Converting Ballard's Appliances to a new small business facility

Ballard's Appliances is a landmark business in Asheville. Rex Ballard and his staff have outfitted hundreds if not thousands of area homes with appliances, cabinetry and countertops.

Well, Mr. Ballard may be getting older and wanting to retire from selling appliances; but, he still wants to keep the building and make it useful.

So, he asked Mathews Architecture to come up with a way to break the space up into offices and retail spaces for individuals and small businesses that just need a small space.

Maybe they're taking there first step out of running a business in their house and they need a small space.

We've faced a lot of challenges in helping Mr. Ballard achieve his goals. First off, the building has been added on to repeatedly through the years, with new electric service panels scattered throughout.

The variety of finish materials, corridor widths and lengths, and all the other myriad aspects of the building presented big challenges to making the building meet current building and fire safety codes.