Jennifer Bondurant Above photo courtesy of the Ratliffs. All other photos, unless noted, by Nick Decker

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You might be surprised to hear Ron Ratliff’s answer if you were to ask him how he felt when he completed the construction of his current second home at the Lake of the Ozarks. Standing beneath the 12-foot ceilings in the main living room of the 4,000-square-foot home, looking through a wall of windows toward the beckoning water, it’s hard to believe he felt disappointed. But for him, the process is half the fun.

“When the house is done, I am disappointed,” Ron says with a laugh. “I like building them.” Fortunately, Ron, a custom homebuilder, is able to mix business with pleasure to often indulge his creative side for his own family, including wife, Cheryl, and daughter, Ashley, 20. Over the past 15 years, Ron has built three second homes at the Lake of the Ozarks and three primary residences in Kansas City. As co-owner of Bryant-Ratliff Construction Inc., he and partner Randy Bryant specialize in upscale residences in the $1-million to $5-million range, building an average of eight to 11 homes in Kansas City each year.

Avid lake-goers, the Ratliffs completed their current Lake home in 2003. “It’s the most highly customized home we’ve ever built,” Ron says. “We kill ourselves building it, but when we get through, it’s great to see a neat product.”

Located within the prestigious Porto Cima community on Shawnee Bend, the home follows a contemporary design in construction and decor. On the main level, the east side of the home features approximately 800 custom Weck glass blocks with a water motif, featuring bubbles and waving lines, fitting the home’s lake locale.

 

Photo courtesy of the Ratliffs

Ron carried that motif into the curved, waving lines of the ceiling in the main level’s great room. The ceiling breaks into four levels above the kitchen, great room and hearth room, with two levels of curved soffit above a custom, peanut-shaped granite island. According to Ron, the island top is the largest single piece of granite you can buy. “It took eight guys to carry it in,” he says, noting the weight of the piece, crafted out of tiera verde granite with a finished edge.

The island sits on three columns, steel drums wrapped in half-inch copper. Two small columns hold up a raised mini-island that connects the large island with a long counter in the middle of the kitchen. The kitchen counters are Silestone, a quartz product that Ron chose for its superior durability. Beneath walnut cabinets, a glass tile backsplash in iridescent green, blue and purple shimmers, accented by copper strips.

The Ratliffs used copper in several different ways throughout the home. In the lower level, a copper bar sink and faucet, set into a granite countertop flecked with copper, provide service for family and guests. On the main level, the built-in entertainment center houses a fireplace, television and modern, metal wall art featuring copper. Even a powder room off the great room shimmers with metallic paint in faux finish — smudged green, purple, blue and yellow create a rich scene.

Custom choices distinguish the home, such as specialty trim rounding the doors and baseboard, continuous pieces of wood for a smooth, uninterrupted finish. To maintain a contemporary look, the Ratliffs opted to forego crown molding and window trim, choosing rounded sheetrock corners to frame the windows. Two-by-six walls allow for a deeper window setting.

“It’s aesthetic, but functional first,” Ron says, commenting on the wall depth. Ceiling heights above 10 feet require two-by-six construction. On the first level of this home, the ceiling heights range from 12- to 14-feet tall, including the 12-foot ceiling above the spacious screened-in porch off the dining room. Two hand-carved ceiling fans stir the air within the porch, maintaining a pleasant atmosphere.

The lower level also features 12-foot ceilings, with deep, two-foot insets that create a dramatic center in each bedroom ceiling. The home features five bedrooms in all, including a master suite on each level. Ashley enjoys the master suite on the lower level, which has a surf theme, befitting the water view outside.

The lower level exits onto more deck area — Ron says 1,900 square feet of concrete deck wrap the home’s back exterior, including space for an 18- by 36-foot rectangle sport pool, perfect for water volleyball, basketball or lounging and watching boats skim by. Built-in fountains in the center and sides of the pool add playful elegance. The pool and upper and lower decks overlook the family’s 48-foot by 48-foot deck.

The Ratliffs have been coming to the Lake as a family since 1990, Ron joining in Cheryl’s family history of lake living and quickly becoming hooked on the area’s boating and golf. “My grandparents had a place at the Lake,” Cheryl says. “It was a family event every weekend.” According to Cheryl, she, Ron and Ashley enjoy continuing that tradition. “We do lots of entertaining — informal, but social,” she says.

The Ratliffs might follow family tradition, but they also are making their own at the Lake — one of crafting fine spaces for their second home. Plans are already churning in Ron’s head for the next home they will build — one with a Floridian, Tuscan theme.