I actually love my center hall colonial. It's not my absolute dream home, but I still love it I also loved the ranch house that we owned in the midwest, but I do love having bedrooms on an upper floor.

Anonymous wrote:The idea of a rancher is a lot of land and large sprawling one story. Ramblers are the so called shit shacks, basically barely a step up from a trailer

OMFG! Like a double wide???!!!

No thanks.

We own a two-story 1935 arts and crafts home. When we added our addition, we put a main floor master on the back and now feel like we have the best of both worlds--a two story home with curb appeal that lives like a rambler.

Love my rambler, you will appreciate it if you are ever on crutches, have knee problems, don't want to carry small children up and down the steps for nap or bedtime.
I came to the conclusion years ago looking for the house I am now in that after looking at lots of houses, I was only going to love a rambler. So I narrowed my search to ramblers, split foyer and raised ramblers.

I thought a rambler was sort of a cross between a ranch and a split level. It looks like a one-level ranch on the outside, but has a split-level floor plan inside. Often or always built on a terrace to get that extra level downstairs. But I am no expert.

2 level rambled is one with a basement

I have a rambler (main living on one level, but full basement also) and I love it. One reason why - I recently injured my leg and have needed to rest it for 2 weeks. During those 2 weeks I was still able to live relatively normally, as the bedroom, kitchen, home office, etc, are all on the same level. We even have laundry on the main level. If I'd had to navigate stairs, it would not have been doable.

Also, when older parents come to visit, they don't need to navigate stairs either. One step up into the house can easily become a ramp if and when necessary.

They call small single level homes ramblers in Minnesota, too. Ranches there are about twice the size of what they would call a rambler.

What's a two story rambler? Aren't ramblers single-story by definition? Or are you talking about a split-level?

Agree. I used to live in a colonial before buying a split-level.
Colonials look nicer on the outside, but the layout of our split level is so much better and convenient. We love it.

Colonials are the most sought after and are the first purchased, but people like living in them the least.

Anonymous wrote:The idea of a rancher is a lot of land and large sprawling one story. Ramblers are the so called shit shacks, basically barely a step up from a trailer

Only here.

In every other part of the country they are all referred to as ranch.

Rambler is not at apl a comkon word for a ranch. It is strictly a regional word.

Anonymous wrote:Go for the rambler. Any person I know who has a colonial is not satisfied - they take down walls, add a porch, bump-out the kitchen. They keep doing something.

I think people expect to love living in a colonial, but don't.

Depends on the colonial.

The center hall colonials in our neighborhood are most in demand and are the floorplan requiri g the least changes to the original layout.

Anonymous wrote:Go for the rambler. Any person I know who has a colonial is not satisfied - they take down walls, add a porch, bump-out the kitchen. They keep doing something.

I think people expect to love living in a colonial, but don't.

On the other hand most people try to teardown the ramblers.

Go for the rambler. Any person I know who has a colonial is not satisfied - they take down walls, add a porch, bump-out the kitchen. They keep doing something.

I think people expect to love living in a colonial, but don't.