Bloomington is filled with a lot of homes that have remained trapped in time, which is awesome and fascinating (albeit sometimes frightening). When this young family moved to Bloomington last spring, they saw potential behind the Florida wallpaper of this Eastside ranch, and good bones despite its choppy layout. Wisely, they called SYI and Loren Wood Builders for help bringing it into the two thousand-teens. Two adjacent bathrooms were gutted together and went back up in much better configurations. A half bath and mud-cum-laundry room near the garage went from useful but blah, to an area you don't have to close the door on when guests come over. Walls came down to open up the family, living, kitchen and dining areas, creating a flow of light and function that we all openly envy at SYI. (We do not hide it whatsoever. We all want to live in this happy, bright house. Also the homeowners are amazing cooks, another good reason to want to move in.) Like split-levels and bi-levels, ranches are often easy to open up for the casual and connected spaces we dig so much in middle America this century. Knock down walls; unify flooring; lighten and brighten the space; and voila! a dated midcentury shell becomes a modern family home. Contractor: Loren Wood Builders Cabinetry: Stoll's Woodworking Tile work: Fitzgerald Flooring & Construction Photography: Gina Rogers