Emerging in the 1930s and skyrocketing to fame during the mid-century suburban boom, the ranch-style home transformed how Americans lived.

Basement construction before 1970 was a byproduct of proper frost-line engineering, not a luxury add-on. Mid-century poured concrete walls were built to handle lateral soil pressure that modern ...

Wood has dominated home construction in the U.S. for centuries because it is widely available, relatively inexpensive, quick to build with and easy to repair.