Getting the Most from a Ranch Without Adding On Ranch houses were affordable but plain. Relatively simple changes can enliven interior spaces and make the house more comfortable. The ranch took hold across the country shortly after World War II, providing young families with reasonably priced housing and a slice of the American Dream. To keep prices affordable, exterior forms were simple, most frequently a long thin rectangle with a shallow-pitch roof . Interior decor was limited to simple casings around windows and doors, and not much else.
Low cabinets block eye contact.
Kitchen designs often include low-hanging cabinets over a peninsula that obscures an adjacent eating area. Raising the upper cabinets clears sight lines to other parts of the house and makes the space work better. Neighborhoods of such homes have, for the most part, aged gracefully. As families have matured, children have grown and gone, and new families have moved in. And ranch houses have proved difficult to update.