Between his background in construction safety engineering and going through the process of building four houses over the years, John Wagner is no stranger to the world of construction. When he and his family finally decided to realize their dream of building a family compound, John’s first priority when choosing a builder was to find someone he could trust. 

“We looked for land from Baltimore down to Charlotte, before finding 25 acres here in Raleigh. While we initially interviewed three local builders, once we talked to Rufty Homes, it was easy to make our decision. One of the things we evaluated when interviewing builders was their reputation with subcontractors. Rufty Homes has a pristine reputation with their subs and we felt that if they have their subs’ backs, they’d have ours too,” explains John.

The plan was to build a total of four homes on the property: one house for John and his wife, Suzanne, and three more homes for their daughters and their families. When they bought the property, it came with an older colonial home that hadn’t been touched in decades. The family decided to have Rufty start by renovating that home for their middle daughter. 

“Our project manager, Don Pegram, has a great background in historical renovations and he put a lot of thought into how to renovate the home in a modern way while staying true to the home’s roots. Going through that renovation project gave us an introduction of sorts to what it’s like working with the team and we were so pleased and excited to have them continue working on the rest of the property,” says John. 

Once the remodel was finished, the team began building John and Suzanne’s custom build from the ground up. Throughout the course of the project, the Wagners decided to add on to their original plans by renovating a tennis court and soccer field that the whole family could enjoy. John says, “The Rufty Homes team gave us contact information for subcontractors we could use for those projects, and everyone they recommended went above and beyond for us as well.”

While not all four of the homes are completely finished yet, the whole family is already enjoying the communal spaces throughout the property that were designed to give them a place to spend time together, making new memories. “We have a big deck off the family room with a large pond and fountain on it, giving us our own unique oasis in the middle of the neighborhood. We also designed a sports bar area with multiple TVs, a home theater, pool, and ping pong tables, where we can get together and just goof off, which is our favorite thing to do as a family,” explains John.

However, the most-used area of the house is the three-story pool house that includes a basement gym with glass garage doors that open on nice days. For this family of college athletes, having a state-of-the-art workout area right on the property feels like a dream come true. 

Looking back on the Oxalis project so far, John says, “We’re so thrilled with how everything has turned out and we look forward to enjoying this space with our family for years to come. We can’t thank Rufty Homes enough for providing us with a truly high-end, custom building experience every step of the way. After years of construction experience myself, I’ve never heard of such a highly complimented company like Rufty before. It’s clear that Jon Rufty is reaping the rewards of a lifetime of doing the right thing for people, which to me is the ultimate compliment.”

We're excited to announce that Midtown Magazine's BEST OF RALEIGH! 2022 Diamond Awards and Cary Living Magazine's BEST OF WESTERN WAKE! 2022 Diamond Awards voting is officially open! It's time to vote for your local favorites across the Triangle. We'd love your vote in the category of "Best Builder".

Use the link below before October 25th to cast your vote for Rufty Homes. Bonus: if you vote for 15 or more categories you'll be entered to win a prize from Midtown and Cary Living!

Vote Now - Midtown

Vote Now - Cary Living

Need help voting?

1. Click the link and fill out your name and email at the top.
2. Scroll down to the "Services" Section.
3. Go to "Best Builder" and type our name 'Rufty Homes'.

To celebrate the amazing work our subcontractors have helped and continue to help us accomplish, we invited them to join us for lunch on Friday, April 23rd, at one of our many our Avalaire job sites.

Back in December, we shared a Triangle Home Design & Decor feature about our clients, the Canady family, and their experience working with interior designer Aimee Montgomery. We chatted recently with Erika Canady to learn more about the renovation process and see how they’re enjoying their home a year later.

Now that it’s been a little over a year since your renovation project, let’s go back to the beginning. What prompted you to start thinking about renovating?

A few years ago, we had a pool put in and that sparked further ideas for renovations. We’ve been in our home since 2006, but as our kids grew into teenagers, our needs as a family started to change, and we wanted our space to better fit those needs. 

We considered moving to a new home, but we just love our location so much. After talking to the Rufty team, they listened to all of our concerns and assured us that we could update the home we love to be a more functional (and beautiful!) space. 

As a result, we updated the kitchen and screened-in porch and added a half-bath accessible from the outside so pool guests no longer have to walk through the kitchen to use the restroom.

What was it like staying in the home during the renovation process?

Our project manager, Chris Bridgewater, worked hard to make sure our lives were mostly uninterrupted. He was even more conscientious than I was about keeping the house clean during the renovation. And best of all, he left parts of the kitchen usable for as long as possible, so we could continue using it throughout the process. 

Chris was meticulous and communicative at every turn, so we were kept in the loop about everything. There were truly no surprises, which is almost unheard of during renovations!  We always knew exactly who was coming over to work on the house and when they’d be there, which made it easier to plan our days around the project. 

What would you say to someone who’s considering working with Rufty Homes on a renovation project?

You won’t regret it if you do! Everyone on the Rufty team was always open and honest with us from day one. Instead of just telling us what we wanted to hear, they’d talk us through the pros and cons of different decisions to help us make the right choices for our family. 

They treated every single member of our family with respect, even letting our dogs outside when we weren’t home. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. 

Most importantly, what’s your favorite part of your updated home?

Honestly, it’s hard to choose. In the kitchen, I love the island and the backsplash, in the bathroom, I love the tile flooring, and the doors going out to the patio are perfect. Holiday decorating is also easier than ever now, thanks to Chris thinking outside the box. He happened to be at the house when we were planning our exterior lighting decorations and he had the electricians add an additional outlet to accommodate our lights. 

We’ve always loved our home, but Chris and the whole Rufty team helped to transform it into a place we’ll stay for years to come. 

To learn more about this project, read the full write-up in Triangle Home Design & Decor here.