ranch re-envisioned: Tasteful Teardown—A Cinderella Story
If there was ever a house that looked out of place, it would be this one. A social outcast, this 1950's Ranch never managed to blend well into its neighborhood of exquisite Tudor, Victorian, Georgian Revival and Arts & Crafts homes. Luckily, its most recent owners enlisted our help to turn their vision into reality. Taking full advantage of the existing foundation, Clawson Architects planned to work upwards, razing the house while preserving a recently-installed kitchen.
The original Ranch, shown front and back
After transformation, house seen from the rear yard
A new entrance portico, balconies, traditional windows, large overhangs with exposed rafter tails and brackets transform this once-bland ranch into a thoughtful, craftsman-style home.
The architects' use of stucco, cedar shake shingles and stone add dimension and authenticity. With the addition of a small powder room tucked underneath the stair at the owner's request, the architects were able to further capture the quirkiness of older homes.
"My husband and I used Clawson Architects to completely renovate and add a second level to our ranch style house. We are SO pleased with the passion and work that Marvin and Rene put into such a large project. They are extremely educated in housing styles and created a true Arts and Crafts style home for us. We really appreciated their artistic approach and attention to detail. In addition, they were very open to allowing us to contribute and collaborate on many of the details and designs." JR
If it weren't for the before pictures, it would be hard to imagine that this home had ever looked different. The sensitivity to period detail, scale and material selection let this new old house stand with pride alongside its neighbors with new architectural integrity.
"It's obvious that Clawson Architects posses more than the necessary qualifications to do their work, but more importantly, we chose to hire them because they are professional, kind, and fair. Because of those qualities, we really enjoyed the entire process and experience of such a large project!" -JR