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John and Emily Ruggles fell in love with the town of Windsor when their oldest child, now 14, started kindergarten. Years later, life moved them from Windsor to Timnath, but they never lost the ties they had to their dream town. Realizing that their home address no longer matched the place that felt like home, they moved back to Windsor in 2022.
The Ruggles embarked on a whole new journey that scared and excited them. They built the custom home of their dreams in the highly sought-after Acadia section of RainDance, an investment that required lots of collaboration with their builder. Fortunately, Robbins Contracting was up for the challenge.
“We went down some paths that neither side had been down before, and this home is a huge success from that,” John says. “A custom builder, in my eyes, is only as custom as how far they’re willing to take it. When you hit them with a wild idea, it’s not ‘Well, we’ve tried that before,’ it’s ‘Let’s check it out.’”
Their inspiration was a traditional farmhouse design with elegant details. Emily wanted the typical clean lines and open floorplan of a farmhouse, but with a cozy feel that allowed her to incorporate some of her grandmother’s furniture and artwork. She says the overall goal was to create a functional space where their family could enjoy life together while dedicating each area to how they spend their time.
The Ruggles’ farmhouse inspiration is evident from the moment you pull up out front. The walkway features a brick path that matches the masonry wrapping around the home, and the “eyebrow” arches infuse personality into the exterior. The gable end returns harken back to the classical architecture of historic American farmhouses. But what really makes the Ruggles’ home feel like a custom work of art is the interior layout.
Upon entering through the double front doors, you’re greeted by a lofty foyer with a living room on the left, a dining room on the right and a central staircase wrapping up to the top floor. The upstairs space has a built-in library and a bridge that leads to a playroom on one end and the boys’ bedrooms and bathrooms on the other. The playroom was designed to feel like a traditional farmhouse attic.
“The ceiling comes down in there. We dropped the plate heights everywhere,” says Tyler Robbins, president of Robbins Contracting. It was their way of making the playroom feel like a nostalgic and whimsical place for the Ruggles boys to hang out with their friends.
Beneath the bridge is a 10-foot-tall entry to a wide-open space showcasing off-white walls, a black square chandelier and a fireplace with built-in storage and floor-to-ceiling brick veneers. Six large windows bring in natural light from the east, allowing the Ruggles to enjoy beautiful Colorado sunrises from their couch. Robbins intentionally kept the roof elevated so they wouldn’t have to lower the windows and block the view.
The open concept of the home creates a natural flow from the great room to the kitchen and primary bedroom, which has another six large east-facing windows bordered by two decorative sconces. The attached primary bathroom is situated behind an angled wall with narrow doors that swing open to reveal a freestanding tub, walk-in shower and two separate vanities with their own sinks. Beyond the primary bathroom is a 15-by-14-foot walk-in closet with built-in storage and a freestanding island.
The Ruggles’ kitchen features a stunning quartzite island containing drawers and hidden cabinets as well as an exposed farmhouse sink and dishwasher. Beyond the island is a fridge, butler’s pantry and stove range backed by geometric tile Emily picked out herself.
“The tile above the stove was one of the first things that gave me inspiration,” Emily says. “At the time, I wondered if I would regret it, but I definitely love it. We reserved the lot with plenty of time to plan, so that was nice because it left me a lot of time to look on Pinterest.”
To the left of the kitchen is a sliding barn door that leads to the laundry room with a double-stacked washer and dryer and perhaps the most unique aspect of the home: a dumbwaiter that descends to the basement. A dumbwaiter, for those wondering, is a small freight elevator that usually carries food.
“That was me saying, ‘What do you think about a dumbwaiter, Tyler?’” John says. “In the most organic, nitty-gritty way, we looked at each other and said, ‘Let’s see if we can make it happen.’”
The Ruggles got lucky. The foundation and overall layout of the home was positioned in exactly the right way for a dumbwaiter to work. Instead of traveling down the little elevator shaft to a bedroom, for example, the dumbwaiter ends in what John calls their “entertainment hub,” an area with a bar, home theater and reading nook under the stairs. “That may have been a little Harry Potter inspired,” Emily says.
The purpose of the dumbwaiter was to create a more efficient way for the Ruggles to entertain guests in the walk-out basement, which leads to an outdoor seating area with a fire pit and a pool. “With what we were planning, I just saw a lot of running up and down the stairs, and I’d seen this kind of [dumbwaiter] somewhere,” John says. “It saves time and trips.”
Empty bottles, wet swimsuits and other remnants of a good time can be sent up the dumbwaiter to the laundry room, a multipurpose space that opens up to a four-car garage with built-in storage to house anything from sports equipment to pool supplies. The Ruggles have even used their dumbwaiter to bring Christmas decorations up from the storage room in the basement.
John and Emily knew that their Acadia home would be their permanent residence, so they worked with Robbins Contracting to make it a place that would age well with them. A big part of that was building an easily accessible deck near the kitchen on the main floor. It has a built-in grill and plenty of space to sit and watch their kids play basketball, jump on the trampoline or go for a swim.
“We have a space outside to gather and a really open area with a pretty view of Windsor,” Emily says. “It’s fun for the kids, but people of all ages too.”
The couple’s dream came together despite the challenges of building a custom home. But there was another unforeseen setback they say showed Robbins’ tenacity to get the job done right. Halfway into the project, Tyler’s dad, Denny, unexpectedly passed away. He was the founder of Robbins Contracting and had been very involved in the project.
“This is a family business,” John says, “and for as huge as that was, they got the job done in the middle of it. They really tightened up, held it together and persevered. They’re a strong family.”
Photos by Virtuance.
