[quote author="tmare" date=1242986759]Although this is a horrible looking house, there are some very lovely ranch style homes in West Floral Park, I'd live there versus Irvine without question. They still have the large lots and many of the homes have a wonderful open floor plan. Bk just has to make sure everyone knows that he lives in the REAL Floral Park
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Absolutely, I can?t tolerate 3 car garages at the front of the homes. My sole reason I can?t stand Irvine and other South County address. WFP. And FP is Like Woodbury to Woodbury East, Northpark to Northpark Square, and Irvine to West Irvine.
There are actually many homes in predominantly single story West Floral Park that are very nice. The Ranch Homes was not about the style of the homes but the lifestyle of the people. After 1940's when domestic help began to disappear from people?s homes the backyard that used to be the domain of the servants became the area for family activities. FP homes do not have Family rooms in the earlier built homes. Rooms were not oriented to the rear yard.
Sprawling floor plan were the hallmark of the ranch style homes invented by Cliff May. The low ground hugging homes emphasized the horizontality and thus allowing wider windows and sliding glass doors to maximized the view and connection to the outdoor yards. The tile paving materials for inside and outside were identical that heighten the indoor outdoor relationship.
Cliff May also invented the kidney shape pool for the odd shape yards and also a dome shape outdoor BBQ grille for the family entertaining activities in the rear yard. The front yard activities and porches disappeared to the rear and less emphasis were placed at the front fa?ade. The rear garage was then considered obtrusive in the backyard space so Mr. May cleverly attached it to the side of ranch homes separated the garage from the home with a covered utility breezeway for potting shed and pets. The homes were still very nice because the garage was less than 40% of the house frontage.
Formal dining and living started to fade after the 1940?s that families gather around the kitchen so a dinette was integrated into many galley kitchen. Kids also became much more active with their outdoor lifestyle and yards were turf over for children to play. The romance of the garden became the storage yard for out grown toys.
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