which won the Best Spec Home in the $6 to $7 million range. This 8,700square-foot, one-of-a-kind home integrates comfortable family living with
grand entertaining, highlighted by a well-appointed pool with spa, stone
fireplace, built-in cooking area and beamed pergola. The five-bedroom,
shingle-style home includes an additional 2,450-square-foot lower level that
can be custom-finished.
At Bennington Place, dovecote birdhouses accent the two front-roof gables,
and a magnificent mahogany library features a unique, curved coffered ceiling. A spectacular crafts room features built-in storage and an etched glass
door, while upstairs a semicircular master sitting room is wrapped in curved
windows.
A time
for building
right now include Bennington Place, Skyview Lane, Parker’s Glen and Apple
Tree Lane.
Bringing it back home, the Rosanos are putting the finishing touches on a
new house for themselves, on Skyview Lane in New Canaan. And this time,
their own children are offering a helping hand on visits to the job site.
Rich and Sharon Rosano, and R.R. Builders, can be reached in New Canaan at
203-536-3831, or online at www.rrbuilders.com. ■
Grand Style Homes
Rich Rosano’s passion
is in the details
by Mark Baxter
Rich Rosano was named Builder of the Year by the Home builders Association of Connecticut.
When Rich Rosano first used a hammer at age 16, he couldn’t have known
that picking one up again at age 32 would change his career and his life, and
lead him to being named Builder of the Year in Fairfield County. Changing
careers brought him kudos, but more important, it fueled a relentless passion
expressed in the details of homes lovingly built.
Working with his father as a boy to renovate their home and to build out
commercial spaces, Rich developed an early love of construction he left
behind on his way to the Rochester Institute of Technology and a successful
career in technology sales to Fortune 500 companies.
A Baby, And A Company, Are Born
Later, having married, he and his wife, Sharon, took on the renovation of
their first New Canaan home – at the same time they were expecting their
first child. Despite objections and doubts of both friends and family, the
young couple took a dated 2,400-square-foot ’50s Cape and left only the
chimney and two walls standing. In its place they fashioned a custom 7,000-square-foot home – taking time
out to have a baby while the roof was still off.
In the process, Rich’s passion for building returned, and
life changed for them both. Soon the new home they had
just finished for themselves was being sold, a building lot
was being purchased, and a new company, R.R. Builders,
was being born, just after the baby.
Custom Elegance
photo credit
R.R. Builders specializes in homes of casual elegance and vintage character.
Reprinted with permission of The HOME Monthly, a Hersam Acorn special section, Ridgefield, Conn.
The 8,000- to 12,000-square-foot houses Sharon now
helps design and Rich and company build are far from
the standard spec structures one is accustomed to. These
“period-style” homes express a casual elegance and vintage
character that leave every room feeling comfortably inviting – winning Rich not only Builder of the Year status
from the Home Builders & Remodelers Association, but
Best Spec Home from the Home Builders Association of
Connecticut.
Rich’s grand, period homes are well illustrated by the
recent construction on Bennington Place in New Canaan,
Each R.R. Builders home has a unique personality, but the planning and
construction is always managed by Rich himself. “These are one-of-a-kind
residences,” Rich says, “and I help design them, plan them, choose materials
and build them with the attention I would give my own home.”
Rich points out that he strives for the architectural elegance of a grand home
of the past, while incorporating advanced technology, materials and construction. That typically means open layouts with front-to-back foyers, open
great rooms for family and entertaining, and custom gourmet kitchens, master baths with spas, and mahogany libraries.
“And we use extensive millwork to achieve a warm, vintage feeling,” Rich
adds, “with deep crown moldings, formal and informal wainscoting, and coffered ceilings, with mahogany entries and deep, historic-style windowsills.”
Attention All Around
R.R. Builders specializes in hands-on attention to detail – during preparation, under construction, and in the detailed finishes that set them apart.
Sharon, a professional Realtor at Coldwell Banker, works with Rich to
review each plan through the eyes of a potential buyer. “Her keen sense of
style makes her input invaluable at all stages of the home’s design and construction,” Rich says.
Amazing Experience
According to one recent client, that attention leads to an “amazing” experience. Dave and Sara Koch worked with Rich on their new 10,000-squarefoot custom home in New Canaan and completed the entire process in 13
months. The six-bedroom Adirondack-style home was designed in cedar
shingle with forest-green trim and shake roof.
Signature touches include mahogany entry doors of two and a quarter inches
thick, an intricate basket-weave parquet floor in the foyer, and fieldstone
fireplaces with custom mantels. The lower level includes an entertainment
center packed with game room, bar, gym, home theater and wine cellar.
“It’s not just that Rich delivered our home quickly,” says Sara, “but that he
could do it with such incredible attention to detail. Every subcontractor
Rich uses is high-quality and considered a member of his team. It’s hard to
build a house while juggling a family, but we had absolutely no problems.”
Looking Ahead
Sharon’s eye, combined with his own passion and skills, is currently bringing
to life $30 to $40 million in new homes, Rich says. Projects in New Canaan
Attention to detail is the builder’s hallmark.
February 2007