Roofing Shingle Home Styles: The Ranch - History, Design and Considerations for Choosing Materials

By Malarkey Roofing Products.

The architecture of a home shapes its appearance from the inside out and can greatly influence the selection of roofing materials.

Structurally, it frames the profile of the walls and roof. Then cladding and roofing shingles fill out the home’s exterior.

Architecture also greatly influences the selection of roofing materials for a home. For instance, homes with low-slope car ports or porches may benefit from roll roofing materials. Among the many styles of homes however, a few stand as exceptional candidates for polymer modified asphalt roofing shingle designs and colors. This series of blog posts begins by exploring the Malarkey roofing options for a ranch style home design.

Ranch history

The ranch style is a uniquely American home design, introduced in the early 20th century. With Spanish colonial architecture serving as a foundation, variations of early and modern home designs are prevalent in the Southwestern United States and California. However, by mid-century, expansive suburban development quickly built a plethora of ranch homes across the nation.

Exterior ranch design

The long, single-story ranch design yields a more relaxed lifestyle centered around entertaining and enjoying the home. By adopting asymmetrical floor plans, the ranch home often fills the space between a ‘U’ or ‘L’ shaped footprint with patios, gardens, or pools. The ranch design seeks to make the connection between the exterior and interior seamless. Floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors enhance this effect, allowing natural light to enter the home.

The roofs stand with a slight pitch, some not much higher than ceiling height. More modern interpretations however, can reach greater heights to elevate vaulted great rooms or walls of windows in the rear of the home. Roofing shingles can create interest in the presentation of a basic ranch design.

Selecting roofing shingles for ranch homes

Where architectural features may lack in the design of a ranch home, shingles add dimension, texture, and even vibrancy. Laminate roofing shingles like the Vista™ have a slight profile that produce a visual variation in the details of the roof design. Specialized color blends add additional texture to the field of shingles as well. In areas where sunlight is prevalent, such as California, the colors of our Ecoasis™ solar reflective shingles can bring contrast to a home’s exterior design with brighter tones to keep the roof cool.

The Malarkey Roofing Roof Designer is a tool that helps contractors and homeowners choose the best roofing product that fits their project. Just like imagining your house with a new coat of paint, the Roof Designer allows you to select and view every Malarkey residential roofing product and color, then digitally display the new look. You can easily get started in one of the two ways described below:

1. Select a house from the existing gallery, then click on the portion of the roof you would like to design first. The roofing style and color can complement or contrast with the home’s exterior. Check out a few of our roof design blog posts to help you choose the best roofing product for your project.
2. Upload an image of your own house to design. Click “Upload Your House”, then follow the prompts to create an account. Once uploaded, crop the image to your needs. It may need to be zoomed-in or larger to properly identify the roof. Then, select a roofing surface type, and draw an outline of each area of the roof. Next, click “apply changes” and “decorate now” to see the roofing shingles designs on the roof.

The comfort of installing a new roof should be enjoyed for years to come. Choosing the right roofing style should be a decision that accounts for many components like climate, style, and performance, but it should also be an enjoyable experience. For instance, our Pinterest page is an easy location to explore even more options for the new appearance of your home. Mobile users with iPad or Android devices can also download the Roof designer app as well. The Malarkey Roof Designer takes dreaming out of your decision and helps it become a reality. 

Learn more about Malarkey Roofing Products. 

Source: GAF