rawn to the beauty and tranquility of Western North Carolina, people often discover the area in and around Cashiers. Quickly building a deep bond, many develop a desire for a second home or permanent retirement home here. As they explore that possibility a name likely to come up is Buddy Smith, owner of The Buildersmith, Inc.

Asked to describe the houses he builds, Buddy replies, "We build a high-end custom home. Most of our market is second home, third home, custom built." He goes on to explain that The Buildersmith works with homeowners to create ideal custom homes on their sites.

"And we have the ability to design houses too... design and build. We also build post and beam houses; that's the old fashioned way of building used to raise the barns like in the Amish country. The houses are designed so the posts are the structural part and you fill in between. They have a lot of exposed wood creating a very open and rustic looking home."