He participated in rebuilding many churches, and was a builder that found good solutions to his tasks both technically and architecturally.
He gave up his leasehold in 1665 and shortly thereafter purchased the Sygard Skurdal farm in Sør-Fron, where he lived until his death in 1682.
He may have learned his timbering skills in Denmark or Germany, or there may have also have been more craftsmen engaged in this work in Norway than is known today.
The stave church has an elevated central area, and the basilica-like form was also continued in the timbering in the extension.
[7] In 1634, Olsen worked for the first time in Lom, where he extended the stave church's nave to the west using the log construction technique.
[1] He also raised the central part of Lom Stave Church, and the basilica-like form was extended into the log-construction additions.
Werner Olsen's reputation as a church builder has led to him being credited with most of the construction carried out in the Gudbrand Valley during his time.