“I wanted to be a surveyor” says our in-house architect, Kenn Sedlacko.
After obtaining his degree, but unable to find his dream surveyor job, he found his passion elsewhere – at an architectural firm. The rest is history! Now, with over 30+ years of experience in residential and light commercial architecture, Kenn works for Sasser Homes full-time.
Fun fact about Kenn:
He creates hand-drawn sketches for his clients. Beginning with a simple idea, even on the back of a napkin or scrap piece of paper, he can take your words and ideas and bring your home vision to life in his sketch. He doesn’t always know when or where inspiration may strike, but he believes hand-drawn designs add character that you simply don’t get with computer-aided drawings – and we agree!
“Electronic drawings just don’t reflect the personality of the architect the way hand-drawn designs do,”
Kenn explains. As he reminisces to when he began his craft, he describes that he used to be able to decipher the architect of a design just based on his or her sketch alone!
“AutoCAD software didn’t exist when I first started designing houses,” Kenn explains. “I didn’t come up in the CAD world. More and more, engineers started adopting it, but every architect has a different approach to what we do. The first thing I’m going to do, however, is create a design that is functional for the homeowners. That’s a big deal for me.”
This is where function meets inspiration.
It lies in Kenn’s hands (literally)! The personality he brings to the homes he designs – especially in the custom, practical interiors he creates, reflects the experience and knowledge that only a seasoned architect can produce. Being able to give a customer – even in just a few minutes – a hand-drawn visual of what their dream home may look like can sometimes make all the difference. Kenn describes the job of an architect as a little bit engineer, artist, and graphic designer.
“The job of an architect is truly multi-functional,” he says.
Being multi-functional where we shine. Sasser Homes offers clients a couple of different options when it comes to home building – custom designed homes and semi-custom.
- Custom home building allows you to come in with a wish list – a set of ideas you’re looking for in your future home, but maybe you don’t have a pre-conceived plan yet or have all the details ironed out. The home is built from the ground up, and your needs and wants for your dream home will be incorporated into the design as its being created, making it one-of-a-kind. Kenn is integral in this process and meets with you to develop your home strategy.
- Semi-custom home building allows Sasser to use plans they’ve already done for previous homes, then modify those for you accordingly to design the home you’ve always imagined.
If you’re currently looking for inspiration, it’s easy to browse some of the designs Kenn has created by visiting the home gallery , which offers an extensive array of photos to generate ideas. Even though you may be wanting something truly custom, perhaps you’ll find the perfect kitchen or outdoor space in our gallery – already created!
Listening to customers is critical, and Kenn explains how important it is to work with clients, oftentimes a husband and wife duo, to get consensus and agreement in all aspects of designing their dream home and blending it altogether.
Kenn enjoys designing homes of all sizes, especially smaller homes.
“It’s easy to design something big. With larger homes and more square footage, you have more flexibility. When you have a smaller budget, smaller home, and smaller square footage, you still have needs,” Kenn describes, “but you have more constraints, too. That’s why I find smaller homes more challenging, but more fun!”
Kenn also assists Eric and the rest of the Sasser team with questions from the field, client contact, follow-up, finding building materials, and bringing innovative new concepts to the drawing board. The team is always on the lookout for new ideas and revolutionary designs.
An avid skier in his earlier years, you’ll now find Kenn (on his off days) cooking, traveling, or watching a Steelers game!
Interested in working with Kenn (or a fellow Pittsburgh fan)?
Simply complete the “Start Dreaming Survey” to get your creative juices flowing, and a Sasser representative will be in touch shortly after.