Retro Renovation » ranch

Jsnugbear paints his ranch house

pam kueber — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 08:00:32 +0000

READER JSNUGBEAR adds his paint colors for a ranch house to our growing list of real-life reader stories. In addition, he has been a great reporter and taken lots of before, during, and after photos that show the transformation. Jsnugbear aka John also gets to show off his vintage cloth awnings, I am jealous. Above: A shot of the house, completed. And, do I spy with my little eye: Don Featherstone flamingoes to celebrate a major major item crossed off the “to do” list?

John writes:

I recently had 2 sides of my home painted. Here are a few pics to share with your readers per your request for renovation pics and stories. I included a before pic so you can see what it looked like when I bought it in Oct 2007.

Above and left: Original look when I bought home in Oct 2007. Not bad but I personally don’t like shutters especially on either side of the front door!! Neighbors couldn’t remember last time it had been painted. Needless to say they LOVE me!!!! I love the original door. Hope to paint that as well.The inside of door is natural wood but the exterior has already been painted.

Above: West side primed and ready for paint.

Above: South side needed lots of primer!!!

Above and left: Front before trim painted and awnings put back up. Looks much cleaner and MCM without the shutters!! I … removed one of the exterior lights by the door as it originally only had one.

Above and left: South side. The awnings make SUCH a difference in the summer. I rarely use air conditioning and only in my bedroom at night. I love the natural breezes that flow thru the house.

Above: Front(west side)

Pam, I used Behr paint. Body is called Spiceberry and trim is Mojave Sunset. I tried to play the trim off the brick fireplace under carport. Its a terra cotta color rather than red brick. I tried looking into Eichler colors since I love the Eichler homes but I didn’t find one I liked. I have a Benjamin Moore store where I live so they had all the color cards for Eichler.

John

John, thank you so much for recording all this and for sharing. Have I ever mentioned that I love shingled ranches? The house looks great!

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Samantha and Dave paint their mid-century house jadeite green

pam kueber — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 08:00:01 +0000

Here’s an inspiring story from readers – Samantha and Dave – who told beige to bite the dust and instead painted their Colorado bungalow / ranch a fabulous shade of Burma Jade — jadeite green — from the Sherwin-Williams Suburban Modern palette. A note on the brick detailing on this house. By the early 50s architects and builders were looking to create a “long and low” ranch house feel on designs of every ilk. Adding a half-wall trim like the brick that runs along the front of this house — and in some cases beyond, as in this house — accentuates the horizontal, even though this house appears to be pretty much a square box. A classic classic mid-century house design trick. Click thru for Samantha’s explanation of their journey.

She writes:

Hi, Pam,

Love, love, love your web site! I am writing to tell you our experience with using the Sherwin Williams Suburban Modern palette for our home’s exterior. Our house is a 1300 square foot ranch built in 1959 There are many classic midcentury modern houses in our neighborhood–some “cooler” than others; that is, some have bolder color choices and seem to stand out.

Our house before painting was yellow with maroon trim. It has a brick facade that was originally pinkish-beige. We chose Burma Jade for the body of the house, and white for the trim. This was a classic combination according to the Sherwin Williams Suburban Modern palette. We also painted the brick facade white. When we finished, we received nice compliments from the neighbors. One woman who raised here family in the neighborhood said that it reminded her of when the neighborhood was first built. That was a big compliment, in our opinion! Some didn’t “get it.” One friend said it was an “old” color. Most people said that it went with the style of the neighborhood, so we chalked that one disparaging comment up to a matter of taste. The house looks amazing. We love the color and the fact that we don’t fit in with most of the brown and beige houses on our street.

As for taking a courageous step…..it really was. We went through many color combinations before deciding to “go bold.” Initially, we wanted to use the beige color on the Suburban Modern palette, but when we tested it on the house, it looked pinkish. Not good. So after much discussion about colors, our “final” decision was white with the trim in Burma Jade. But then….we noticed that the house kitty corner from us was white with teal trim….a little too close to what we had in mind. So, at the last minute, we switched, deciding to go bold with Burma Jade as the body color and white as the trim. We love the way it turned out, even if some don’t get it.

Thanks again for your wonderful website. I am addicted!

Samantha and Dave

Thank you, Samantha and Dave, for sharing your story. It will give courage to all of us who struggle with taking a bold step when it comes to color.

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Who are the original owners of your home? Averyl’s story.

pam kueber — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 08:00:40 +0000

Reader Averyl is a new owner of a mid-century home. She recently wrote to share how she had researched — then met – the home’s original owners. I asked her to tell us more… Read on for Averyl’s wonderful story.

She writes:

I’ve always dreamed of living in a mid-century ranch house like my grandmother’s where I spent many happy days as a young child, eating lunch at her chrome dinette set, admiring her figurines in her curio cabinet, watching “I Love Lucy” on her large TV with rabbit ears or looking out of her large multi-pane window onto the tree lined suburban street of Fort Lee, New Jersey in the late 1960’s.

Two months ago I bought my dream ranch house in Maine after years of looking. As soon as I walked inside the house I knew right away it would be my home. There had only been a few cosmetic updates and they were compatible with mid-century décor; no one tried to make the house look 2009. I looked outside the large multi-pane living room window and wondered about who had lived there before the seller from whom I would purchase the house. I knew she had been there fifteen years, but what about the original owners? There was an indescribably good energy to whole house. Almost like an episode of “The Twilight Zone” I felt transported back in time and I could almost see and hear “Leave it to Beaver” showing on a black and white television set as a mother cooked in the kitchen wearing an apron and her kids played in the front yard. I decided I wanted to look up the people who had lived there to see if I could tap into some of the history of the house and thank them for taking such good care of it.

After we moved in I called the town office where public records of ownership are maintained, and it turned out that the original owners lived in the house for over forty years! I really wanted to meet them, but I hesitated; what would they think? Would I sound like a nut? To some people a house is just that but to me it’s a home filled with history and stories. I figured, what did I have to lose other than a pretty daydream?

I looked them up and saw they were still living in my town. I introduced myself via email and invited them over to see their house (I didn’t call it “my” house). They were very receptive and offered to bring old photos- bonus!

When they arrived the following Saturday morning we walked around the grounds and they told us about the old neighborhood and people in it. Inside we walked from room to room, and I asked them what was original and what had been replaced. I heard many stories and they said my television is in the same spot where they had theirs and that they indeed watched the first runs of “Leave it to Beaver” and “I Love Lucy.”

The best part of the visit was when we all sat down at my chrome dinette set in the kitchen with the large stack of photo albums they had brought over. I saw pictures of my house being built, family pictures taken inside the house throughout the years, bridge games played in my living room and my favorite, Christmastime.

Although only 1,200 square feet they raised two children in the house, and judging from the excellent condition inside, they were very well behaved. We talked about the changes in ways people are able to finance homes now as compared to then and how a bigger house has somehow come to equate “better.” A smaller house is now usually perceived only as a starting point.

I explained: “I plan to live in this house a very long time, yet people often refer to it as a ‘starter home.’”

“This was our starter home for forty-two years,” the former Lady of the House replied.

I learned about some of the local business history and even saw a picture of the businessman whose name is on the thermometer outside my door. It seemed that back then everything was locally owned and you could shake hands (or even go bowling) with the person whose name was on the shop.

After a lovely two hour visit they needed to get going and they were kind enough to let me scan some of the photos. I plan to have them over for my Christmas party so they can see the house with my 1950’s Christmas decorations.

“We approve,” they said as they left. I do, too.

Copyright Averyl Hill, All Rights Reserved. www.averyl.com

Thank you, Averyl! Averyl also has a blog: The Way Life Used to Be. And more photos of her home in her photosets on Flickr. Check them out.

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Tiki Lisa photographs 57 ranch home exteriors in her neighborhood

pam kueber — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 08:00:52 +0000

Reader Tiki Lisa did major retro reconnaissance in her neighborhood — and photographed these 57 midcentury exteriors. She’s sharing via this slide show linked to her flickr photostream. Great exterior details here — wood trim, shutters, brick work, roof slopes, paint colors, window boxes, and more. And, I’m particularly in love with all the Cinderella ranch homes, also known as Storybook ranch homes. You live in a retro-wonderland, TL! Many thanks!

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17 ideas to add curb appeal to your 40s, 50s or 60s house

pam kueber — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:00:57 +0000

Midcentury homes come in all styles and sizes – generally with either “ranch style” or “colonial style” elements. The house above: A real mix of the two, and the exterior touches really give it…stature, even despite its small size – just 1,000 s.f. There is so much you can do to add great curb appeal to your postwar ranch, cape, colonial, bungalow, or split. Read on for 17 illustrated ideas… In our first house, notice:

1. The cupola above the garage. I really like cupola’s for the visual interest that they provide. Check out the Brosco catalog for a number of styles – get a hard copy, their website is not helpful.

2. The tree at the left, and that shrub at the left corner are “higher” than other greenery. Feng shui says that looking at a house, the left side is the “dragon” side that protects the house – trees and shrubs should be higher here. The right side is the “phoenix” side – lower to the ground here, please. I kind of also works in the west because we read left to right. I use this dragon/phoenix principle in decorating on the inside, too.

3. Not exactly shown here, but one other principle for exterior landscaping that I picked up when I did my house two summers ago and was doing extensive research: If you can (and it makes sense visually for your house), bring the beds along the house out the full height of your facade. That is, if the facade of your house (not including the roof) is 9′ high…bring your beds out 9′. This “grounds” the house within the landscaping quite nicely. The beds don’t seem “dinky.”

4. Let your windows breathe. Don’t have shrubbery covering them and if you do, trim it back.

5. Notice how the window treatments contribute to curb appeal. There are horizontal blinds with tape at each window. The draperies are all a light yellow. Harmony in repetition can make a big impact.

6. If you have a house like this, stay with the wide clapboards. The scale is so nice.

7. And of course, that structure at the front door is so welcoming, and the brick planter makes a nice addition.

Thoughtful exterior touches elevate this house, which otherwise could have been a forgettable ranch box:

8. Add shutters: Match them to your roof color. Note how they are sized vertically to also encompass the trim underneath the window. The rule of thumb for width is to take half the window width – as if the shutters actually could be used.

9. Garage door: Matched to the shutter trim color.

10. And notice how the stone trim under the bay also is that nice warm sandy brown. Your eye dances right along this house horizontally because all these colors are linked.

11. Consider using the front gable to introduce another trim color and another material. And while this may really seem obsessive – this illustrator has imagined that the linings on all the draperies are lined in the same fabric and orange-y color, complementing the gable. Nice!

12. Hard to see, but there is dentil molding along the cornice of the bay window. Hey – the bay is a nice touch, don’t you think? Edged in that stone below.

13. Finally here, note the use of the fence at the left – the trellis at the door – and the trellis at the far right. These are nice hardscape touches that add interest to this exterior (and the others shown).

My goodness, I’ve seen this house everywhere across the country! Ideas:

14. Mix the materials used on your exterior. Looking left to right, notice how the bedroom window is edged and “sectioned off” from the shingle siding….see that little bathroom glass-block window with three horizontal trim pieces?…at the entry way, they’ve used vertical siding… and of course the stone makes a nice horizontal statement then rising to create a flower box.

15. In fact, it’s important to pause and underscore the use of materials that running horizontally along ranch-style homes. Ranch homes are long and low to the ground…they have a horizontal profile. Adding “footwalls” or “kneewalls” of brick or stone are a great way to emphasize the horizontal profile. In addition, you often see siding that runs half-way up the sides of a ranch home – this also can split it in two horizontally. In addition, these techniques add visual interest by introducing another material to differentiate a ranch-box. I will add, though, in thinking about doing these kinds of changes, scale becomes very important – and is a while ‘nother discussion altogether.

16. Of course, the entry way structure itself makes a welcoming statement. Notice how it’s roofline extends around the right-hand side of the house, almost like an awning.

17. Finally, I like how the chimney is painted white like the siding of the house. Nice!

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Original Eichler paint colors for your ranch or contemporary home

pam kueber — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 08:00:59 +0000

Are you looking forward to repainting your midcentury ranch or contemporary home once the weather warms up? I recently connected with the nice folks at The Eichler Network, and saw that they have identified a palette of original exterior paint colors and accents used on Eichler homes, which were built from the late 1940s through the early 1970s.

The 11,000 homes that Joseph Eichler built in California have been very collectible, and The Eichler Network runs a website and magazine to connect Eichler homeowners with service providers specialized in helping them with sensitive updates.

This paint color research is particularly helpful – because the Eichler experts also have translated them into Benjamin Moore (BM) colors easily available today.

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Cindy’s midcentury Massachusetts ranch house

pam kueber — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 08:00:09 +0000

Last July we got our first look at Cindy’s 60s ranch home in Holyoke, Massachusetts. A real midcentury time-capsule beauty that needed some work – and which she has been accomplishing with great sensitivity to its original lines and features. In August last summer, I went to visit Cindy, as we live only an hour away. How delightful to be sitting here today – in my cold computer cave, 20 degrees outside – and see proof that warm July and August will be here soon enough. Several photos from Cindy’s house were featured in an earlier post, but I took a bundle more, featured here today. In particular, I was entranced by the many small, yet very carefully

selected, details within the house – from that beautiful Asian-style doorknob — to the porch light – to the can lighting – and on and on. Oh – the “Goldwater in ‘64?” It’s a bumper sticker I picked up at an estate sale and brought for Cindy as a little housewarming. For the graphics, we didn’t talk politics! And wouldn’t you know it, it matches her kitchen.

Click through for 28 wonderful photos in all!

I must admit, right up front, that I am a terrible guest when I go to see reader homes. I immediately become the absent-minded professor eagle-eying every feature outside before I can even get up to the doorway to shake hands. I think Cindy understood, because we’d met before. Apologies again, Cindy, I’m working on my interpersonal skills especially when doing retro recon. But oh my goodness: Look at the pole lamp. A real beauty! Likely from Moe or Progress or Thomas Industries. Fantastic!

And there’s more — a matching outdoor wall sconce. If the tour had stopped right here I’d have been happy.

Walk inside Cindy’s front door and there is delight in every direction. She’s painted her living room walls a lovely butterscotch color. Love the rug, and the modern sofa! Glance at the ceiling, we’ll get a close up of those recessed can lights in a moment.

A fabulous marble brick fireplace separates the kitchen and dining area from the living room. No question, the more I see these gorgeous fireplace structures, the more I want want want. And these white bricks are fantastic. I wonder how much it would cost to replicate this fireplace today.

Cindy added this floor. It is Amtico resilient tile (vinyl, Cindy?), and what I found so cool about it was the flooring contractor used “welds” – some sort of plastic flooring pieces – between each tile – this gives the effect of grout and is an option to butting the tiles up against each other. A really nice look to consider. However, Cindy says that the contractor may have used too much adhesive because it bubbles up and is a bear to clean.

We’ve seen Cindy’s bathroom before, but in this close up, I want to point out the recessed metal cabinets right behind the sinks. The long shiny metal installation includes swirl-around toothbrush holders flanking each side. And in the center, a recessed cabinet with sliding mirrored doors. AWESOME! This kind of installation was made by companies like Miami-Carey. I actually bought one on ebay last year. It arrived broken in a million pieces. And then the seller shafted me on the refund even after I sent it back to him. I bet I might be able to replicate/find this product for readers today; stay tuned, it’s on my list. A wonderful way to add space if you have a countertop run. And note: Cindy has made some really well-done cosmetic updates to this bathroom since August. Look for that post next week!

An original 60s chandelier in Cindy’s kitchen. Simply divine.

I believe this was in the hallway.. I love the modern lines in a colonial lantern arrangement. A truly wonderful fixture.

These recessed eyeball cans were throughout the living room. These can still be found among the companies identified in our Lighting Page.

I gotta show this again. Cindy completely renovated her kitchen. The cabinets are laminate – a totally authentic choice, especially as you enter the 60s … she has a granite countertop and it looks great … and she stenciled the backsplash herself (goes under heading of: Some Therapy). Notice the butterscotch ties to the living room, too.

A simple but just lovely hall light with that little added something: Starbursts in the glass.

Even on the patio – a milk glass-meets-disco globe! The people who built this house know how to live – and had some dough-re-mi at their disposal!

Another wonderful kitchen light!

Cindy added these new pendants (from Lightolier, I think she told me) to her kitchen.0

Yes: Wood panelling (cherry, me thinks) in the living room, and a Nutone speaker system.

You’re looking at wonderful vintage 60s Romany Spartan tile — and a laundry chute! I love laundry chutes. Don’t have one, goshdarnit. There was a really cool one in the St. Louis time capsule house – photo coming soon.

Vintage clock.

A real dream house. Thank you, Cindy, for you wonderful hospitality and for finding this great home such a caring owner!

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