A Natural Model
Color and tile choices in this just-sold model from Homes by Chris at The Preserve
at Forest Ridge Estates caught our eye!
Written by Lisa Waterman Gray | Photos by Brynn Burns
ward-winning co-owners of Homes by Chris LLC, Chris Ragland and her husband, Roy, have received more than 40 awards for their homes during the last 20 years. “Roy takes it to the roof and then I finish it up,” Chris says.
For the Home Builders Association’s (of which she is a board member) Fall Parade of Homes, they built a functional and beautiful model home in The Preserve at Forest Ridge Estates that sold before the tour was even over. With a homey, lived-in ambience, its casual family lifestyle was too hard to resist.
“We try to set things up based on how someone would live in that house,” Chris says. “There’s a coziness to the house.”
Pops of color complement the wood and neutral tones in the kitchen and adjacent living room. A striking black and white island countertop—plus a walk-in pantry—enhance the kitchen, while a wood mantel and richly textured upholstery decorate the living room. The spacious mudroom is located beside an access door for the three-car garage, providing plenty of space to corral outerwear.
The company’s model homes always feature great artwork and ways to tastefully display family pieces, such as wood cabinets with glass doors. “I think wood in houses goes well with the wooded neighborhood,” Chris says.
We try to set things up based on how someone would live in that house- There's a coziness to the house" ~ Chris says.
Chris also prioritized bringing the outdoors in, installing large sliders for the living room and an extra-large patio with two firepits so the homeowners could comfortably spend evenings outdoors.
The second floor of this lovely home features four bedrooms and a spacious lounge area. Several upstairs bathrooms feature floor-to-ceiling tiled and glass-walled showers. A traditional tub shower flanks a bedroom, staged as a nursery.
Walk-in closets abound, with laundry hookups inside the primary bedroom closet in addition to a dedicated laundry room. On the finished lower level, enormous windows provide plenty of sunlight and tree-lined views, plus a fifth full bath and generous storage space.
Complete as it is, a new home is never an island—it’s part of a community. And Chris especially appreciates the cohesiveness in Julian-Groshans developments.
“They’re all built to proportion and scale,” she says, “and the developers pay attention to what the neighbors are building. We have also known these developers for years. For us, it’s important to know we have a strong developer behind us.”
Chris also loves the overall aesthetics at The Preserve at Forest Ridge Estates. “It is laid out beautifully,” she says, “and most lots back up to green space. It’s tucked away and it’s very quiet, and that’s what homeowners are looking for.”
Best Tile Installers in Topeka, KS
That mosaic wall tile behind the bathtub is insanely wonderful. This couple surely knows what they want and how to achieve each homeowner's dream house.