Watauga Preservation rebuilds the past into homes of the future

Photos Courtesy of Watauga Preservation Charles Norman III, owner of Watauga Preservation, transforms 18th and 19th century homes made from hand-hewn beams into modern homes that have historic value and character.

By Julie Fann
star staff
jfann@starhq.com

   Watauga Preservation is in the business of taking homes of the past and adapting them to meet the culture of the future. While that may sound esoteric, it's as common and utterly American nowadays as what you see on HGTV -- like using old, wooden clothes pins to make a decorative shelf.
   Charles Norman III buys and sells antique lumber, 18th and 19th century hand-hewn beams, to customers wishing to build a new home that looks, and is, old. "I take an old barn, old homes that maybe used to be one-room cabins, take them down, tag the logs, repair damage, then place them inside a newer, larger structure. It's kind of an adaptation. You're taking an old, antique cabin and putting in a new floor system, a new foundation," Norman said.
   Most of the materials Watauga Preservation buys are from large barns in the Northeast and Midwest. Though his business currently operates from 80 percent material sales, Norman hopes to move much more toward construction.
   "My typical customer is a male, generally over 50 years old, who is building a second home in the mountains. They have money to spend," Norman said. "People catch on to the rustic look and want to do it. If you want to put a couple million dollars into your vacation home, it gives you something a lot more interesting. Sheet rock is not very interesting, but if you walk into one of these home it's all old wood. It's got character and history."
   Norman, 25, holds a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Emory and Henry College in Abingdon, Virginia. After graduation, he worked for a company similar to Watauga Preservation managing the production and construction end of things.
   "My father was a mason, and his father was a mason. I went to college and learned skills in business. I get to see the country and work for myself, and I don't have to sit in front of a computer all day," he said.
   Operating initially out of his pick up truck when he opened the business in March 2003, he recently purchased five acres of land off of Morey Hyder Road in Carter County, where he has his home and office. He would like to eventually expand his business on the land.
   The hand-hewn logs Norman sells include oak, wormy chestnut, hemlock, and various types of pine, which he said are his best sellers.
   "I buy the logs from sellers and then I also do a lot of take-downs. A lot of people have a piece of property in their family they want to use. One man had old structures in his family located in Nashville, then he moved to Charlotte. He made a good living, and he just wanted to move the cabin," he said.
   A native of Watauga, Norman named his company after the region.
   For more information, contact Watauga Preservation at 747-5758 or visit the Web site, www.wataugapreservation.com.