Pictures might help! This is the front of the house. The current carport/future 1 1/2 story garage addition is to the rear of the left side of the house. It's somewhat of a U-shape in the back.

I wouldn't add dormers, but I would add skylights.

I think it would really look nice with dormers if you raised at least the center portion of the roof. It would make the house look more substantial too. I googled 'ranch house with dormers' and you can get some ideas here. There was one picture in the beginning where they just added dormers, and not enough of them really for the length of the house, which didn't do much for me.

https://www.google.com/search?q=ranch+house+with+dormers&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjZ5Nek2KDLAhVFrRoKHeLtDIoQsAQIHA&biw=1396&bih=672

I wouldn't fiddle with the roof line. It's currently proportional to the house size and the gables too. If you make it steeper, then the front gables will look off and so will the house and, well, it's just a can of worms that you don't want to open. Besides, it's super expensive to do. You're better off putting your money elsewhere.

Oh, congratulations! It sounds like a heavenly property. I agree with Tibb, no dormers. In fact, I wouldn't change the roof at all. Skylights in the back would be great, but I am not a fan of the way they look from outside on the front. Inside, love the light though, so may be a trade-off.

i would put my money into a new roof, paint job, and redoing the landscaping. That will make a world of difference, although, I have to say that it is pretty house as is (disclaimer: I have a ranch and love the style). If it is feasible, I would also have increase the windows on the two ends-if you could make them double windows, it would look terrific.

tibbrix - skylights are a good alternative to bring more light into the house, although I do prefer the look of dormers. I'm also wondering how the current roof would look with a taller garage off to the side. I wouldn't want it to look "tacked" on and like an obvious addition.

awm - I wouldn't want to make any changes that look off. Do you have any idea what kind of expense it might be to change the roofline so it looks proportional?

chickadee - thanks for the link. I found a couple that look like dormers were added to a lower roof line.

Thanks, cyn! New paint, new roof, and larger windows are definitely on the to do list.

I agree about the look of skylights on the front of the house, although I would love to bring more light into the interior.

It is a heavenly property. I've posted the view from our front porch before. The beautiful view of the pond and pastures is definitely a big reason we bought the property. I can't wait to enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I know nothing about construction or structural concerns. I think your house would look good with a higher pitch on both main roofline and gable ends. It would be quite the project but I know people can do it (otherwise second story additions could never happen). I think you'd be installing new trusses which is definitely a structural concern. You might be able to install attic trusses to get that 1.5 story functionality if the foundation/slab and walls would support. This function would justify dormers in the front.

I would increase the pitch before adding dormers either way. Your example photos still have roofs that I think are quite a bit higher pitched than yours.

The roof at my 1.5 story cottage is a very high pitch (12/12 I think) and it turns out to be a lot of roof. But here is an example of how that translates on gable ends and with a porch. The breezeway to the left of the garage is sort of an example of a higher pitch roof with a porch right next to a gable.

robo - your cottage is lovely. I wish my house had a roof with such a high pitch! I know we'll have to meet with an engineer and/or architect to check for any structural issues, and contractors to figure out costs, before we decide what to do. In the meantime, I'm daydreaming about higher pitched roofs and dormers :)

If it is doable and affordable then maybe we should also think about adding attic space that could be finished later as a loft or guestroom. If we add over the garage I don't think we'll need the extra space but you never know what the future holds. It might be better for resale too, although I'm hoping this is our retire/expire home (saw that in another post and stole it!).

I live in a one-story ranch house so of course I'm prejudiced, and in our case we have French doors in three rooms and large windows and plenty of light everywhere else, and people seem to love the feel of this house. All the rooms are generous in size, too, which does away with any feeling of confinement. I've lived in a custom-built home that had ceilings of 10 to 12 feet, and frankly I find my present home cozier. On the other hand, higher ceilings are more elegant and give a more spacious feel. A lot depends on your budget since the changes you are envisioning are going to be very pricey.

What about a low shed dormer, or eyebrow dormers? They might suit the scale of the house well. These are kind of half-circles, but they could be longer, more ovoid.

I think the house would look wonderful with a pitched roof and dormers, though have no idea of cost. If you are redoing the inside, as well, seems like it would almost be like tearing down the house and building from scratch!

Here is a photo of my previous home that might give you an idea of what can be done to yours. The lines are similar to yours. We did not finish off the middle dormer area (although the area over the garage - left side - is finished) because we had a full daylight basement.

Ingrid - my current home is a 1-story (sort of modified) ranch too, so that's why I know I love 1-story living :) Our house has a higher pitch roof though, with lots of attic space, and although we have cozy 8 ft ceilings in most rooms, we do have higher ceilings in the foyer and great room, which adds interest. I think 9 ft ceilings would be perfect. I'm not sure if our TN house ceilings are quite 8 feet - will have to check when we're there next.

bpathome - I'm not sure about the eyebrow dormers but I do really like shed dormers. I thought of using one over the garage if we add living space above but maybe a shed dormer would work for the front of the house.

nhb - your home is lovely. So do you just have attic space in the dormer area? Remodeling this house will be almost like starting from scratch, except we can finish updating the living spaces over time. That's what we did with our current 1960's home - hired contractors to work on the exterior structure first and then slowly finished the interior spaces over the last 15 years (hopefully this house won't take quite as long now that DH is retired!).

Since we're mostly DIY'ers and take our time, we save more money on labor than we would if we hired a contractor to build a new house all at once. We first bought vacant land and thought about doing that, but decided this property with the outbuildings we wanted already in place would be a better option. We can also live in the guest house while we're doing some of the remodeling. If it's too expensive to change the roof line or add dormers we won't need to do that, but since the house needs a new garage and roof anyway I'm hoping it's something we can do it at the same time.

Not so bad looking after all! I'm guessing this mock up is with a roof that's 3 feet to 3 1/2 feet higher, as it's half the height of your front door. Whether that's feasible in real life, I don't know -- it all depends on the necessary engineering & geometry.

I wonder how the hip roof ends of the main roof would be handled -- I merely painted them out here, but they may have to be dealt with differently IRL. How much will it cost to extend the chimney upward? Just reading on the internet last night, I gathered the job was $30K to $50K (roofing & insulation materials included) depending on where you live. I would think because you have to integrate the gable roofs into the main roof that that will raise the costs. If you live in earthquake or hurricane country, the roof has to be engineered for seismic safety or high wind load (or perhaps both if you live in Oklahoma!). An engineer has to be consulted to see if the walls & foundation can handle the extra load. The other big issue is whether your roof & attic are stick built or have premade trusses. Trusses complicate the situation. The consensus was that this is definitely an architect/engineer's job because of all the structural complications -- do not rely on a contractor's opinion.

Just saw your name here is tnfarmhousefixin -- does tn stand for Tennessee? If so, no hurricane issues :) Maybe some seismic, depending on how far you are from the New Madrid fault?

Where in TN is your farm? We are in East TN.

The center dormer areas are all attic. Some of that area houses higher ceilings in the living room and family room/sunroom/dining.

The dormer ed area over the garage was my teenage sons bedroom and bath. (You don't want to see photos of that! LOL)

You need to think about how you'd like the siding changes made at the gable ends too. Maybe just simple horizontal clapboard to fill the gable & to keep the windows from looking too low vis a vis the new roof line:

Thanks so much for the mock-ups, awm03! I like the raised gables and roof line with the dormers in the center. I'm not sure how we would tie in the gables or if the roof is stick built or has trusses. I'll have to look through all of our inspection paperwork to see if that's mentioned or ask DH if he checked when we were there last. We would definitely consult with an engineer and have an architect draw up the plans. We would probably enlarge the front windows when they're replaced. I would want to continue the brick if we increase the height of the gable walls.

nhb - thanks so much for posting pictures of your beautiful home! That's exactly what I would like to accomplish if we add on a garage and change the roof line - extra living space over the garage and higher ceilings in the main part of the house. I like how some of your rooms are vaulted but the ceilings aren't too high. You have more space and openness but still maintain the cozy feel of lower ceilings. I can't wait to visit east TN - it looks so pretty in pictures.

Our property is in middle Tennessee, just south of Nashville, so I believe we need to be concerned about tornadoes but not earthquakes. Quite different from where we live now in Southern California :)

Haha, I'm just getting used to the "like" button and accidentally liked a few of my own posts when I thought I was going through and thanking others. Now I can't figure out how to "unlike" a post.

I'll blame it on being too early in the morning and not having my coffee yet rather than my technical ignorance :)

I've often thought that 9 feet would be just perfect for a house, not a problem with heating and cooling cost differences, but much nicer looking than an 8-foot ceiling.

nhb22, your house is really beautiful, inside and out.

TN, I love your new home. I do know that some people around here in north AL have 'raised the roof' so to speak in my DD's neighborhood. In other words, they have changed the pitch and raised the ceiling height in a ranch-style home to 9 feet. Most of the homes in her neighborhood are 60's builds and have undergone renovation or in some cases were tear-downs. You'd have a lot more expense I'm sure and would have to get a good builder to assess the possibility but then you could add a couple of dormers and be able to add some good stand-up attic space at the same time.

Remember that when you add a dormer, about 75% of the face of it should be the actual window. The original purpose of a dormer is to let in light. Don't overbuild the dormer, build around a particular window size that is ideal, then adjust framing/siding/roof dimensions accordingly.

Congratulations on finding your dream property! "They don't make land anymore!"

Considering your statement: "Although I prefer 1-story living for our family, I'd like to have the extra space for visitors and also love the look of 1 1/2 story homes."

You mentioned that you have an adorable guest cottage. Is that sufficient for your guests? If so, you could save a lot and put that money into your 1-story space.

Having just gone through a one year renovation, and I had to pay for the work since I don't have your skills or experience, my recommendation is to prioritize your 1-story living space floor plan, windows, doors, etc. before attempting the roof change or dormers.

Since I added rooms, I had to make the additions tie-in with the existing structure (and historical aspect of my 1939 house and neighborhood). It sounds like you don't have to worry about your neighborhood since you're on your own large piece of land?

Rooflines get tricky and mine wasn't as complicated as your vision will be. I worked with an engineer on my plans, but I designed the additions. What I discovered is that adding weight to a roof means the foundation, as well as the existing load-bearing walls, have to support that extra weight.

To add dormers will add weight. To add more pitch will add more weight.

That's why you need to first figure out your 1-story floorplan so you'll know which walls you want to remove (if any) to make it flow to suit your needs and wishes.

Cathedral ceilings inside the 1-story with added skylights or SolaTubes (I have two and love them) will give you an added since of interior height, if that's an issue.

BTW -- I LOVE the renovation of the ranch renovation that bpathome posted. I had bookmarked it over a year ago when I was searching for houses and expected to buy a ranch (but, bought a colonial).

Your project is so interesting and will be exciting to watch in the forums!

Thanks for all of the great information, dyhgarden! Yes, we're on acreage and aren't constrained by our neighborhood. Actually, the improvements we're thinking about would make the house fit in more with the beautiful new (expensive) 2- story homes recently built on the surrounding properties.

I completely agree that we need to figure out the planned changes to the first floor before we change the roof or add the garage, and the first level would be part of the initial plans we'll have done either way. I wouldn't want to actually start the upgrades to the main house though until we're sure of what we're doing to the structure, since any raised ceilings, replaced windows, etc., could cause damage to any interior improvements.

My thoughts are we would meet with an engineer and contractor first to find out if changes to the roof can be done and the approximate costs, then have plans drawn for all proposed changes to both levels, and then contract out the construction of the garage addition and possibly changes to the roofline/first level ceilings, along with any framing changes needed for the first level of the main house.

We would leave the space over the garage and attic and main part of the house unfinished for future improvements while we focus on first finishing our main living areas. That would be our main priority.

Thanks, outsideplaying! Increasing the ceiling height to 9' and adding stand up attic space with a higher, attractive roofline is exactly what I was hoping to accomplish.

dyhgarden - re the guest cottage, it's a nice sized 1 bedroom 1 bath. It will be nice for maybe 2-4 guests, but I have several siblings with many neices and nephews in North Georgia and California, plus 3 adult children, 1 grandchild on the way and hopefully more coming in the near future. I can see us gathering for big family get togethers and would love to also have an upstairs extra guest room and maybe a bunk room for all the little ones. An area that can be closed off when not in use would be perfect to save on heating and cooling.

gwcupofkindness (love that name) - thanks for the great advice!

Ingrid - I agree, 9 ft ceilings seem perfect.

So excited for you with this new property! It sounds beautiful!

It is pretty common in my area (PA) to rip the roof off a ranch and raise it to whatever you want. Lots of people choose to add full second stories. Depends on your first floor walls and foundation. Your architect would be able to incorporate your wishes for higher ceilings etc. This is usually not a live in it while you do it reno and not inexpensive but if you are changing roof pitch, doing dormers, and redoing siding anyway you might want to look into just going full second story. We actually contemplated doing this in a previous ranch house but turned it into a rental and moved.

BTW you might want to look into The New Madrid Fault. Just a bit of earthquake info for your new area. You won't feel like you have left California's EQ behind...;)

Tnfarmhousefixin your property sounds dreamy! We are in middle TN just south of Nashville as well and adore the area :) Can't wait to see what you do with your home!

Thanks, missymoo and angela - I can't wait to be there permanently. We really fell in love with the area and the property. Here are some views from our front porch that we can't wait to see every day!

Such beautiful vistas. Nhb, were you formerly nhbaskets and did you recently move to east TN? Sorry to hijack. I'm still sorting out some of the old/new names.

nhb - your property looks like a picture perfect postcard! I can't believe how brilliantly green the pastures are. That was what struck me when we first visited Franklin during the summer - how very blue the sky was and how green the trees and pastures were. We live in a pretty tree filled neighborhood but just don't see that kind of color in our drought area.

East TN was also on our list to tour for retirement property but we visited Franklin first and fell in love with the area. I'm also hoping that being so close to Nashville will be a draw for the adult kids and friends to visit often :)

Tnfarmhousefixin, we are nearly neighbors :) We built our house in College Grove- just next door to Franklin.

angela - it's a small world :) I'm not as familiar with College Grove yet but I've seen some beautiful homes listed there when I check the online realtor sites (I still check even though we bought our property last year - I'm addicted!). It looks really close to our place on Google maps. Did you move there from out of state also?

nhb - I forgot to ask, you have cows? How is that? Do you keep them for milking? We have horses on the property now and plan on getting our own when we move there. DD loves to ride. I might try a few chickens, goats and/or sheep too. I'm hoping it will bring me back to my idyllic childhood spent on 11 acres with chickens, horses, pigs and cows before I moved to the city. I would love for DD to have the same experience.

We already have DH's requisite bloodhound for the front porch :)

Hahaha, NO, we do not have cows. Our property falls on the county line and there are cows in the pastures...horses, too. No bloodhounds.

Thank you for the compliments on the views. We do love it here, especially in the spring, as shown in the photo.

You will love Franklin!

OutsidePlaying

"Such beautiful vistas. Nhb, were you formerly nhbaskets and did you recently move to east TN? Sorry to hijack. I'm still sorting out some of the old/new names."

Used to be NewHomeBuilder and have lived in East TN since 1983. My husband is from here. I am from SC.

Funny, I was picturing you milking a cow in your beautiful back yard! I think we'll stick with horses if we end up with large animals :)

Tnfarmhousefixin, I have lived in Tennessee my entire life. We moved to this house from Thompson's Station (a little closer, even, to Franklin than we are now). My husband is from England and I doubt I will EVER convince him to move from this area (not that I want to anytime soon). He thinks it is the best place in the US to live and likes to practice saying y'all too much. It's hilarious and horrifying. Ha.

That is hilarious :) Whenever I visit family in Georgia for more than a few days I find myself reverting back to the slightly southern accent and slang words of my youth. Maybe I'll pick it up again when we move back south.

We are very close to Thompsons Station and were actually going to look for property there before we found our place.

Nhb, now I remember (smacks head)! Hadn't heard from you in a while, and as I recall you had a lot going on in your life a year or so ago. And wouldn't you know, right after I posted that question, nhbaskets posted something on another thread, so I realized I had goofed. Thanks for setting me straight.

TN, your bloodhound will need to meet the famous Ludivine, the bloodhound from Elkton, AL, just across the state line. She inadvertently ran a half-marathon recently, came in 7th, and made headlines around the country. Sweetest dog.

Outsideplaying - I just Googled Ludivine and read her story. Loved it. Such a sweet dog and I loved the photo with the medal around her neck!

I could see our girl doing something like that. She goes wherever her nose takes her and boy, is she a fast runner - although you wouldn't know it from her extremely large size or her relaxed pose here :)

What a gorgeous dog! She will love running in the Tennessee fields and hills.

Oh, she will be in heaven on your new property! What a cutie she is. I love hounds!

My sister in law lives in Franklin. It is beautiful and has the addd plus of Nashville which is such fun to visit. You are going to be so happy!

Thanks, Outsideplaying and cyn! I hope so :)

What an amazing property and home!!! It sounds like a great place to live. What are the temps like in that part of the state, if you dont mind me asking?

I cant offer any advice, but I do think your plan sounds great (but I am sure will be expensive). My question is on dormers. Do they let light into the first floor, or are they for a second floor? What is a 1.5 story house?

rockybird, we're expecting to enjoy all 4 seasons, with mild winters, hot and humid summers, and beautiful spring and fall weather. When we visited in July, we experienced unusually mild weather in the 80's, and it's generally been in the 60's and 70's when we've been there in spring and October and November, although much colder at night and early morning. We were actually unexpectedly snowed in when we visited last February and all flights were cancelled! I'm looking forward to being able to finally wear sweaters and jackets though :)

If we added dormers I would want them to be functional and either add light into the first floor with a raised ceiling or into a second story or attic space.

When I reference a 1 1/2 story I mean a second story that is smaller than the footprint of the first level, with varying roof lines, rather than a full second story that is the same footprint and square footage as the second level. We would either use ours for unfinished attic space or maybe a loft/second media room, a bunk room/guest room, and a guest bathroom. Just extra space for DD and visitors that DH and I could close off when not in use.

Here are some examples of dormers that function to let light into a first floor and also some 1 1/2 story homes with dormers.

Hi, it’s been a few years since your last post and I’m wondering did you put in the dormers and a higher pitched roof? If so I’d like to know how was the process and was it worth it? This is something I want to do to my house.