You know you are dealing with a great builder when in your first conversation, you can picture yourself living happily ever after in one of their homes. Such was the case when I interviewed Austin and Rachel Roupe, owners of A&R Homes. Not only did I yearn for the beautiful finishes, open floorplans, abundance of natural light, and stunning outdoor living spaces their homes offer, but also for the ease of having a custom-style home minus the headaches of custom building. To move into a home that has everything I desire without having to make those decisions myself seems like a dream. Yet with A&R Homes, it is a reality.

The couple behind this company are as relaxed, warm, and welcoming as the homes they build, and their love of the Pacific Northwest shines through in every project they take on. The two met on the first day of orientation at Western Washington University, and the rest was history. They fell in love and married right out of college in 2004.

Unlike Austin, Rachel grew up around the industry. “My dad has been a homebuilder my entire life, so I was very familiar with that process and loved being part of it,” she says. After college she went to work for Quadrant Homes in the Seattle area, while Austin took a job in pharmaceutical sales. When her dad asked them to come work for him in California, the two obliged. Austin worked with land acquisitions, while Rachel managed purchasing. After 18 months they were ready to go back to the Pacific Northwest and opened a Washington branch of that company.

From there they managed a wide range of projects running everything from land acquisition to entitlements to sales. In 2016, the two moved on to building infill projects in Seattle and Kirkland which included single family homes, townhomes, and cottage projects, eventually ranking among the largest homebuilders in the Puget Sound Region. They gained great experience, but it was while working on one of their most beloved projects, The Cabins at the Farm in Suncadia, that they discovered their true passion. “That project consisted of 39 single-family homes built in a place we have been going to with our two girls for several years now,” says Rachel. “We fell in love with it due to the golfing, fresh air, kids’ activities, and family environment.”

At the end of that project, Austin and Rachel decided to focus on a different product style and in 2021, started A&R Homes. While A&R Homes began with single-family homes in Suncadia, they are currently breaking ground on projects in Kirkland and Bellevue as well. Today their passion lies in more design-focused, luxury homes. As Austin explains, “We started with Suncadia builds where our goal was to have contemporary, mountain living on one level with lots of windows, big kitchen islands for entertaining, and great outdoor areas as well.” 

Here on the Eastside, their projects feature as much natural light as possible, higher ceilings, and large open spaces for entertaining, but are rarely one level due to the smaller lot sizes. And while Rachel loves contemporary design, here she enjoys designing homes with a bit more spin on traditional styles that stand out from the rest while fitting into the surrounding landscape.

Rachel and Austin work with three to four architects and are both incredibly involved in what those designs end up being. “We are the general contractor. We have our site superintendent and subcontractors and manage the entire process all the way to the closing,” she says. Even though these are spec homes, Rachel and Austin insist their homeowners have access to them both during and after the process. “Once a client has purchased one of our homes, I meet with them to do the final walk through and let them know they always have direct access to us if needed,” Rachel adds.

Both Rachel and Austin are very ‘face forward’ with their subcontractors and on their social media as well, which is a newer thing for them. “In the past we would have someone take photos of our homes to put on social media, but now Rachel will be on our Instagram feeds walking through one of our homes, while I will be doing something dumb like a Polar Plunge,” he says laughing.

As for current projects, they just launched their Sundream Collection (sundreamcollection.com), located in Suncadia's Nelson Lakes neighborhood. These homes will feature 2200-2500 square feet of single-story living with open living spaces, tall ceilings, an entertainer’s dream kitchen, and gorgeous outdoor living areas. Homeowners can also add a 500+ square foot detached casita to use as an extra bedroom, office, gym, or lounge. Purchasing a move-in ready Suncadia home from A&R gives you a custom-like home minus the headaches and wait time of a custom build. And for those looking locally, A&R has exciting projects coming up in 2025, so keep an eye out! (a-rhomes.com).

Rachel and Austin’s combined strengths have resulted in an amazing company and product. “Austin is a visionary. He is amazing at our marketing and working with our sales teams,” says Rachel. “He is also phenomenal at building relationships and working through floorplans.” Austin reciprocates, saying, “Rachel is an expert at bringing my wild visions to life while including all those unique details people love but overlook themselves when building.” Most importantly, both are passionate about what they do, and it shows.