“We needed someone we could trust, as we lived out of town during construction. Wade couldn’t have been more communicative, and he’s available all the time by phone.

“His remodel plans were so innovative, and his construction crew superb. He treats them well, and he expects craftsmanship at every turn.

“We recommend Wade Burns because he is both architect and builder. He’d dedicated, committed to the project, makes sure you’re happy, and comes up with great ideas you would never have thought of on your own.”

“We’ve known Wade since the 1980’s, when we both served on the President’s Council of the Conference Center. When it came time to buy a home in Montreat about eight years ago, we asked Wade to evaluate the structure and viability of adding space within the boundaries of the existing lot.

“Within our budget, Wade designed a wonderful additional living area and screened-porch, so nicely integrated, that a visitor wouldn’t guess wasn’t part of the original home.

”Wade was communicative, friendly, and giving, throughout the process, and remains a friend to this day.”

“We needed to extensively remodel an existing home in Montreat.

“Three different friends mentioned Wade to do the design, so we contacted him. What a find! Wade has a sense of deep caring about Montreat, his clients, and building trust. Now, we’d trust him with anything—and in retrospect, we wish we had asked Wade to do the construction.”

“I lived in Arizona, and was building a new home in Black Mountain. I had started working with someone else, but never felt comfortable. A friend recommended Wade, and our conversation felt good, immediately.

“I sent him some floorplan ideas, and he just made them even better. Wade managed the construction like the pro he is. He would email me 15–20 photos every night, so I could see exactly what progress had been made. I even threw him a curveball by adding a 12x15-foot workshop late in the process, which impacted the foundation on a fairly steep grade. As usual, Wade handled it.

“Working with Wade was an enjoyable experience, end to end.”

“We live in Davidson, and spend about 2-1/2 months in Montreat every year.

“I originally knew Wade’s uncle Bill DuBose, so we knew we wanted him to design our home. During the design, Wade built scaffolding on our lot, just so we could get a better sense of the views in various directions. The home had to fit in with existing, older homes around it. His sense of proportion, stone color, and aesthetics was outstanding.

“Wade’s communication was always excellent. He was always available—and he spent hours with us. He was instrumental in getting permits and zoning approvals from the town.

“We get so many compliments and questions about the design from visitors. We think it’s an architectural gem in Montreat.”

“This home has been in our family since my grandfather bought it in 1920. As we’re planning to spend more time, here in Montreat, it needed some major upgrades. My cousin, Nancy Thomas, was so pleased with Wade’s work that we asked him to look at our place. Once we explained our goals, he had lots of ideas to make it more livable, and more enjoyable.

“Everything from adding a stone fireplace to the screened porch to reworking the entire foundation, replacing the original siding, adding sprayed-in foam insulatio and new heating and air conditioning, refinishing floors, converting rooms, adding windows and a retaining wall to stop erosion. Wade has a great eye—for the practical, and the aesthetic. After all this work, Wade made sure the place still looks like it fits right into the neighborhood. As we live 5-1/2 hours from Montreat, we grew to trust Wade’s decisions, and were completely happy with everything.”