By Annie Thornton | Houzz
Small rooms, limited natural light and timeworn finishes afflicted these mid-century ranch homes pre-renovation. But the payoff was huge. Working with talented design-and-build teams, the owners of these houses optimized the open floor plans, reinforced the indoor-outdoor connections and highlighted now-cherished retro details to make their modern-day dream homes.
Seeking Net-Zero in Southern California
- Who lives here: Nick and Holland Brown; their daughters, Kate and Abbi; and their dog, Penny
- Location: Long Beach
Nick and Holland Brown had a goal that went beyond making their 1957 ranch house more livable: They decided they would attempt to make the home net-zero in terms of energy consumption. What Is Zero Net Energy?
“Net-zero means that over the course of the year, you net out to zero energy usage between what you produce [onsite] and what you consume,” Nick explains. “In our case, we produce from 16 solar panels on the roof — it’s the most common way to produce onsite.”
Outside, a drought-tolerant landscape attracts wildlife and requires about 14 minutes of watering a week.
The interior is now a single open room, with new vaulted ceilings to welcome in more light and create more volume. “It really made this room feel big, and I love the skylight. We were chasing light,” Holland says.
As with many homes in California, the lines between indoor and outdoor spaces are blurred, with the same materials often used in both. Reclaimed barn wood on the vaulted ceiling carries outside too. Sliding doors in the den open up to an outdoor deck. “We wanted that deck to feel like an extension of the living room,” Nick says.
Rustic Ranch Update in North San Diego County
- Who lives here: A couple who works from home and their two dogs
- Location: Encinitas
The homeowners of this ranch had lived happily in their house for years before they decided to renovate. What had changed, and ultimately inspired them to remodel, was that they both started working from home.
Part of the addition included expanding their two-car garage to a three-car garage. As the garages dominate the street view, the homeowners made sure to keep that view as attractive and finished as possible, also alluding to the design style inside. One of the homeowners is an avid equestrian, and barn- and horse-ranch-inspired details are seen throughout.
The country feel of the home continues in the expanded galley kitchen. The wood dining table already sat in the nook at the end of the room, and architect Anne Sneed suggested building a reclaimed-wood banquette around it. Gather Round a New Dining Room Table.
Two wood hutches in a custom stain break up the white kitchen and the more rustic breakfast nook, while still tying in with the overall theme of the room and home. The stain continues in various rooms of the house. Farmhouse Sink 101.
Tile: custom-colored, Tabarka Studio; hardware: Ashley Norton; countertops: Pental quartz in Mesa with a honed finish; paint (used throughout the house): Whisper White, Dunn-Edwards and Crisp White, Sherwin-Williams; table: Restoration Hardware; pendant lights: Cisco Brothers; Thatcher chairs: Room & Board
