These Ranch Style Homes Sure Look Familiar

When I think of ranch homes, I think of Frank Lloyd Wright

Looking at things that are uniquely from the heart and soul of the United States, I find that the architecture, vision, and interior designs, of Frank Lloyd Wright fit that category of uniqueness. One lasting contribution of Frank Lloyd Wright is the ranch style home that is found all over the nation.

I grew up in different ranch style homes, and have a particular fondness for this American architectural style. Most of the homes of my childhood, in northwest Florida, and even now, are ranch style homes. They are everywhere. Tallahassee, Florida is filled with small, and big, ranch style homes.

Actually, the ranch style home came after the other earlier contributions of Frank Lloyd Wright, such as the Praire home, but it was his vision, that made this architectural style the most widespread, and popular home style from the early 1940’s through the 1970’s. Unfortunately, not many home builders today make real ranch style homes, but that is not a bad thing since there are so many of these homes in most communities anyway, as long as buyers don’t mind having an older home.

The fascination that Frank Lloyd Wright had with horizontal lines, open spaces inside the home, built-in shelves, window seats, high windows, long rectangular forms, oneness with nature, natural materials, natural movement through the home, simplicity, spaciousness, low pitch gable roofs, earth colors, are fixed into ranch style homes. The homes opened up our lives to one another, and allowed for more sense of community within. The thinking of the great America architect is manifested all over the ranch style home.

One of the features of a ranch style home that most identifies it as such, is the very low gable roof, a gable that has a low pitch, and can even be flat in some versions of this home style. Look at the many homes that Frank Lloyd Wright created around America, and you will see the flatness, or near flatness of the roof, and the dominance of the horizontal over the verticle, and how these homes fit right into the local natural environment.

That is why I am so attracted to Frank Lloyd Wright and his architectural achievements. I too, love nature, and grew up hiking, camping and admiring the natural surroundings, not far from ranch style homes. I can’t think of another home style that so appropriately fits in, and snuggles with the land forms around it, and the trees that shadow it.

Frank Lloyd Wright did so much more than planting the seed for ranch style homes, but compared to his other architectural works, the ranch home became the most common, popular, practical for most people, and more affordable. With ranch came a new, tremendously successful and vibrant lifestyle. More people became home owners than ever before.

I don’t think the ranch homes will go away anytime soon. There are so many of them, and not everyone will want to live in two story homes. Many of us like one story homes, with easy access in and out. You know when you get a true ranch creation, you will have a good piece of work, a solid structure, that has lasted for many years. Tallahassee has so many of these strong, brick structures, with the characteristic low pitch gable roofs.

Killearn Lakes Neighborhood Remains Popular for Single Family Home Buyers

Tallahassee and Leon County, Florida, offers a big variety of neighborhoods, in all price ranges and with various architectural styles. One of my favorites is Killearn Lakes Neighborhood in the north end of Leon County, with Lake Iamonia, one of the areas largest lakes, bordering the northern boundary of this community.

Killearn Lakes is a popular community with 2072 single family homes. Many of the homes are ranch style homes, in different forms, some traditional ranches, some more contemporary ranches. There are contemporary eclectic style homes, some traditionals, and some colonials. This neighborhood is too big to walk it in a short period of time. People are attracted to the neighborhood for the abundance of everygreen trees all over, nearby parks, quiet, but friendly streets, and affordable home prices. There are deer, fox, and an abundance of squirrels in the community. People are also attracted the elementary, middle, (both within the neighborhood) and the new high school, just outside the community. There is also an active boy scout troop that meets at a church in the community. There are several churches in Killearn Lakes.

As of today, 4/2/2008, there are  currently 81 homes for sale in this vast neighborhood, and the average price of a home on the market is, $274,224. Prices start at $169,900, and go up to $749,900, but the median price of the homes is, $252,500.

Recently, a new public sewer system was put put in for the lower part of Killearn Lakes and residents had a choice of connecting to public sewer, or staying with their septic tanks. To connect to public sewer costs about $10,000. Many residents selected not to connect. They can connect at any time, however, and new buyers will have that option.