Derek grew up in a small town in southern VT, where through his high school and college years, he got to help his father raise a timber frame barn and woodshop. After studying biology and environmental studies in Geneva NY, Derek graduated in 2012. The following summer he worked with a small crew to cut the frame for his parents’ home.
From there he went west to pursue natural building and permaculture, taking courses in Oregon, and helping his brother build earth-powered greenhouses in Montana. He then moved back to the humid east, to the mountains of western North Carolina, where he lived for 10 years, working on small farms, for a timber framing company, doing edible landscaping projects, traveling for permaculture earthworks contracting, and ultimately becoming a climbing arborist.
Derek met his partner Jess (a fellow New Englander) during her time in acupuncture school in NC, and after a few years together in the south, they decided to move back north, for many reasons, including being closer to each of their families.
In 2024 they found a homestead in beautiful Vershire VT, where Derek discovered TimberHomes, and quickly found resonance with both the quality of craftsmanship and the quality of people the company brought together. Derek can be found cutting frames in the shop, and on site for raisings and build-out. In his free time he enjoys cross country skiing, rock climbing, building longbows and arrows, and exploring the woods.
