Crystal Valley Blog

When Jerry Powell was house-hunting for he and his family four years ago, he was looking in Boulder, but for some reason Crystal Valley popped up in his search. The Powells liked Castle Rock and when they drove to the location, part of the appeal of the master-planned community was that it was a little further out.

“We’re at the far south end of town on a quiet cul-de-sac, and there’s no commercial traffic – just us residents,” Jerry said. “And it’s so geographically convenient for my business between Denver and the Springs.”

It was a perfect fit. 

Jerry and “a houseful of sons” (three to be exact ) love living “a little bit removed” from the hubbub that is Castle Rock to the north of Crystal Valley. “We’re at the far south end of town, and live on a quiet cul-de-sac,” Jerry said. “We don’t have any business traffic, or external traffic – no mall traffic – just the residents.”

Great Place to Raise a Family

Jerry has a 13-year-old, Lafe, and a 7-year-old, Declan, still living at home, and they go to Douglas County Schools. “This is a great place to raise a family,” he said. And he was thrilled to get a large corner lot. 

“It’s immaculately landscaped,” he says with a tinge of pride. “I’m a big yard guy, I love being outside. That’s what we didn’t like about Boulder – the small yards. I wanted space to enjoy, entertain. We like to host parties and have barbecues.”

One thing inside that the Powells appreciate is a “very impressive gourmet kitchen.” Jerry used to own a couple of restaurants, and while he claims not to be a chef, he does like preparing a good meal. 

Family-Owned Woodworking Business

Jerry runs Castle Rock Woodworks, a family-owned and father/sons-operated furniture and gift woodshop. The business represents more than 20 years’ experience in CNC manufacturing, architectural millwork, and specializes in custom furniture and cabinetry for homes and offices. 

“We just did all the architectural millwork for a new research facility at Purdue University, and we produce portable takeaway tables – which can be used for camping, barbeques, drafting work. We’re the official tables for Notre Dame,” Jerry said. “We do fairly large-scale work, plus household items and gifts.”

Some customers have questioned the smaller items, but those are the products his sons make. “All my sons work in the shop and my boys have their own thing going – cutting boards, device docking and charging stations, custom signs,” he explains. 

Giving Back to The Community

But the “product” of which he’s most proud are the planter and birdhouse kits that he made for kids who were locked down and locked out of schools last year due to COVID fears. “We wanted to support the community – give back, help kids who were suddenly homebound for months,” Jerry says. 

“This is my community and I reject the idea that you start a business and just take from the people who support you,” he says with passion. “It’s my community and to be taking more than you’re giving is not an ethical way to run a business.”

In all, Castle Rock Woodworks distributed more than 118,000 birdhouse and planter kits and provided CAD files to additional woodworking operators in 23 different countries, so they could do the same thing.

The birdhouse kits came with educational pamphlets about Colorado birds, and links to educational resources and information about where to place the birdhouses.  The planter boxes were similar to the birdhouses in that they are easy to build and include educational components, such as information about wildflowers in the state.

Fire in the House!

Living in Crystal Valley has been great for the Powell family, except for one morning in March when they all woke up to the sound of smoke alarms blaring at 4:30 in the morning.  “The entire house was on fire and we had to scramble out to safety.”

Luckily, all the people and pets survived the blaze, but the house and everything in it was a loss. When State Farm insurance brought in Golden Forensics to investigate the cause, Jerry learned that a mouse had chewed through the insulation around a vent pipe and some wires that caused an electrical fire.

The lead investigator called Jerry to the scene and together using a metal comb they sifted through the basement rubble and found mouse droppings, evidence of a nest and the mouse carcass.

Hard to believe that one little critter could have done so much damage, but the Powells rebuilt their home, renting a house nearby, and even stayed in their motorhome for a couple of weeks. While he’s pretty matter of fact about experiencing a life event not many husbands, fathers or business owners ever have to, there’s one thing he intends to do once they’re all moved back in.

“We’re going to get a cat,” he said. 

Crystal Valley: Home of The Persevering Powells!

It’s hard not to admire the kind of fortitude the Powells have displayed through their circumstances in 2020 and 2021. They fit right into the master-planned community of amazing residents  at Crystal Valley and we congratulate them all on their ability to bounce back! If you haven’t checked out the many floor plans or homes from four of Colorado’s top home builders, we invite you to stop into any sales office to see the 9+ decorated models and explore the community’s amazing amenities. Priced from the $400s, you’ll find the right fit among these ranch and two-story designs.