Client Testimonial -
The Office Barn
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June 15, 2000
I recently had the pleasure
of working with Ken Andre to dismantle and reconstruct a hand-hewn
timber frame that was built in Ohio in 1830. The process was somewhat
involved as we were converting the structure into a commercial
office building. We struggled with many decisions on how best
to retain the integrity of the building yet meet the stringent
code requirements. It required a good deal of thought and Ken
helped us work through every detail with great patience and attention
to detail.
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The reconstruction
process brought its share of challenges and Ken met them all with
his usual unflappable determination. The beautiful structure now
stands as a testimony to his great skills and his pursuit of excellence.
I have to say that I have
never worked with anyone in my life that was so conscientious
and competent in his chosen line of work. Ken is a one-of-a-kind.
If your passion is to own and preserve a piece of history and
if you love barns, Ken is your man.
You are welcome to arrange,
through Ken, a visit of the barn conversion to see what Ken has
done for me. Please consider this letter as an unqualified reference
for Ken’s competence and integrity.
Sincerely,
Jim Fitzgerald, Jr.
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Client
Testimonial -
The Broadax Barn & The Timber House
January 14, 2005
My wife and I bought Devil’s Thumb Ranch,
a 4000 acre resort located near Winter Park Colorado, in early
2001 and began immediately thinking about what improvements we
would make in the facilities that were provided to its guests.
Serendipity took over, and as I was looking for “things” for
the ranch in the want ads of the Denver Post, I saw a small listing
that went something like “we locate, restore, and reconstruct
early American structures”. I called the number and left
a message.
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This is how we met Ken Andre
and began a 3 year relationship that has culminated in a 27,000 square
foot activity center built around a 140 year bank barn which Ken found
in Churubusco, IN. The hand hewn timbers of what is known as the Broad
Axe Barn have added such beauty and life to the ranch that our restaurant
business and lodging has doubled from last year’s level. |
It is truly
an amazing structure that now serves as the heart of the ranch-it
houses 3000 square feet of retail space in the lower part of the
barn, and 3,000 square feet of function/restaurant space on the
main level. It is the center piece of the activity center, which
also has an indoor/outdoor swimming pool, a full service spa (with
sauna and steam rooms), an internet café, a corporate retreat
meeting room, locker rooms, and also a wine cellar constructed from
cherry harvested from family land in the Adirondack Mountains of
New York. Ken also built an adjacent reclaimed building which we
call the Timber House that we will use for weddings and special
events.
Because of our use of recycled material from the
barn and the fact that we were preserving an early American structure,
we received an EPA award in 2004 for the environmentally sensitive
restoration we were doing at Devil’s Thumb Ranch. We are very
proud of that and feel the award should be shared with Ken, as it
is his devotion to the art he recreates and the detail he renders
to everything he does that really does recreate the era from which
the barn comes.
Bob and Suzanne Fanch
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Client
Testimonial
19th Century Timber Frame Barn
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July 25, 2006
To whom it may concern:
I had the pleasure of working with Ken Andre to convert a hand
hewn timber frame barn into a commercial office building. The project
was a success and I then decided that I wanted to have an antique
barn on some acreage where we planned to build a new home. Ken acquired
the building and did an incredible job of restoring, moving and
building it “better than before!” |
I spend a good deal
of my time in one place or the other - so I am admiring the work
of Ken and the pioneers who handcrafted these structures every day.
I never tire of it, and visitors love them.
If you appreciate the beauty of these pieces of early American
history, you cannot go wrong by working with Ken!
Sincerely,
Jim Fitzgerald, Jr.
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