Dear Real Estate Adviser,  I am looking at a raised ranch house,
which unfortunately doesn't have a basement. I'd like to know if
it makes sense to build a basement underneath or build an
attached one. Or should I just be content to live with the ranch
house like it is?   -- Krishna  Dear Krishna, So you're looking
for a third level of living space, eh? Raised ranch/descended
basement?  A raised ranch home typically "raises the roof" of a
conventional ranch design to create additional living space.
This was a relatively popular construction style from the
mid-1940s through the 1980s and was a little more common in
rural communities than cities. A raised ranch home's bottom
level, which generally features a garage, either sits at ground
level or at slightly below grade and can serve as either a
finished living area or quasi-basement.  These two-story homes
were typically built with gable roofs and a flight of stairs at
the main entrance that leads directly to the top living area.
Some raised ranch homes were b