Ranch Redemption

Stone, tile, and reclaimed wood were used to transform a generic 1949 ranch.

- Patricia Poore

“WE SAW NOTHING REDEEMING in the house whatsoever,”the owners aver. Boarded up and foreclosed, it was truly the worst house in a sociable and attractive neighborhood in the Oak Cliff area of Dallas. “There was no ‘architecture’, other than such small details as the exposed rafter tails and cruciform openings in the front porch’s brick wall.” Otherwise, it was a very generic 1949 ranch with smallish rooms, a terrible floor plan, 8' ceilings, and no relationship to the backyard.

Still, the interesting, oversized lot looked toward woodland. That sort of lot is rare in Dallas. So Chas Fitzgerald and Jackson Hammack bought the house to remake it. Today’s kitchen, interior board walls, fireplace and entry tile, and the front door are new, not to mention the beautiful garden areas. The property has an Arts & Crafts feeling, designed in an eclectic combination of Western motifs with a Modern twist. The tiled fireplace centers the home, as it does in so many bungalows; yet the clean, unornamented lines befit a 1940's house. Re-issues of Stickley and Hickory furniture mingle with modern classics and leather. It’s all very personal.