Ariel grew up in the Hudson Valley in New York State, gaining expertise in the building trades at a young age working tirelessly on elaborate Lincoln Log, Knex, and Lego projects. He went on to study structural engineering and sculpture at Brown University, but did not discover timber framing until years after graduating. He pursued other passions in the meantime, living as a street musician in New Orleans, a steel sculptor in Northern California, and spending several years in a very colorful intentional community in rural Tennessee. It was here that Ariel stumbled into a weeklong timber framing workshop, and quickly concluded that this old and beautiful trade would become his calling.

He relocated back to the northeast and has since worked for a number of talented timber framers, whose guidance has been instrumental in shaping his path through this expansive craft. At Timber Homes he particularly enjoys the playful juxtaposition of milled, square timbers with organic, natural shapes from the forest – the melding of engineering, logic, and creative expression. He loves spending time in the outdoors and is endlessly inspired by the beauty of woods and mountains. And last but not least, he is quite close with his faithful pup, Ashki.