49 Valle Vista Dr | 3 Bedroom | 3 Bath | 1676 SQFT | $510,000

Hello Real Estate Brokers! We welcome you to stop by and tour this great remodeled home today in North Asheville from Noon to 2pm. Light and refreshing lunch provided. Completely updated two level ranch home privately located on a wooded lot in desirable Lookout Valley of North Asheville. The home's living space is open and vaulted with a new kitchen.

What's new you ask? Roof, gutters, windows, garage doors, floors, bathrooms, kitchen, heating/cooling and freshly painted of course! Functionally, the home has 3 bedrooms and 3 baths with living spaced on both levels. Cheers!

— Kelly and Troy

Take a deeper look at the transformation of 49 Valle Vista in North Asheville—a 1978 split-entry ranch on a private wooded lot. Our owner, puts her heart in everything.

As she says,"I love transformation and wanted to find a home that I could bring life back to it, with quality work, green/environmentally friendly products wherever possible and a desire to create an oasis. I viewed this project as a work of art, carefully choosing each component with purpose, flair and beauty. This is basically a new house. Even if this home isn't the right one for you, I hope you will join with the love and energy put into this space!"

The kitchen and living area, formally divided, has now be united and topped with a vaulted ceiling for a light and open space. Careful in creating a warm contemporary space the finishes provide brightness, contrast and warmth.Along with everything else the three bathrooms were all gutted and updated to reflect the rest of the interior.Overall, the home has new HVAC, roof, gutters, most plumbing, electrical, drywall and insulation, front and back deck, garage doors and radon system.

As always, give us a call if you want more information on this home. Cheers!

1676 SQFT | 3 Bedrooms | 3 Baths | .65 Acre | Everything New

Check out this updated two level ranch home privately located on a wooded lot in desirable Lookout Valley of North Asheville. The home's living space is open and vaulted with an island kitchen. What's new? Roof, gutters, windows, garage doors, floors, bathrooms, kitchen, heating/cooling and freshly painted of course! Functionally, the home has 3 bedrooms and 3 baths with living spaced on both levels. From the convenient location you can walk North to Beaver Lake's nature trails or South to Chestnut Ridge Trail to UNCA. What more do you need tucked away in North Asheville?

Give us a call for more information or a private tour. In the meantime enjoy the photo tour here. Cheers!

— Troy and Kelly

3 Bedrooms | 1 Bath | 1,438 SQFT | Porch with Views

Check out this cool, convenient and charming bungalow with mountain views walkable to many North Asheville amenities or UNCA. This sweet home flows from the kitchen, dining to interior living room before opening to the outside taking full advantage of our mountain seasons and indoor/outdoor lifestyle. Watch the sunrise over Sunset mountain from your wrap-around front porch or end the day entertaining around your conversation fire pit. Cool updated kitchen and bathroom highlight this home. Also, a newer roof and tankless water heater make this home ready to go. Various off street parking options off either Larchmont near carriage style storage or shared drive to 1 car tandem garage.

Want to see more? Kindly visit here. Or call for a personal tour. Cheers!

Given the current downsizing and one level living trends the Ranch House finds itself looking a bit more appealing these days. Originally, created for its efficient scale, floorplans and ease of living it may have a brighter future stoked by this gloomy time. In the past decades we have seen homes grow in size to where a master bedroom has become the size of what once would be sufficient for a living room. Do we ever ask ourselves why we need all this size?  Is bigger always better?You will find that we are fans of the Ranch Home.  I am not sure if it is due to the fact that we grew up in Ranch Homes in the 60's and 70's or that today I have learned to downsize and have a simple home that allows more freedom for the rest of my life. Either way we urge you to take another look at that understated  house you drive by everyday and consider what it might do for you.

Renovating A Ranch Style House

Thinking about how to renovate ranch style houses leads to all kinds of possibilities if you have the foresight to see the potential. Ranch style houses are not always seen as a historic style home worthy of restoration, yet they are integral to mid-century American style. Often these homes are remodeled; stories added, and the unique look of the structure is muddled beyond recognition. While they did have some negative design characteristics, overall the homes illustrated the love of sleek modernism that was the byword of the 1950s and 1960s. The best renovations will honor the style of the original home.

History of the Ranch Style

Ranch style architecture was not born in the tract homes of the late 1950s. It began far earlier than that, in San Diego, California. The first ranch style home was built in 1932 by a California architect named Cliff May. Born in 1909, May was fascinated by the homes that were built by the early Mexican settlers in California. These homes were horizontal in nature and seemed to pull the landscape into the home to create and integrated living area.

Characteristics of a Ranch Style Home

The homes were meant to be sleek, easy to clean, and leave time for the owners to pursue their interests. Materials were natural. Stone and brick were often brought into the home as design elements. Home interiors were open and included glass doors to patios which allowed the patio to be used as another room.

Other design elements are:

• Horizontal lines

• Living areas at the front of the house

• Smooth surfaces

• Paneling

• Picture windows

• Kitchen peninsulas

• Flat or low pitched roofs

• Smooth, hollow core doors

• Narrow layout

• Simple floor plans

• Attached garage

Good Bones

Before you begin to renovate, ranch style houses should be inspected carefully by a professional housing inspector.  It is very important that the foundation and the structure of the home be solid.  Other areas that should be brought up to date are:

• Plumbing

• Wiring

• Insulation

• Heating/Cooling System

• Drainage

• Roof

If all of these are in good condition, then you can move on to the renovation of your home.  Before you do, you might want to consider the neighborhood.  Is it one you want to live in or continue to live in?  This is something to decide before you invest a lot of money to renovate a ranch style house.

Steps to Renovate Ranch Style Houses

• Make a list of the characteristics of your home that you love. These are things you will want to keep.

• Make a list of your current needs. More space? Bigger Kitchen?

• Figure out how much you can afford to spend on a renovation.

• Decide how much you can realistically do yourself.

• If you will be making major changes in structure then talk to an architect about your plans.

• Find a general contractor to handle the things you will not be doing yourself.

• Check with your city about permits and licenses.

Tips for Ranch Style Renovation

1. Try to use building materials similar in looks to those used to construct the existing home when any additions that are made. This helps create continuity. For example, Victorian style trim would look silly on a sleek ranch style home, while chunky Craftsman details would weigh it down.

2. Think carefully before you decide to add a second story. You will lose the look of the ranch and you will also lose some of the convenience of one floor living.

3. Using natural finish wood on the floors is a wise investment and seems to be attractive to buyers. Wood floors go well with this style of home.

4. Don't underestimate the ability of landscaping to improve the curb appeal of your home. This is especially tru of Ranch style homes.

5. Changes should fit into the style of the home. Many architects believe that changing the exterior look of the home should be avoided if at all possible.

6. If the home has a basement this can be the perfect place to pick up extra space. Finishing it off and turning it into an office, den, or bedroom will get the addition you need with out the expense of changing the exterior.

7. A garage is often another area that can be finished and turned into a room.

8. Renovating kitchens and bathrooms is always a good investment, and while you're at it, replace appliances with Energy Star rated appliances to save money.

Take a look at some of our other blog post on remodeling ranch homes in our area.Much of this article provided by "About.com's Home Improvement.”

For all the years we've been in the business and watching cool properties we get to see a lot of diamonds in the rough. This one especially tugged at our hearts when we saw the 1965 vintage, mid-century home in North Asheville in its original and untouched condition.

The home sits in the Kimberley Woods neighborhood—one of the many well located, mid-century and ranch home neighborhoods we have here in Asheville.

Driving through last week we recently saw the updates and had to share. What do YOU think?

Do you own a 70's or 80's kit cabin retreat that needs refreshing? Or perhaps a new west Asheville townhouse style home you need to select finishes for? Check out this Houzz article out of the Northwest for inspiration. Northwest design is often an inspiration for us here in Asheville as our earthy cultures mirror our desire to connect indoors and outdoors while repurposing materials. Enjoy!

A big thank you to our co-host, Jeff Crawford, for opening his cool home in Mountainbrook last night to so many of our shared friends and the modern community. The Roost remodeled pad looked amazing and everyone enjoyed meeting designer and builder David Way. It was definitely one not to be missed! For those of you who didn't make it or want to see it again enjoy the tour, here, of this modernized, mid-century home. Thanks again and cheers!

— Kelly and Troy

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Elevation Before and After New

Evelyng Before and After Plan

Details comp

Brickstack + Bellwhether = Asheville-styled Modern Ranch Recently, I was able to connect with Scott Huebner of Brickstack A + D . Scott was brought in by Bellwether Builders to pull together the design vision for this ranch home expansion in the Grove Park Inn neighborhood of North Asheville. During the time of construction it was right around the corner from me so I was able to watch the progression and get occasional tours from Brad Rice of Bellwhether builders. The progressive owner's looked to Scott to guide the home back to its more modern roots. Through discovery it was found the house had been remodeled at least twice, disguising some of the more modern and horizontal lines remaining only in the fireplace and large picture windows on back of the house. In the process the home gained 2500 sqft of indoor and outdoor living space + garage to accommodate the client's growing family. The other criteria was that it be "fun" for their children. Overall, Scott thought the collaborative process between client and designer was synchronistic allowing for a cohesive team vision and construction.From my perspective the design is a thoughtful balance between the original mid-century atomic ranch and today's northwest modernism making use of earthy lines and materials. It seems to me a very Asheville appropriate ranch aesthetic and, overall, a successful investment given the neighborhood and view location. Great job to all involved.Yes - I'll say it again. We have well established, ranch neighborhoods here in  great locations. They are worthy of exploration for creating a modern lifestyle in Asheville. Take along a designer and work it out like Scott did.

First Beaverbrook

Front

11 Beaverbrook Comp

Sale Price: $617,500Size: 3115 SQFTFeatures: 4 Beds + 3.5 Baths + View Beaverbrook is a wonderful and wandering, hillside street on top of Lakeview Park. Developed in the 50's and 60's, there are significant ranch homes, a few seriously atomic, that offer simple living in a great location provided you have the right vision. Mike Barton saw that in expertly recreating this home for himself. From a 50's ranch he carved out a clean and light filled home with great volume and comfortable flow. From my experience, it is a house that steps back, opens up and let's you live your life the way you want to. It is not just sophisticated in its styling, but in the mindful editing to do more with less. Just the way I like it.A few details I liked most: The cool front door. The sleek kitchen cabinetry with quartz countertops. Large floor to ceiling pocket doors to every room. Room expanding private patios off bedrooms for California style living.  A well lit master closet where you can both view everything at your fingertips and can host a dance party.Listing agent, Clary McCall, describes it - "Totally remodeled contemporary home in desirable Lakeview Park. This 4/3.5 has a huge master bedroom suite and closet. Tons of updates to include all new Bosch chef's kitchen with quartz countertops, luxury baths, designer paints, hardwoods, porcelain tiles, etc. Other updates include total electrical, plumbing, roof, gutters, HVAC and more. Gas fireplace in living room. Great downstairs inlaw suite or office. Nice downtown views." For a more complete visual tour click here. I couldn't end without reminding you that simple and modern style living in Asheville can be accomplished by starting with one of our many ranch homes. There is an abundance in wonderful neighborhoods such as Lakeview Park waiting to fulfill their more modernist destiny with thoughtful design guidance. Take a drive and see for yourself or allow me to arrange a tour.