How to Give a Ranch House Curb Appeal

Ranch-style houses first appeared in the 1930s and gained popularity as the house of choice after World War II. Once called the "ranch-burger" by noted historian, Colin Rowe who thought the design of these horizontal homes resembled a hamburger with a bun on top, the ranch house remains a big part of suburbia today. Although the style has merit in American architecture, the curb appeal factor has continued to be an issue since the long roominess of the house give it a somewhat flat or short appearance from the road. Fortunately, a few tricks can help a ranch house overcome its architectural shortcomings and make its curb appeal more attractive.

Things You'll Need

• Paint
• Shutters
• Matching curtains

Instructions

1. Paint the house to make it look bigger or taller. Use light-colored paint for the house color to make it appear larger, or if the house is a dark color, paint the trim white to help it look taller.

2. Prune shrubbery back to below the window. This will allow more of the house to be seen and give the house a neater appearance.

3. Remove trees from the yard to allow more of the house to be viewed from the road. If removing all of the trees does not seem like a viable option, consider removing the trees directly in front of the house and allow trees to remain on each side.

4. Use a "Feng Shui" method to make the house more visually appealing. Keep taller trees on the left (Dragon) side of the house and shorter trees and shrubs scaling downward in height and appearance to the right (Phoenix).

5. Add shutters to windows on the front of the house. Paint the shutters to match the same color of the roof to help pull the look of the house together.

6. Keep the look of the house uniform by using the same color of curtain for each window. Adjust curtain openings and shade heights to match across the front of the house.

References

• Retro Renovation: 17 ideas to add curb appeal to your 40s, 50s or 60s house