Oak Ridge : new ranch home in Southeast Wisconsin

This one started as a bare lot. We framed the floor system, walls and roof, sheathed and wrapped it, installed the siding, and came back at the end of the job to run the interior trim. The photos were taken before the landscaping went in, which is why there’s still a gravel pile out front.

The ceilings shaped most of the carpentry: coffers in the kitchen and living room, a stepped tray in the primary bedroom, and an arched beam over the dining room. None of that is added at the end. It has to be planned into the framing before drywall, and the layout has to be right to the eighth of an inch, or the lines drift where two rooms meet.

What took the time

Ceilings

Coffered in the kitchen and living room, a stepped tray in the primary bedroom and an arched beam over the dining room, all framed in rather than added later.

Exterior

Board-and-batten and lap siding in charcoal over a stone wainscot, with a three-car attached garage.

Fireplace

Floor-to-ceiling stone, with built-in shelving framed beside the chimney chase.

Openings

Sliding doors and a bank of windows across the back, with headers sized to carry the roof above.