The Wall Street Journal brings us the news from Slate that the ranch house was a temporary fling and that few get built anymore. This is attributed to people wanting larger homes, and to the economy of small lots for developers.

Lot size aside, I don't see this trend in Florida. Yes, new developments with small lots ARE going up when they want a bigger house. There's a lot to be said for one story living, and not only for those getting older. In Florida, where we go outside so often, it's nice to open up the house and combine inside and out. 

With waterfront homes, when people want a larger home, they are often prevented by flood insurance requirements from adding on, or putting on a second story - so many homes are built that have just garage and storage at ground level, then two stories above that. Not only are these McMansions out of proportion to a small lot, but they're inconvenient. When you're in the kitchen and your family and/or guests are out by the pool, it's nice to see each other and be able to talk - not for some to be on the ground and others one floor up.

What about those areas where lots aren't the size of a postage stamp? Are you seeing a trend away from single story homes? 

Sharon Simms, Real Estate Agent selling homes in St. Petersburg, Florida, the Gulf Beaches and the Tampa Bay area. 

 

57 Comments on The Ranch House is Dying

20 Most Recent Comments Displayed Show All

APR
21
2007
600,280 Points 45 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Split levels.  We have very few of them in the Tampa Bay area - perhaps because our topography is so flat. Perhaps 1% of the homes are split levels.
10:47am • #38
600,280 Points 45 Featured Posts Outside Blog
First floor master bedrooms.  These are very popular in our 2 story homes - at least, where there's space on the lot. Some of the larger homes have a second bedroom and bath on the ground floor as well.  Boomers and older parents prefer the master downstairs - families with young children often want to be with the kids.  Most flexible solution, then, would be to have a master both upstairs and downstairs, using the unwanted one as a guest room.
10:50am • #39
627,100 Points 8 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master
Sharon, I can sell a home with a walkout basement much faster than a ranch home.  It's a little harder to sell a two story home here unless there are very few steps.  Older people prefer no steps.  I don't ever see the ranch going "bye bye", however I do see them getting smaller.  Great post!
10:55am • #40
600,280 Points 45 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Thank you ALL for your comments. It IS interesting to see the regional differences. Some may be due to topography, some to lot size, some to cost, some to coastal or flooding areas, some to local preference. It's also great to see building backlogs in some areas - can we share some of our inventory?
11:01am • #41
558,678 Points 91 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp

Sharon,

I live in a one story home about 2700 sqft. my lot size is about 12,000..which is pretty big in my opinion..I do not see a difference other than size of family and or price..1 story tend to be cheaper in price.
12:11pm • #42
600,280 Points 45 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Neal, my one story home is also about 2700 sq ft on a waterfront lot about 10,000 sq ft - and I like it. The upscale homes in our area that Rutenberg and others are building tend to be single story as well. Where I'm seeing the two story homes is in the new developments in the surrounding counties where the lots are perhaps 45 x 80 or 3,600 sq ft.
12:15pm • #43
558,678 Points 91 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp

Sharon,

I think it is because the builders are trying to attract larger families and also they can justify high pricing.

But with many large families...people look for those 5 BR plus 3 car gar models.
12:23pm • #44
131,091 Points 24 Featured Posts
Sharon- Ah sadly  the Classic Mid-Century home.. formerly referred to as a ranch..  hasall but disapperaed in Southern Ca.. however the few that are left can command some high prices.    Boomers who need to downsize to one level as they get older are rediscovering these homes.  Not everyone who gets older wants to move to a 900 sqft 2 bedroom condo.. I suspect as more and more Boomers look to get rid of their multi-level homes you will see a huge demand for these older one level styles..
12:33pm • #45
600,280 Points 45 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Neal - increasingly people want two of the bedrooms to use as offices - i.e., more space needs. Think about telling people in your signature that you're from Weston.

Kaye -  what's interesting here is how the new owners are totally redoing these one story homes - open them up, add colors, raise the ceilings, add glass on the waterside - sure are different once you go through the front door than they look from the street.
1:06pm • #46

I was raised here in Missouri, but lived in New England for couple of years.  When we first moved there I remember thinking how few ranch homes there were.  Almost everything was a colonial or cape cod style.  Now that I'm back in Missouri, at least in Jefferson City, most new homes being built are ranch style.  I don't see that trend changing anytime soon around here.
2:20pm • #47
600,280 Points 45 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Jen - when I lived in New England, single family homes were a rarity in Newport as well.
2:23pm • #48
1,047,942 Points 396 Featured Posts Outside Blog Attended Rain Camp Called Shot Master
My market is a balanced mixture of both single story and 2 story homes. The average size lot in Poinciana is 70x100 so there's plenty of room to build a single story. But we definitely have more large 2 story homes being built with 2500-3000 sq ft living.
4:02pm • #49
329,631 Points 12 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Way to get comments Sharon! Ranchers go like hotcakes around here and for more money. Bi level, Tri level and old fashion 2 stories are a the standard not because of lot size but because going up is cheaper. A 2 story house around here can be as much as 20% cheaper. Anybody need an acre of ground? Pueblo West usually starts around $19,000.
4:54pm • #50
600,280 Points 45 Featured Posts Outside Blog
Thanks, Dena. Actually, the number of comments surprised me.  Interesting to see a 20% difference!
5:08pm • #51
117,246 Points 8 Featured Posts

Sharon,

Ranches certainly are not going out of style here in Northern Michigan.  However, many have lower level walkouts.  With the graying of America, I think one floor living will continue to be in high demand.
6:29pm • #52
122,017 Points 6 Featured Posts Outside Blog
I hope ranches are here to stay. Although with my big family, I'd need a sprawling ranch. That's what I eventually want, a sprawling ranch on a bit of land.
9:33pm • #53
7 Featured Posts

In the late 90's (calendar, no ME) I worked as a sales manager for a builder developer based in Tallahassee who built entry level homes - all ranch homes.  (He also built the bigger stuff, but liked the broader market base in first time home buyers.) 

In the  First Time price range, I don't know how anyone could afford a second story.  But demographics change, and the new FTHB wants it all.  I'M not partial to a ranch style - I like to get away sometimes, but in FL going down isn't much of an option, so up is all that's left as wide disappears.

Good blog.  Thanks.
10:35pm • #54
3 Featured Posts
From a cost per square foot point of view (the most affordable) two stories are most common.  For our area in Central Washington, where retirees are flooding in, the single level living is in very high demand even though the cost per square foot for construction is higher.
11:01pm • #55
APR
22
2007
597,122 Points 106 Featured Posts Localism Sponsor Outside Blog Hit Router
We do not have that many single story homes in our inventory.  I am finding the demand for them is strong, especially among the seniors.
2:24am • #56
600,280 Points 45 Featured Posts Outside Blog

Stefan - walkouts are great where the land allows it. Makes a basement much more useful as extra living. Like a two-story home with the master on the ground floor - older people can use it as one story living and yet have the other floor for guests. In our tear downs and rebuild McMansions, the ground level garage and storage area is rather like a walkout, too.

Christy - by all means, keep your goal in front of you - the sprawling ranch on some land.

Art - in our surrounding areas it's land cost vs two story construction cost, so often the two story is less expensive than the same sq ft on one level that requires a larger lot.

Carol - I wonder if the trend will change when retirees are buying more homes than large families.

Randy -  my second home "dream" is one of the wonderful single story Hawaii homes with the beautiful native woods, where the walls disappear and you have the peaceful koi pond on one side and a view of the ocean on the other.

In Hawaii I also saw homes that had different living areas in pods or mini-houses, connected by walkways. Don't think they're too common, though. 
7:37am • #57

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Sharon Simms St Pete FL - CRS CIPS CLHMS RSPS

Saint Petersburg, FL

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