Beige.

Looks cozy =)

Minimal Traditional is how A Field Guide to American Houses would describe it.

looks almost like a split level??

"She's a brick....house."

How about "ranchalow"?

It's a brick sidesplit.

I believe that's called a raised ranch. I've lived in a house that is similar. It is a ranch that needed to be raised in part because of being built onto a hill. Wow that renovation is really stunning. Proves that brick looks so much better painted white.

splitlevel ranch.

heather77 funny!

Ranch Houses are usually always single story, so I guess you would say Split level Ranch house with brick facing?

I tend to call these "post-war shoeboxes".

I wish the people who decided the terminology were as creative as heather77 and Comicgeek, but alas it is a "Minimal Traditional."

http://www.hendersonvillehpc.org/structures/styles
(second from the bottom)

Aw, I kinda prefer the "before" picture. Just my personal taste. I like bricks.

I don't know what the style is, but the "after" is stunning! We have gobs of houses like that here in Philly, I had no idea they could be made to look so good!

A high ranch - or raised ranch. It has a built-in garage and a basement that may or may not be finished. The main living area is on the upper floor.

I vastly prefer the before picture, but I prefer brick. Kinda sad that all of the personality has been taken away.

Once landscaping gets put in, the after will look better. I like the colors.

ugh such a shame that nice brick was painted over!

I like the white paint. Probably every single house in that neighborhood is made of the very same brick, and 60-year-old brick looks tired after a while, anyway.

I like to call those Rancho Moderne houses. But that's just me.

I like the painted brick. I think unpainted brick is worth saving when the house is architecturally interesting, but on just a mundane house, a clean bright white looks better. And I agree that the house will look much more quaint with the new color when the landscaping is in.

awww, Why did you kill the tree?

I prefer the before picture!!!

I vote for raised ranch, too.

Heather77 you beat me to the punch! Thought I do like Rancottalow...

It's just a 50s ranch. The term 'split level' would suggest living space in that lower garage part, which I doubt. The garage underneath doesn't designate it as something else.

Not at all sprawling as the name "ranch" would indicate! Most of these type of houses are tiny. I would say that "post-war" ought to figure into the style for sure - looks like the "minimal traditional" definition does encompass it but that name doesn't mean much to most people.

Postwar. Anyone who's ever lived in one (and most people have) will know what you're talking about. Usually around the 1000 sq foot range (without additions) two bedrooms, one bathroom.

I don't know Sugarbakers, it looks remarkably similar to the split-level as illustrated by the expert on American architecture, Hasbro's Game of Life. That's what I would go with.

These homes are all over Maryland suburbs just outside of DC. They are called Brick Ramblers, which is a type of Ranch, but not as sprawling. Styles like yours are called
Raised Ramblers.
these links are all Ramblers, or Raised Ramblers.

http://p.rdcpix.com/v01/l23026942-m0m.jpg
http://p.rdcpix.com/v01/l7a6c2f42-m0m.jpg
http://www.jimmulrooney.com/images/8105%20Kennewick%20Avenue.jpg

I think that merely changing the windows makes the place look snappy. Maybe some landscaping too, and it woulda been just fine as a postwar red brick home.

Unless someone else knows better, won't that painted brick now forever need maintenance?

Yeah, I thought the before picture was better

I also prefer brick unpainted. Within a few years the painted brick will show much more age than before. I'm renting a place with similar brick and my landlady told me she was wanting to paint it. I told her if she did I'd move out. The brick was what attracted me to the house initially. I'm also in a historic neighborhood and the houses that have been painted look out of place and time with the rest of the street.

I am willing to bet their tree was dead, dying or disrupting their foundation if they removed it. That is an expensive process or a very dangerous pain for the owner if they do it themselves. My dad always removed our trees if they needed it and it is not fun.

I have no idea about the architectural terminology, but you see this kind of house all over the Northeast. I grew up in a suburb with house after house that looked like slight variations of the 'before'. So in this case, the unpainted brick wasn't at all unique nor did it add personality. The painted brick is much more unusual and, in my opinion, makes the facade feel fresher.

Rambler. Respect to zoee for getting here firstly.

I really prefer the unpainted brick.

I had to double-check to make sure I hadn't misunderstood the "before" and "after" labels.

Thanks for helping me figure out just what this house is.

I had to remove the tree (I HATED TO) because it was half dead and there were huge dead limbs hanging over my roof.

Thanks for the kind comments.

50's Brick Ranch with basement and one-car garage.

It's cute.

The tree looked like it was too close to the house.

What a great paint job! Made a big difference - I'm inspired. Thanks!

its not a split level if the only lower level space is the drive under garage, people. Split level refers to living spaces.

also, fwiw OP-- I love your painted brick

I too prefer the non-painted brick. But I'm sure with some nice landscaping the white will be a bit more appealing to me.

Ranch Houses are usually always single story

"usually always"?

raised ranch

The new windows are nice but it seems like a cardinal sin to be the first to paint over such nice brick. It didn't appear to have any problems, but it is hard to judge from the photo. It probably blends better with the owner's interior, but I would be also concerned with preserving the mid-century style. They could have jazzed it up without painting the brick!

painted brick?
exposed is always better.

Hmmm... I'm with zoee and JesusJesus: This is a rambler.

Post-War Tract Bungalow --

Ranch houses tend to sprawl more, and have been built a bit later.

oops, too early in the morning... "WERE built a little later".

While the ranch house form started in the 1920s, the peak building period came in the 1950s and '60s. They are characterized by a strong horizontality, and a low-to-the-ground quality. Your house is more compressed than a classic ranch, and so is better termed a "bungalow" (not to be confused with "Bungalow Style").

As far as I know, the term "rambler" is just a regional variant of the term "ranch". Of course, in some regions, it may have been adopted to describe this particular building form.

Your house seems to be part of the great post-war building boom, meant to house returning GIs and their young families. The bungalows were built quickly and economically, didn't have much in the way of detailing or design extras. Square footage was fairly standard, and quite minimal by today's standards, and so became part of a phenomenon of owner-expansion, which you see in your own house. As their families grew, owners expanded their houses as allowed by their individual lots, so that a subdivision that started out with almost individual houses became one with neat variants on additions.

The term "Post War Tract Bungalow" is universally understood across North America (in Canada too).

(I used to write architectural tour guides)

Wasn't it just designed to fit the slope in the land?

forget about the bricks. what happened to the big tree? and the shrubs?

"early ranch" or "early ranch bungalow" makes it clear that this is not the standard contemporary monster with big-box hardware store insides, yet informs that this is not late deco or spanish colonial revival.

I'm imagining that the doors are light colored wood, solid? Brick fireplace and hearth? Wood floors? Aged brass doorknobs.

Your house looks like a treasure!

We always called these "military houses" built strictly for military families. They're all over West Point New York and around several military academies. We always thought of these houses as temporary as any family could be asked to relocate- hence the minimal and practical design. But still, I think it's traditionally a ranch house.

Thanks to Michelle of Montreal I now have a great term for my house: a "post-war shoe box." Nothing could be more appropriate; though I hope to one day make it a "jewel box."

Thanks for also explaining that I can refer to it as a bungalow (which I thought was reserved for the more arts/crafts style houses). "Ranch" and "rambler" just do not describe a 900 sq ft house!

WOOOOOW! From cheap cookie cutter pre-fab suburban to modern/traditional cool and clean!!! And clearing out the cheap landscaping lends to the beautiful aesthetic!!

In my opinion it looked much better before. It's a shame the bricks were painted over, but the worst is the gray paint. That makes it look shabby to me.
Anyway the first pic also looks much better because it was taken on a nicer day and there are a lot of plants and a tree there. So it might be good when a tree and plants are back. But I would change the gray color ASAP.

Hi everyone, this is Shannon (the homeowner).
I see that brick (to paint or not to paint) stirs the same passions as wood.

I decided to paint the brick for a number of reasons.
1. The "before" doesn't really show just how STRONG the brick was. I call it calico because it was a mix of very strong red, orange and black bricks. In my opinion it wasn't very attractive.
2. I had to have a door and a window filled on the back of the house and I couldn't find a brick close enough to make an harmonious patch. There was also some re-pointing done to the mortar in places, so there was a real jumble of finishes that I decided to neutralize with paint.
3. I love painted brick houses. Its becoming increasingly popular in my part of the country. Its a great way to update a house without losing the architectural integrity of the structure or sacrificing the vintage quality of the neighborhood. Since I painted my house three or four of my neighbors have said that they plan to do the same in the spring. I chose a color that looks like clay slip (I used to do a lot of pottery). Now when I drive up in my driveway, I still feel like I am coming home to a vintage house, just one that has had a little life breathed back into her.

As for the tree and bushes. The tree was half dead and a real threat. Its roots had also caused some damage that required I pull up all of the shrubs along the front of the house. I plan to do some serious landscaping this spring.

Great job defending yourself--not that you needed to, it really looks fantastic!
Sometimes shrubs cannot be saved (or should never have been planted in the first place.) When you start landscaping, I would love it if you would post again. I would find it really helpful to see how someone starts from scratch and the final result.

mschatelaine:

You are exactly right. My neighbors next door built their house (a variation of my house) at the same time mine was built, as well as the rest of the neighborhood. Eventually they enclosed what was a porch over the garage to claim a little more room, and finally they nearly doubled the size of the house with an addition on the back.

The previous owners of my house and my neighbors lived side by side as best friends for 50 years. Their kids grew up together. They had bar-b-que's and birthday parties. It really was a different time. So I was really nervous to make changes that might disturb or offend them.

The highest compliment I have received so far is the one my neighbor Mrs. Neil gave me when she told me how much she loved what all I had done to the house, especially the color.

I too love the colour; it gives it a clean, very modern, very Belgian look (and I LOVE Belgian design) with really quite minimal changes. I much prefer the painted brick to raw brick; it is very popular in Holland and Belgium, and on historic houses. Brick is baked mud, and much of it isn't particularly attractive as-is. This is a HUGE improvement! (and I say this as a -- gasp! -- heritage planner)

The tree was planted ridiculously close to the house, and is a hazard. People are not always aware of the mature size of trees when they plant them! Not only do the roots pose a hazard to the water and sewer lines (we've had that happen to us!), but in a high wind, an old tree can destroy a house...

I am sure you will do some lovely landscaping!

This is neither a split-level (the front door leads directly into the main living area) or a bungalow (no low-slung wide porch, roof is gabled the wrong way). Definitely a rambler/ranch (it doesn't have to be super wide to be a ranch house, it just means that the living area is primarily on one level and the rooms are arranged more or less in a line).

Shame on you for chopping down that oak tree! And then you painted the brick???

RAMBLER in Mn for sure. My house has the same config, but a hip roof more in Mid-Western style

As I specified earlier, this is a bungalow according to the definition of common usage, ie., "a small one story house or cottage".

Here is a more specific definition: "A one-story house, cottage or cabin. Bungalows are generally small in terms of square footage, but it is not uncommon to see very large bungalows. Bungalows were originally designed to provide affordable, modern housing for the working class."

Given the common (and often mushy) use of the term "bungalow", it has lost the direct connection with the original Hindi term which meant "house in the Bengali style". "Craftsman style" can be used interchangeably with "bungalow style", to refer to houses with the characteristic porches, deep eaves, exposed rafters, etc.

Hope that clears up some of the confusion around the term "bungalow".

after looks great!

Actually I believe craftsman style is a subset of bungalow.

Brick bungalow with a tuck-under garage.

For those of you who are mourning the removal of the tree:
Trees have a life-span and at some point may have to be removed. Plus, the owner says she plans on new landscaping, which will probably include a tree.

I'd like to see photos when the new landscaping goes in. The sloping yard lends itself well to a natural theme.

I like to call older neighborood houses "vernacular" homes. Covers all the bases without having to narrow anything down.

I think a wide, narrow deck from foundation vent to foundation vent would pop out the front a bit more and put less emphasis on the garage. And it would lessen the funnel effect I see heading for the front door. It could detune the gas meter too, if you decide against foundation plantings. But the plantings had a similar effect before, so that could work again.

And I like wrought iron, but I think wood for the deck and front door would work a bit better.

But you didn't ask about all that stuff, and it's hard to really tell how good the house looks in a couple of pictures, so forget I said anything. And I understand completely about the tree, and I like the painted brick. :-)

I didn't think I'd like painted brick, but this is a beautiful makeover. It looks more earthy and Mediterranean now.

I've always called them post-war ramblers. In my region (midwest US), I see these houses in older neighborhoods in first-ring suburbs. Yours is probably in a neighborhood with many others that look a lot like it. I think you did a great job of adding distinction to your home, while preserving its historical integrity.

Great thread! I loved hearing everybody's different ways of describing the home.

I would like to compliment the homeowner on a tasteful exterior renovation of what would otherwise be a very nondescript house. There was nothing special about that brick and I know exactly what she means by the "calico" effect being unattractive up close.

People also need to stop freaking out about the tree. Trees have a life span, like everything else. You can see that there are big trees all around the house and imagine how they will look in the spring. New shrubs along the front of the house and maybe a seedling near where the old tree was will make a big difference in time.

What I liked best about this post is that the homeowner has brought a contemporary sensibility and good taste to a house that has little architectural interest. If she makes a few more people think twice about having to move to outer-ring neighborhoods to get a house that suits them, all the better. In most cities there are many, many houses like this that would make great first homes for people and involve less degradation of farmland and shorter commuting times to the downtown area. I live in a neighborhood like this and I would love to see more people like Shannon turning simple houses into inviting homes for a new generation.

Box with dead lawn.

I would call that an exposed lower level cape cod.

i really like the color, but what the hell...? where's the tree???