Ramble On

Take It Outside
Although homeowners’ No. 1 priority is re-creating interior space, the exterior should not be overlooked. “Of the most common types of remodels, one simply is curb appeal,” Orfield says. “You take the normal flat roof line and horizontal boring look and give it a defined front entrance. You can create nice front overhangs with pretty dormers. You can do some pillars and a front step as well.”

“People are putting on siding that costs more than what they originally paid for the home,” says Gary Knight of Knight Construction Design in Chanhassen. “They are now looking to be more creative with exteriors. There are other alternatives besides vinyl siding. They mix it up with brick and stone and new entries and porticos. They also change the window configuration and make windows taller or wider.”

Curb appeal extends to the entrance of the home, where guests will receive their first impression of the interior. “[In ramblers] there’s no entryway. You walk in and you’re there,” Orfield says. “People want to make the living room attractive with custom built-ins or by creating a mudroom where they can hide things. That’s why people are spending so much money changing the flooring and putting in natural hardwood.”

Taller, vaulted ceilings are replacing the somewhat claustrophobic 8-foot ceilings of ramblers past. Damont recently completed a project on an Arden Hills rambler in which the firm removed a 40-foot section of the existing roof in the middle of the home and replaced it with vaulted trusses. The ceiling height thus doubled from eight to sixteen feet. In other projects, Damont has also created a second level above the main one. “If there is not enough room to go out, we can go up, creating a new second-floor addition, which is another great alternative,” Monte says. “Usually, most existing ramblers can support another story with very few foundation modifications.” 

In addition to re-creating exteriors and making other structural changes to the home, garages are receiving overhauls. The biggest challenge is finding a way to increase their volume. Horizontal expansion is usually out of the question due to city setbacks. “We may offset the garage behind the house and turn the old garage into a carport or remove it altogether,” Peterson says. “But normally people will keep them attached in the existing position and expand to the back or side if at all possible.” Monte reports that he will build an additional garage or create a four-car garage, making the stalls two cars deep. Work on the garage usually leads to the addition of a mudroom. Traditionally, garage entry doors in ramblers led right into the kitchen; adding a mudroom here provides a transitional space between the two rooms, as well as a place to store shoes, keys, book bags, and more.

When your rambler remodel is finished, it should flow well, look great, and feel like a valuable lifestyle asset, Peterson believes. “What’s nice is that this is not only a design solution, it’s an aesthetic solution,” he says. “How does the furniture fit? How does the outside relate to the inside? How does all that affect your home, and at the end of the day, how does that become an expression of who you are as a person? Good planning is going to be your wisest investment.”