When the Laber family moved into their home in 2014, they knew they would eventually remodel. While they loved their neighborhood and the bones of their house, they knew a well-planned renovation could turn it into the home of their dreams.
Over the years, their remodeling wish list continued to grow, but before they took on a full-scale project, they opted to do a smaller one in their garage. “The work we had done on our garage wasn’t a good experience. We weren’t happy with the contractor we hired and knew we wanted to go in a different direction when we were ready to remodel the inside of our home,” the Labers explain.
One of their neighbors was having a house built by Rufty Homes, which is what first put the luxury home building and remodeling company on the Labers’ radar. “We contacted several contractors before making our decision, but the Rufty team stood out above the rest. We loved that they were transparent about pricing, not just talking about actual numbers, but the reasons behind those numbers. We felt we could trust them and that’s ultimately why we hired them for the job,” the Labers go on to say.
As is often the case with remodels, once the project began, the scope continued to increase as it went along. The Labers explain, “We were so impressed with our project manager, Chris Bridgewater, and the rest of the Rufty team that we decided to tackle our whole list of projects at once.”
In all, the project included:
“One of the many reasons we loved working with Rufty Homes is that while they provide a vetted list of designers, they let us bring in anyone of our choice, which was Heather of Heather Holcombe Designs,” say the Labers.
Together with Heather and Chris, the Labers created a space that’s not only more functional for their family but also better matches their design aesthetic. Heather Holcombe explains, ”The Labers are the sweetest family and it has been rewarding to watch how they have been able to fully utilize each space in their home. They were able to capture new square footage and also repurpose existing square footage to make the home best fit their needs.”
Now that their remodel is complete, the Labers are spending their time enjoying their upgraded home and singing the praises of the Rufty team to their friends and neighbors. They say, “We lived in our home throughout our remodel. As a family with two small kids and a dog, it meant the world to us that Chris and the rest of the Rufty Homes team went above and beyond to keep the work area safe for all of us. Having that trust in the team throughout the project was so important to us and we can’t recommend them enough to anyone planning their own remodeling project.” Check out the before and after pictures, for the finished project in 2023.
The kitchen is truly the heart of the home and it’s where we spend an average of 400 hours every single year. Why not spend all of that time in a kitchen you truly love? The popularity of custom-built kitchens is on the rise, as homeowners take the time to create a space that’s as beautiful as it is functional.
Need some inspiration for your Wake County custom-built home design? We think you’ll love these 10 kitchen designs we’ve done for clients over the years as much as we do!
We love the natural light flooding into this kitchen thanks to the windows throughout it. Not only do they fill the space with a light and airy feel, but they also give you a great view while cooking your favorite meal.
We truly enjoy creating spaces that encourage connections for our clients. This large island has plenty of space for the whole family to gather at the end of the day, sharing stories and making memories with each other.
Available in thousands of different styles and designs, tile is a great way to make a statement in your kitchen design. We love the subtle use of the patterned tile here, combined with the plain black tile behind the oven for a bold, yet classic design.
Dreaming of a rustic kitchen? Try incorporating a touch of nature into your design, like these wood beams and natural wood cabinets. They especially pop against the stark contrast of the light countertop and appliances.
The kitchen isn’t just for making delicious food. It’s often the place where the whole family gathers before heading out the door to start the day. We love this organizational hub complete with storage and a built-in whiteboard that the entire family can use.
A range hood plays an important role in improving the air quality in your home, but that doesn’t mean it can’t also be a beautiful design feature. We love the striking color of this one and how it’s an eye-catching feature of the overall kitchen design.
We always love a good contrast of color, but this design is particularly unique. The kitchen island’s light cabinets and dark countertops are the perfect complement to the dark cabinets and light countertops throughout the rest of the kitchen.
A prep kitchen is often thought of as “out of sight, out of mind,” but we believe it’s still worthy of a thoughtful design. From the convenient chalkboard to the wire storage baskets and plentiful shelving, this is truly the prep kitchen of our dreams.
While your family will surely get plenty of use out of your formal dining room, sometimes it’s nice to have a more casual spot to eat a quick bite together. This built-in, booth-seating breakfast nook is the perfect cozy spot. If you need a luxury home design in the Raleigh-Durham area, we can help you get the best use of space for your kitchen.
Light and bright designs will always be in style, but you can get creative by incorporating smaller pops of color in your kitchen design. We love the contrast of this dark kitchen island (and barstools!) with the white cabinetry and backsplash.
We hope you feel inspired by these custom-built kitchens! Which design would you most like to see in your own home? We love helping our neighbors and community in the Wake County area. We are happy to help anyone in Raleigh, Durham, Apex, Cary, Wake Forest, and nearby areas. Whether you want to build a new custom home or begin a luxury renovation, our team is here to bring your ideas to life. Contact us today to get started.
As we near the end of the year, I always like to take some time to sit back and reflect on the last twelve months and look ahead at what’s to come in the new year. I find that by doing so, I’m reminded to count my blessings both professionally and personally.
Here at Rufty Homes, 2022 was a great one for our team. Working together, we completed the following:
I recognize that each and every one of our team members played a role in the success of these projects and I’m so thankful for their commitment to serving our customers. To help us celebrate our hard work this year and enjoy some well-deserved time off, our office will be closed the week between Christmas and New Year’s.
As proud as I am of our team's work this year, this time of year is also a reminder that work will never be the most important thing to any of us. Spending time with our friends and family is truly what it’s all about.
I look forward to spending these last few days of the year slowing down, living intentionally, and savoring every moment spent with my loved ones. Regardless of what or how you celebrate, I hope you get to spend plenty of time with those you love as well.
Finally, as we look ahead to 2023, I want to thank you for being here and taking an interest in the work that we do. We have big things on the horizon for the new year and we look forward to sharing them with you.
Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season and a happy new year,
Jon Rufty
Now that autumn is starting to end, it's time to change out those fall home decor pieces. Whether we’re building a new custom house or renovating a space for our clients, our goal is to create a home that our clients can enjoy all year long. That means incorporating home design trends that are perfect for use regardless of the weather.
If you’re looking for more ways to get more use out of your home in the winter, you’re in the right place. Below are some of our favorite home design trends that are perfect for these chilly months.
Get all the joy of spending time outdoors without the discomfort by adding a screened-in porch to your backyard. By including a fireplace, you’ll have a cozy spot ideal for late night social events or watching a beautiful winter sunrise with a warm cup of coffee in your hand.
You can make it even more functional by including wiring for a TV in the space. Then, you can use the space to host guests for football games or watch your favorite holiday movies with the kids.
If you want to actually get out in nature without being too cold, another option is to build an outdoor fireplace in your backyard. To really make it feel luxe, opt for a built-in seating area around the fireplace as well so there’s room for the whole family to enjoy it.
Looking for a simpler design upgrade? Consider adding outdoor heaters to your space that you can move around as needed. These are ideal for use during an outdoor dinner party or gathering to keep everyone comfortable.
When it’s cold outside, it can be hard to motivate ourselves to leave the house. By incorporating a rec room in your house, you won’t have to! Create a home gym that has all of your favorite equipment to make it easier than ever to stay on track with your exercise goals.
You might also build a game room complete with a pool table, televisions, and even arcade games that the whole family will enjoy escaping to when it’s cold outside.
What sounds better than lighting a fire and enjoying a nice glass of wine with loved ones on a chilly night? Not much, if you ask us! With some thoughtful design, you can create a wine area that not only stores your favorite bottles but also serves as a beautiful space in your home.
In addition to a wine fridge and shelving, don’t forget to add some nice lighting to further elevate the space. Looking for some inspiration? The wine area in this home features a unique window looking into the dining room, where the homeowners can store corks from their favorite pours. It’s a functional, yet high-end design that’s nothing short of eye-catching.
During the winter months, a warm, home-cooked meal always hits the spot. Why not give yourself more space to prepare your favorite dishes? A scullery is a smaller, second kitchen, ideal for prepping food and keeping the mess of cooking out of your main kitchen.
When designing one for your home, we recommend including plenty of storage space, an additional sink, and a smaller refrigerator for extra ingredients.
After reading through this article, we hope you have plenty of winter inspiration for your own home. If you’re planning a luxury renovation and you want to incorporate these home design trends in the process, the Rufty team would be more than happy to talk through your ideas. Reach out to us to learn more about how we can help you create a space you’ll love.
Do you remember the days of using a paper map to get around instead of a built-in GPS on your phone? What about getting a phone call on a landline with no way of knowing who it might be because caller ID wasn’t around? Just like technology has transformed our everyday life, it’s also made the home-building process much easier.
Let’s travel back in time to the “olden days” and take a look at how we used to build homes compared to what we do today. No DeLorean required!
Creating a beautiful backyard pool is one of the most fun aspects of building a custom home. Back in the days before technology, Jon Rufty and his team used to lay out the shape of a future pool using a garden hose! While it obviously got the job done, it certainly wasn’t the easiest method.
These days, we use computer-aided design (CAD), software to design pools digitally, down to the very last detail. This makes for a much easier and more precise process on our end and gives our customers a more accurate idea of what they can expect in their backyard design.
One of the most important parts of our job is finding suitable lots for the homes we build. We used to have to send multiple members of the team out to potential sites to evaluate land, which took a lot of time.
Now, we can use technology like 3D scanners and drone footage to get a good overview of the land and take measurements to help us determine where to build.
Before technology was an everyday part of life, all of our home plans and designs started on paper. Architects, designers, and our construction team relied on paper drawings and sketches as the building plans, and it was hard to share them with multiple people quickly.
We now rely on 3D designing tools to create elaborate plans for the homes we’re building. Not only is this a greener solution, but it allows for more dynamic changes and it’s easier to share the documents with anyone who needs to review them.
These days, it’s hard to remember the days before we always had a smartphone by our side. Of course, in those “before times,” it was much harder to communicate with clients. To do so, we would use fax machines, pagers, and paper documents for our communications.
Today, our clients love that we can easily communicate with them via email, calls to their cell phones, and even text messages. This quick communication makes for a smoother building process and helps our clients feel in the loop about every detail of their build.
Part of our success over the decades is due to our ability to adapt how we work. That includes embracing new technology that can improve the home-building process for our team and our customers.
However, one thing that will never change is that we always put our customers first, listening to your every need to design a home you’ll truly love. Explore more about the Rufty Difference to get a better feel about what you can expect when you work with our team.
Imagine, for a moment, the home of your dreams. What does it look like? What features does it have? Now think of your current home. Could your existing house transform into your dream home with a little work? One of the most important decisions we help our clients make is the choice between a custom home vs a luxury remodel.
Which option is right for you? In this article, we’ll cover the most important things to consider when making your decision.
The most important thing to keep in mind is the location of your current house since it’s not something that you can change. If you love your current location, but your home’s interior or exterior feels dated, it might be worth planning a luxury remodel instead of trying to find a new location you love just as much.
On the other hand, if you no longer love your neighborhood or you’re ambivalent about your location, you might be able to find a better lot on which to build your new custom home.
Next, consider how quickly you need or want the project to be completed. Building a custom home from scratch takes much longer than a luxury remodeling project. If the timeline is a concern, it might be better to find ways to renovate your current house to better fit your needs.
Keep in mind that ongoing supply chain issues are impacting both new builds and remodeling projects, which could further delay your project.
Before deciding whether to build a custom home or start a luxury remodel, take some time to think about how much you’re comfortable spending. Not surprisingly, remodeling your home, even with luxury features, will cost less than designing a brand new custom build.
However, when building a new home, you can roll the costs into the overall mortgage amount. This might make it easier to fit into your budget vs paying out of pocket for remodeling costs in addition to your existing mortgage.
Another important thing to consider is the luxury features you want from your new space. We recommend making a list of your desired features, ranked by order of importance. From there, think about how realistically you can incorporate these features into your existing home.
For example, if you dream of a resort-style pool, but have a small backyard, you’ll have to weigh how important it is to get the pool. If it’s the top feature on your list, then that can help you decide that a custom build makes more sense for you.
Finally, consider the convenience factor of doing a custom build vs a luxury remodel. If you opt for renovations, will you continue living in your home during the process? If so, think about the logistics of that and how the experience will be for your family.
If you decide on a custom build, you’ll need to deal with selling your current home and potentially finding a temporary place to stay if you sell your home before your new one is finished. Carefully weigh the convenience factors of both options to help you make your decision.
We hope that reading this article helps to give you a better idea of what to consider when deciding between a custom build vs a luxury remodel. Of course, we realize that each situation is unique and we’d be happy to talk you through the options and help you make the right decision for your family. Contact us today to start talking with our team.
It's just a matter of time before everyone on the Rufty team will relocate to our new custom home. We're putting the finishing touches on our new office space just across the street. It's been a great opportunity to combine forces with our commercial building team, Rufty-Peedin Design Builders, on the build-out. Look for an invitation to our open house coming soon!
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