Timber Frame Architect Asheville North Carolina

Ken Wertheim readily admits his great fortune in life. "I get to do what I love," he says of a career that has its roots in a childhood spent camping in the mountains of Vermont and New York. He traces his passion for timber framing to those early years, citing the beauty of the Adirondack style and his own preference for natural light and materials.

That passion has been Ken's calling for the past 20 years. His first office was in his home in Brookfield, Connecticut – a custom timber frame design that showcased Ken's ability to work with timber frames. It soon became a model. "Clients would come to my office and see my own timber frame home," Ken explains, "and many people wanted the same thing."

He talks about how his research into the timber frame market led him to Timberpeg. "I met them," he says of Timberpeg's principals, "got to know them, and found they provided a full spectrum of services. They were great to work with.

When Ken, his wife Debbie and their young family moved to Asheville, North Carolina, Ken sought out Timberpeg and signed on in 1998 to become a Timberpeg Independent Representative in the area.

Hans Rose, Timberpeg Regional Manager, thinks Ken brings great value to his clients. "The fact that he's an architect and a designer," says Rose, "means he has more to offer."

According to Rose, Ken goes well beyond his role as designer to act as a resource for products his clients may be looking for. He also becomes very involved in all aspects of a project, providing value at every stage, and checking to see that things are being done correctly.

Rose points out that Ken has handled some very modest TIMBERPEG® projects as well as some very high-end ones with nothing but praise from his clients. "To a person, " says Rose, "they all say he's a great guy to work with." One of the attributes that's earned Ken a reputation as a great listener is his ability to create homes the owners can afford. "I have the skill to design within a budget," he says. When budget-oriented folks have their hearts set on a TIMBERPEG®, Ken offers a hybrid design.

One of Ken's favorite stories is about one of his first clients in Asheville. As Ken relates, "We were at a horse show and I found my daughter talking to a friend. I introduced myself to the friend's mother and we got talking. When I told her what I did, she mentioned she was looking to build a log home. I started telling her about TIMBERPEG®, and to make a long story short,

I ended up designing a fairly large TIMBERPEG® home for them, set on 100 acres overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains. And I also made a friend. We were there just a few weekends ago for a party—it's a great house to entertain in."

"Ken's a neat guy with lots of great ideas. But he also listens. He's got a great ear for what you're saying," says Jan Sisler, the client-turned-friend for whom Ken designed the Blue Ridge home.

She calls the family's home "a little piece of heaven," and mentions that Ken shows it to interested clients several times a year. "People get really comfortable when they come through," she says. "They seem to settle right in with the nature around them."

Turning clients into friends seems to come naturally for Ken, who points out that a designer can spend months with people, getting to know how they live and what they want in a house. "It's a very personal thing," he says.

For now, Ken is focused on trying to "stay small and keep it personal." He says Debbie would love it if he built an "unattached" TIMBERPEG® office, but as someone who truly enjoys what he does, combining his personal life with his business seems natural. Being a Timberpeg Independent Rep has been lots of fun, he says. "I think I'll keep doing it."