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Most builders are known for putting up walls. But Ro Glantz likes to take them down. In the custom home she and her husband Bryan built for themselves in Fairfield, the ground floor is one giant room, following an open-floor plan. "I think the traditional concept of splitting things into a separate formal kitchen, dining room and living room doesn't fit with the way people live today," she says. "When people see our house, they're a little shocked, but they love it."
The Glantzes have brought some of this open thinking into the homes and condominiums they have built in their partnership as RG Building and Development, most recently at the Crescent Village Condominiums in Shelton. "I like to get rid of as many walls as I can," she says.
Ro Glantz hasn't limited her wall demolition to the physical aspect of construction. In this traditionally male-dominated field, she has become a top player in the local market. "I think in some ways the building industry is more suited to a woman," says Glantz, who started working with her builder father in 1992 when she couldn't find a job using her business management degree. "It's about organization and managing and working with people, and women are good at that," she says. Also, a woman can bring a greater appreciation of how a house actually works to the design phase, she says.
Despite the recent challenges in the residential building industry, Glantz says they are holding their own. "I think you just have to be a little bit smarter. You're not building big houses on spec, hoping esomeone will buy them," she says. "It's a lot more cost-effective to buy an existing house and renovate it." She also feels there's an increased desire to live closer to retail, entertainment and transportation options. "With the cost of gas, people don't want to have to drive very far to get what they need." And thanks to her efforts to eliminate walls, they won't have to walk as far, either.
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