Our Team
Meet the Woodhouse® Team
We are a team of dedicated professionals who have a passion for timber framing -- exceptional designers working alongside outstanding craftsmen and an administrative support staff and team of project managers with decades of experience supporting projects like yours.
We believe the main reason for our success at Woodhouse® is our team — the Woodhouse® family with an average tenure of over 11 years and many team members over 20, 30, even 40 years with the company. From taking your initial phone call to hand-finishing the last timber for your home, we work toward one goal – to meet and exceed our clients’ expectations.
Ben King
Regional Project Manager for the West
Ben is a lover of the mountains, rivers, lakes, beaches, and deserts in the west. He is also passionate about the beautiful architecture and design that allow structures to fit, oftentimes seamlessly into those landscapes. Since relocating to Oregon from Sun Valley, Idaho in 2004, his professional background has been focused on Real Estate, land development and home building. Ben has a genuine desire to help his clients achieve their goals, whether that is the design and build of their dream Timber Frame home or a Timber Frame shelter for their round pen at the ranch. He always looks forward to connecting with his clients in an authentic way and is ready to listen first and talk last.
Ben has a wife, who teaches elementary school and one daughter, who is passionate about training and showing her horse throughout the northwest. When he is not working with clients, Ben is a skier, golfer, surfer, mountain biker and…well, he participates in many of the variety of recreational activities that are offered out west.
Jamie Thompson
Regional Project Manager for the Mid-West
The Midwestern regional project manager for Woodhouse, Jamie Thompson, has more than 7 years of experience in the timber frame industry bringing numerous clients’ dream homes to life. Jamie has always had a desire to become an architect, which led him to join the timber frame industry.
“I love the process of building timber frame homes from the beginning to the end from the design process to their dream home being built, but my favorite part of this job is building relationships with clients,” says Jamie. “I love the people of the Midwest because they are so down to earth.”
Jamie has three kids – one son and two daughters and has been married for 30 years. Jamie and his family take yearly family trips to visit National Parks where they can express their love for the outdoors and hiking. Jamie says, “I love to travel and see new places so what better way to do that than by visiting clients and their sites.”
We asked Jamie what excites him about being a part of the Woodhouse team? Jamie states “I am excited to be a part of the Woodhouse team because of the family atmosphere, experience of the team, and the amazing attention to detail and smooth design and building process Woodhouse offers to clients.”
“I love the process of building timber frame homes from the beginning to the end from the design process to their dream home being built, but my favorite part of this job is building relationships with clients.”
Jonathan Shockley
Regional Project Manager for the Mid-Atlantic
Serving the Mid-Atlantic region and the state of Florida is Jonathan Shockley. Being enthusiastic about architecture and the building process, Jonathan designed and served as general contractor of his first home (a modified, colonial in Landenberg, Pennsylvania) at the age of 28. Prior to joining Woodhouse®, he has since been consulted regarding numerous residential designs/builds including new construction, additions, interior floor plans, and outdoor living (comfort) spaces.
Jonathan is an honorably discharged U.S. Marine Veteran, has three adult sons, enjoys music and travel – particularly to the mountains, lake regions, and his local beaches. He is an avid craftsman (metal and woodwork) and is closely involved with his local community at his home base in Delaware.
If you’d like to speak with Jonathan and see how Woodhouse® is the fit for your dream building project, please feel free to email him at: jshockley@timberframe1.com, or call and leave him a message at (302)-470-2237.
“For me, the exciting part of the building process is that moment when a client instantly realizes the reality of their dream project as it comes to fruition…”
Don Downs
Regional Project Manager for the Southeast
A classically trained handcrafter of timber frames, Don Downs is the Southeastern regional project manager for Woodhouse. His experience crafting timber frames, which includes the intricate trigonometry required to construct bents and timber joints, grew out of his previous experience as a carpenter and woodworker. He also has extensive experience in raising timber frames on the job site and enclosing them with structurally insulated panels.
All this makes Don an invaluable resource for customers and contractors on Woodhouse projects. “Having that depth of experience, from conceptual design, to how to cut a frame, to knowing how to put the frames up and how to enclose them on the job site, really allows me to help clients and their contractors from start to finish,” Don says. In his spare time, he enjoys playing guitar and reading.
If you have a project you’d like to discuss, please give Don a call at 336-528-3202 or email DDowns@TimberFrame1.com. He’s always happy to talk with clients at any stage of their planning.
“Having that depth of experience, from conceptual design, to how to cut a frame, to knowing how to put the frames up and how to enclose them on the job site, really allows me to help clients and their contractors from start to finish.”
Jay Hodgson
Regional Project Manager for the Northeast
Whether you’re building your dream home in New York or as far north as Maine, Jay Hodgson is the man to help you do it. “This job gives me the opportunity to help people realize their dream of timber frame living, while traveling through some of the most beautiful states in the country,” Jay says, “I love New England, the Adirondacks, the Finger Lakes, the coastal states, Vermont, and Maine.”
Jay’s life experience makes him uniquely qualified to help clients realize their dream homes. After earning a fine arts degree, Jay turned to antique restoration where he specialized in custom cabinetry. Those skills led to a career in home building, where he oversaw the construction of four Woodhouse homes and was left impressed by the beauty of the frames and the efficiency of the company’s building system.
Shortly afterward, he joined the Woodhouse team and is now helping home buyers in the Northeast build their dream homes. “Understanding the big picture of how these homes go together enables me to anticipate the complications and intricacies in the execution of the details,” Jay says.
When asked what inspires him to come to work every day, Jay doesn’t hesitate. “I’m usually the client’s first contact with the Woodhouse team and I take that responsibility seriously,” says Jay, who manages Northeastern clients’ projects from start to finish. “Woodhouse timber frames are a work of art. I love helping our clients build their dream home.”
When he’s not with his family or working with Woodhouse clients, you can find Jay in the great outdoors hunting, fishing, or mountain biking.
“Understanding the big picture of how these homes go together enables me to anticipate the complications and intricacies in the execution of the details.”
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Diana Allen
Design Director
Even a brief chat with Diana Allen reveals her joyful personality that always accompanies a warm smile and an infectious laugh. Perhaps it’s because as design director at Woodhouse, Diana’s living her best life.
“I have the coolest job in the world, helping people make their dream homes come true,” Diana says. “It’s my dream job. It’s a huge responsibility, but it’s one I relish. I enjoy the heck out of meeting new people and learning about their wants and needs, then finding just the right solutions to help create the home that’s pictured in their heads.”
Diana is a licensed and certified architect in all states except for Alaska and California. She has spent more than two decades designing both timber frame homes and barns, first, at the helm of her own architecture firm and now, at Woodhouse for the last few years.
“I enjoy the heck out of meeting new people and learning about their wants and needs, then finding just the right solutions to help create the home that’s pictured in their heads.”
Todd Davey
Project Coordination Manager
Todd has a diverse background that seems custom-tailored to fit his current position at Woodhouse®. He has 18 years of experience in the automotive industry where he spent the later years managing the Service Department. Customer service being a priority at all times. Looking for a change, he stepped out to become self-employed as a general contractor in the local residential market. He often complimented his projects by handcrafting custom furniture for his clients, a passion that he has pursued for the last 20 years. His diverse background, attention to detail, and unparalleled organizational skills make him a perfect fit for the Project Coordination Manager position. He is responsible for NOC administration, tech. rep. scheduling, delivery coordination, builder tech. support and warranty issues.
While not at Woodhouse®, Todd strives to spend as much time as possible with his two teenage daughters Abby and Alison.
Debbie Wheatley
Office Manager
As the office manager for more than 18 years, Debbie is the multitasker extraordinaire at Woodhouse who keeps day-to-day operations running smoothly. When you call in to the Woodhouse campus, she is the first person you will talk with. As the voice of Woodhouse, you will quickly realize she’s outgoing and upbeat, enjoying talking with clients about their dream home. “My office is in the great room of a timber frame home,” says Debbie. “How great is that?”
In addition to routing calls to the appropriate team members, Debbie keeps the company’s servers and individual computer workstations up and humming. She creates all design agreements for clients, maintains all contracts and communications with clients and the company’s selling partners, which are independent builders bringing projects to Woodhouse. Debbie plans meals for meetings and training sessions companywide, oversees client visits, and keeps the Woodhouse campus’ guest suite well stocked for client stays.
Asked what inspires her after 15 years at Woodhouse, Debbie doesn’t hesitate. “It’s really easy to work here, largely because of the passion that everyone on our team has for making dream homes a reality,” she says. “Everyone is extremely professional and enthusiastic about their jobs.”
When not at work or spending time with her friends and family, you can find Debbie in the great outdoors—horseback riding, kayaking, camping, or at home, enjoying a good book. If you haven’t yet talked with Debbie, what are you waiting for?
“It’s really easy to work here, largely because of the passion that everyone on our team has for making dream homes a reality.”
Todd Mahosky
Vice President of Operations
In Todd Mahosky’s two decades with Woodhouse, he’s worked in design, purchasing, and operations. His cumulative experience makes him perfect for his current role as Vice President, Operations, where he focuses on expediting systematic processes to get clients into their dream homes faster.
“Continuous improvement is all about eliminating the opportunity for error,” says Todd. “At the end of the day, it’s about driving quality improvement.”
Twenty years ago, the design process started with a pencil, graph paper, and some ideas. Today, under Todd’s watchful eye, the process is far more evolved. Todd’s team provides clients with finely honed design questionnaires to help pinpoint their needs, utilizes specialty software to calculate the cost of every cut, and employs three-dimensional modeling software to bring a client’s dream home to life.
“All our teams work together to produce a great product that makes dreams come true for our clients,” says Todd. “These are quality homes that will stand the test of time.”
When he’s not helping buyers realize their dream homes, Todd’s spending time with his wife, Sarah, and teaching their two boys to hunt.
“All our teams work together to produce a great product that makes dreams come true for our clients.”
Chris Wilcox
Financial Controller
As controller, Chris Wilcox oversees accounting and purchasing for Woodhouse. He ensures that the company has a robust series of accounting controls in place to secure the financial future. He negotiates with vendors to ensure the company has a steady supply of coveted tree species to create its iconic timber frames. He sources Southern Yellow Pine from southern states, White Oak from Kentucky, Eastern White Pine from New York, and Douglas Fir from Oregon. Chris is also in charge of the company’s human resources department and safety committee, where he oversees yearly employee training. “Worker safety is about being proactive and protecting the best interests of our employees,” Chris says. “We’ve had more than 1,000 days without any accidents or injuries.” When Chris isn’t crunching numbers at work, he’s crunching numbers at home, including running the family farm, Yaks of the PA Wilds—the largest Yak farm east of the Mississippi with 300 head.
Patrick Seaman
President & Owner
After a career of helping companies succeed around the globe, Pat and his wife, Tracy, wanted to raise their family in the Finger Lakes region where he grew up. So, Pat joined the Woodhouse team in 2003. In 2004, he became owner, president, and general manager.
Pat brought in a CPI engineer to teach the entire Woodhouse team how to design processes that eliminate the opportunity for error while simultaneously identifying solutions to streamline design, fabrication, and delivery of the Woodhouse home.
“What you measure, you manage,” he says, describing how each month the Woodhouse team reviews performance metrics. It’s a process that quickly shaved off time both in the design and production process and transformed Woodhouse into a timber frame powerhouse. “The results have been phenomenal,” he added. “Where the team once had a lot of anxiety about the day-to-day performance of the company, they now are completely secure about the future. They have a higher quality of life as a result. Solving strategic issues that impact their lives so positively is what really motivates me.”
When he’s not mentoring, you will find Pat proudly showing off his Woodhouse home to clients, which is an hour north of the Woodhouse campus. “I love meeting clients and helping them on their journey,” he says.
His other passions include improving his property’s vineyard, learning how to make better wine, and walking his dog six miles every day on The Black Diamond Trail – a rails-to-trails hiking trail that crosses the property.