Most of the real Ranches I've been to originally had a two story farm house.
I designed my "plantation style" dream home and had it blueprinted with the help of a $12 per hour retired architect, and had it built cost-plus for 10% over my contractor's actual labor and material costs. The workmanship was great and, even though I am "anal" about quality, the answer to every improvement suggestion I had was "your the boss!" After having such a wonderful experience and being treated with so much respect I am glad I didn't try to go fixed-bid with my builder and fight over every cent of extra labor and material upgrades. I also got a steal of a Jumbo mortgage the likes of which I'll never know how I got approved for and is now most likely going to be against the law. Even though I was broke and had poor credit I ended up in my personal mansion with no money in it and no PIP to pay and just teaser rates on my first and second mortgages. I had even been offered the opportunity to go to 125% of the value of my home on my second mortgage which I should have done, but I only went to 100%.
God must have wanted me in my dream home, because the banks papered over all my lack of resources in a frenzy to get my jumbo note on their books. Even I thought it was fishy that a zero net worth guy who could barely pay his minimum credit card payments could have a mansion built with no PIP, a temporary down payment, and get hints on where and how to borrow his earnest money for a couple of months and where to get a no questions asked interest only second mortgage. It is funny that at the time I thought I was one of a very few people getting away with this kind of a deal, and now it turns out it was happening all over the nation like an algae bloom. Anyhow, the good news is I love my opulent abode and take great pleasure living in its classical grandeur while I remain here by the skin of my teeth working towards the day when my money tree will bear its first crop. I'd love to post a picture of my home, but I try to remain somewhat anonymous in hopes the things I post here won't as easily find their way back to me and make me rue the day I ever shared the 'bile' that is my Right Wing Extremist opinion.
After that post, I think it is incumbent upon you to provide a phtot of your abode!
Too much information. Really.