How a pro athlete built a successful homebuilding business
After hanging up his professional cycling jersey, Austin King began a career in real estate. Cutting his teeth in a difficult market following the 2008 crash he began renovating distressed properties and reselling them. “In the early days,” Austin explains, “we became very geographically focused. There’s a neighborhood in Phoenix called Arcadia that has many very good examples of 1950s classic ranch homes. It’s a special area, with irrigation and mature citrus trees remaining from the original development, giving the space a unique feel and offering quite a contrast with the more typical tract housing of nearby neighborhoods with tile roofs in a desert setting. The Rafterhouse branding and ethos emerged from these roots in classic, timeless ranch and farmhouse homes.”
Once he committed to starting a family and building a real estate business, Austin channeled his inner competitor. “I didn’t grow up wanting to be average or mediocre, and while I may not have believed you if you told me we would become a business of over 20 staff projecting nearly $30 million in annual revenue this year, we push ourselves and have continued to grow according to every metric consistently year on year.” 
Brand strength
Austin puts some of that success down to the challenges that the early years presented. “When I was working as a real estate agent, it was a difficult time, and so every win was earned and hard fought. This period also made me realize that while I loved real estate, selling homes wasn’t my passion. Once we started flipping properties, I recognized Rafterhouse presented the chance to pursue my dreams a second time.
“Initially we focused heavily on branding, at a time when not many of our competitors were doing the same,” Austin continues. “We put signs up everywhere, built an Instagram presence, and ramped up our website marketing materials in order to drive up awareness and establish the brand behind the homes. It has all grown from there.”
Austin reflects on how important having the best staff has been on that journey. “I learned very quickly that in construction, you are only as good as the people you surround yourself with. That is staff, sub-contractor base, and everyone we interact and do business with. Teamwork was something I already knew the importance of from my cycling career, and it remains a guiding concept whenever we hire somebody. In the interview process, for example I have candidates complete a personality assessment. Over the years I have come to understand what type of person I like in a particular position.
“Then when someone joins the team, they need to understand how we want the building process to go, and how we expect the job site to function. This goes for project management as well, there’s a lot of one-on-one and group training to get people familiar with the standards we work to.
Impressive project
“So, we have a well-crafted team that are highly skilled and work seamlessly together. When you have found good talent, and empowered them to develop the high-level skills the job requires, retaining them becomes really important. That’s something we put a lot of effort into.”
Having such a depth of resources to rely upon enables the company to take on unique and challenging projects as Austin outlines. “We have a current build in Paradise Valley which is a good example. It’s an exclusive area with high property value. The beautiful acre lot we’re working with had never been built on and so presented some particular challenges. There were two natural desert washes bisecting the lot. These had to be put underground through a series of culverts and drainage pipes. Under the natural grade we quickly hit rock, so excavating the channels as well as the substantial basement was quite an undertaking. The house which will be completed this year is a beautiful home with a very high level of detail from the landscaping to the architecture and interior design. It has all the bells and whistles and I’m very excited to see it finished.”
Design vision 
Austin goes on to highlight another exciting and equally substantial project. “It’s a custom build in Chandler, a suburb of Phoenix. It’s an interesting subdivision, surrounded by fully developed areas, which has somehow clung on to its properties with horses, cattle or poultry. In terms of the house itself, it’s spectacular. We got the opportunity to work with Utah’s Clayton Vance as project architect, with our team covering the interior design and contracting. The house will cover 10,000 square feet, and will include an indoor basketball court. It’s a French country style home, so takes us back to our roots. There are some really strong architectural features to marry with the interior design and landscaping. Our clients are really fun and incredibly passionate about their home and so putting this project together, making sure every small detail is right for the client, has been very gratifying.”
Founded on quality
With 11 active projects, all of which are fully custom homes, Rafterhouse is set to continue on its path of consistent growth. Austin explains the vision for the future: “While I know the importance of having goals and careful planning, I have also learned over 13 years in construction that you have to remain flexible. This industry can be heavily influenced by external factors and opportunities can present in the most unexpected moments. We are constantly developing and improving, we’ll soon be starting a trim carpentry division for example, but we also have to stay nimble and receptive to new ideas and opportunities.”
Austin King has taken the pursuit of excellence and other sporting life lessons from his career as a professional cyclist and used them to build a successful homebuilding venture rooted in high quality traditional design. Through developing and retaining an expert team Rafterhouse has established the capabilities to pull off even the most challenging projects with a meticulous attention to detail that not only meets but exceeds the clients’ desires and expectations.