses have many comfortable and homey benefits, but no style of house is perfect.
There are a few disadvantages to living in a raised ranch house you should know about before you decide to build or buy.
Basement and garage can still flood
Any house that has a basement is prone to flooding.
A raised ranch house is on a raised foundation, but the water can still seep up from the foundation and damage the structure of the basement.
Climbing stairs every day will give your knees a workout
Moving furniture, carrying groceries, helping your elderly parents or family members into your home will be much more difficult when you live in a raised ranch home.
Depending on the structure of the home and how high the second-floor main entrance is from the ground, you may have to climb 10 or 20 stairs every time you enter and exit your house.
If you plan on building a raised ranch house, consider adding in a servant’s lift!
Conclusion to Raised Ranch Houses
A raised ranch-style house is a house that sits on a raised foundation. The front door is on the second level.
The common rooms that are on the second level are the kitchen, living room, and bedrooms. On the first floor, the rooms are at the garage, basement, and a living room and maybe a bedroom.
A raised ranch house is different from a split-level house because a raised ranch house has two distinct floors.
A split-level house has several half floors accessible through half staircases.
One of the best advantages of living in a raised ranch house is the privacy, as neighbors cannot look into your living room and kitchen because it is now on the second floor.
