Some people search all their lives to find a place like Montreat, North Carolina. But Gill and Martha Campbell’s roots go deep in the little retreat town surrounded by the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Martha’s grandparents met in Montreat, which was originally developed as a conference center for the Presbyterian church. Her family has been in the ministry for many generations, and Martha’s father, a minister himself, built a home in Montreat in the ’50s. Although Montreat is now an incorporated town, the gentle pace of life remains, and the town still maintains a conference center and college.

“We visited Montreat at least once a summer – and whenever possible otherwise,” says Gill. “We’ve always taken the children there. It’s been a special place for them all along.”

In January of 1984 Gill and Martha purchased property in Montreat, but for many years building a home there remained a dream. “We saw a TIMBERPEG^® [brand home] highlighted in an issue of Country Living,” says Gill, “and we stopped in at the Timberpeg [South] office in Fletcher, North Carolina. They sent us to visit a local Timberpeg^® home, after which we purchased a book of Timberpeg^® plans...and kept dreaming.”

The Campbells visited the property often, taking their three children for picnics – and more dreaming. Martha laughs when she recalls her children’s impatience. “They saw other homes under construction and kept asking when those men were going to build their house!”

“One summer in the late ’90s,” says Gill, “I just announced ‘we’re going to build a house!’ It was very out of character. We’d never built a home before.”

Martha points out that although timber frame homes weren’t the only option they considered, they did keep wandering back to the Timberpeg^® designs. So when they dropped into the Timberpeg South office to discuss their plans, they were directed to Ken Wertheim, a Timberpeg^® Independent Representative, as well as an architect.

Martha notes, “We had looked at other timber frame possibilities with a local builder, but he wasn’t willing to work with our budget. Ken was a great listener and able to stay within our budget, and he was very open about what we could expect. He worked hard to get within our range.”

“There’s always a solution,” comments Ken, who worked with the Campbells to develop a hybrid design, which combines timber framing and conventional stick framing within one structure.

“If properly designed to integrate the two systems, a hybrid can sometimes save money. By listening carefully and working in partnership with the owners in a collaborative effort, we can make dreams come true. The home’s footprint is less than 1000 square feet, but seen upon entering, the open floor plan and timber frame central core create a dramatic perception of scale and an illusion of expansiveness,” Ken explains.

“I had them fill out a questionnaire early on,” says Ken. “They found it thought-provoking to define what type of space was important to them. I used their comments to come up with a design that answered their needs and still got in everything that was most important to them.”

One of the items that was tops on the Campbells’ list was a greatroom where the whole family could gather, and a kitchen that was connected to it. “We all love to bake – and we all love to be together while we do it,” says Martha.

Ken kept this foremost in his mind when designing the hybrid, which, much like his own home, combines a Timberpeg^® central area with conventional stick-built wings in a best-of-both-worlds solution.

Martha captured the whole project in a scrapbook – from breaking ground, to work in progress, to photos of the crews, to the blessing of their new home where more than 20 people gathered. But Martha, like Gill, their children and their friends, also contributed her share of sweat equity to the project.

“The whole family was involved in the process,” she points out. “They even met with Ken early on to offer input – and they all had requests. One of my sons suggested a larger kitchen window so he could look out while he kneaded his dough. Another son met with the electrician to add more wiring to the home for computers and such.”

Ken’s help became especially valuable during the times when the Campbells couldn’t be at the site. “We live 500 miles away in Mobile, Alabama,” explains Martha. “We trusted Ken to follow our wishes and make decisions on our behalf when we couldn’t be there.”

Gill and Martha laid tile in the mudroom and bathrooms and returned post-construction to finish the basement with the help of a local builder. Martha’s real specialty, though, was painting. She painted most of the interior herself and credits the pointers she picked up working alongside professionals for much of her success.

The home’s warm, inviting interior owes its look to the Campbells themselves and input from friends. “We comparison shopped for just about everything,” says Gill. “We used to show up with all sorts of things for Steve Frellick, our builder, including the pedestal sink that’s in one of the bathrooms. He stored all our finds in his barn until it was time to use them.”

With the home’s size in mind, Ken and builder Steve Frellick worked to find the Campbells “extra” space wherever possible. “Ken gave us a mini attic space, captured loft space above the bathroom and found storage areas throughout the house in spaces he called ‘crickets,’” says Gill.

Because the home was built to serve Gill and Martha in retirement, it is handicapped “friendly.” The design called for wider hallways and door openings, lever handles on doors and a ramp leading up to the entry. Martha’s father, who used a wheelchair, found such touches very convenient. The features also make the home a desirable property during the months that the Campbells rent it out.

The finishing touch for the Campbells’ Timberpeg^® is the beam over the kitchen entryway that reads “The Gathering Place.”

“We picked the font and the size,” says Martha, “but Timberpeg^® did the carving.” The home’s name speaks to a time when all houses in Montreat were named, and speaks of the family’s strong emotional ties to both Montreat and their new home.

“When I visited Montreat as a girl,” says Martha, “there were no house numbers. Everyone knew the names of the houses – even the fire department. There’s actually a publication that catalogued all the homes in Montreat by name.”

She adds, “even before the house was built, we called it ‘The Gathering Place.’ My daughter found a cast-off construction board, painted the name on it and nailed it to a tree. In the end, the name means a lot to us. Our home is a place where the whole family can gather, and it speaks to our Scottish heritage as well. When everyone’s here, it really is a gathering of the clan.”

Photos: Rich Frutchey
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