Officials from the village of Mount Pleasant stand in front of a new gazebo in a village park. The gazebo was installed by Smith’s Sawdust Studio, a local business that specializes in custom sheds, barns, gazebos and more; the village reached out to owner Terry Smith for the work so as to utilize a local business.

MOUNT PLEASANT — The village of Mount Pleasant has a new gazebo in a local park, courtesy of a local construction company that enjoys giving back to the community.

Smith’s Sawdust Studio has been in the Upper Ohio Valley area in some form or another for over 40 years, helping residents build barns, gazebos, and other projects around the area. Owner Terry Smith said he has pride in his business for being willing to work on custom projects, investing a lot of time and effort into the project, as opposed to businesses who aren’t as flexible with the design of their buildings.

“There’s been a lot of ‘barn builders’ recently pop up, and they’re not local businesses that spend their money locally,” Smith said. “We do, and that’s the difference.”

Smith said he and his employees recently completed two projects in the local area. Mount Pleasant officials contacted his company about building a new gazebo in the local park. Smith said that the village came to them because they are a local business, and working alongside local business owners is better for the community. Smith’s Sawdust took the project, and, in short order, constructed a new gazebo for Mount Pleasant. Smith said he is happy the village decided to come to him for its needs, as he enjoys helping out a local community.

“We really appreciate that a lot,” he said.

Smith and his employees also recently constructed a house in Barnesville for a couple that decided to build it as an investment on their property. Although most of his business comes in the form of sheds and barns used as storage buildings, Smith said that over he past 20 years, they have constructed around 30 homes.

“They’re a lot less expensive than putting up a modular building,” he said.

Smith and eight employees worked on putting the building up for the owners, a process that only took them a little more than a full day.

Smith said usually, they could have the building up in only a day, but the owners wanted hardwood floors installed in the building, so it took a little extra time. Smith said home building is another advantage his business offers over others, as he is willing to work with customers on custom projects such as houses. He also offers site inspection before projects, looking around before construction starts to make sure the land is in shape for a structure, among other things.

Smith takes pride in being a local business owner, who works to give back to the area around him and support the community, and hopes to build many more projects as the years pass.

“We’ve been here for 40 years,” Smith said. “We don’t plan on leaving anytime soon.”

For more information on Smith’s Sawdust, visit the website at www.sawduststudio.net, or call 740-484-4656.