​Trying to figure this one out.

by the Carpenter

If you have been following us, for some time now, you have heard me say, or should I say question, if the time is right to move into the role of managing and administrative 100% of the time. I have stayed awake at night contemplating that many times. Also if you have been following this, I said in a post not too long ago that the time has come to do just that. Basically since the end of July, I have not swung a hammer or pulled the trigger on a circle saw.

It has been the busiest stretch of time I have ever seen in my career. With that comes the task of getting it all done in timely fashion. I am ever more relying on the crew to step up to the plate and swing away. We also rely on our customers to be patient and wait the time required now to start their projects. I can safely say we are booking work well into winter and it feels good to be able to stare the “Old Man” in the eye and say “you’re not going to stop us this year”.

Yesterday I toured a home that was in the Fall Parade of Homes Remodelers Showcase https://www.paradeofhomes.org/news/category/remodelers-showcase It was designed by a company that we are actually starting a remodel for in November. I must say, the home was virtually flawless. Finally I saw work that the attention to detail was what everyone in this trade needs to strive for and what I expect out of my crew every day.

Sometimes I ask myself, am I crazy? Sometimes I start to listen to those who may say, “Mark, you worry too much”, or “that’s good enough, who will see it”. Well, sometimes I hear what they are saying, but even though it may be tempting because of time or budget constraints, I am still able to answer, no I’m not crazy. No, I’m not going to start slacking, and no, the low expectations of the industry as a whole will not change the way we do things. It was so refreshing to see that home and let the "art of the craft" just sink into my pores. It was encouraging to see there is somebody else out there with a similar vision as ours.

With that said, as the first line above said, “Trying to figure this one out”, we are on the hunt again to expand the crew. I’m looking for a vision person who can come along side us to produce and create the wonderful work we saw today. Someone without attitude or drama, who just wants to do a fantastic job. If anyone knows someone who fits this description, send them our way. It will be a move they won't regret.

On a personal note, this coming weekend is "Conciflabs" (Don’t ask, too hard to explain) weekend. Yep, that wonderful weekend I look forward to each year where my Dad, brothers, uncles, cousins, second cousins, and sometimes a few friends get together for fall camping getaway.

This tradition started when my Dad took my older brother and I out for a camping weekend. We can’t nail down the exact year this started but the consensus is I was 4, my brother was 5. And that was a long time ago. As the years passed, my younger brothers joined us, my uncles and their boys also joined in. Some in-laws came along too, and my nephews as they were born and came of official “Conciflab” age to be part of the festivities. Right now we typically have about 22 that join in. Some years more, some years less, but for the most part it’s a pretty good turn-out. The food, is always delicious and plentiful. The games are fun. (You do want to be on Unca’ Bobs team, he always wins.) And the campfire stories are legend.

Yep, it’s quite a weekend. The most important part is the tradition. To have something like this for so long be a part of so many of this family’s lives is something to be proud of. The first Friday of every October is on my calendar and forever how long this lasts, it will be special to me. And with my current work load... a few days of fresh fall air and good conversation is just what this carpenter needs.

One last thing, “Bob’s your Uncle” (he’s mine too)

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A person can change.

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by the Artist

I had plans. dreams. A lovely large home. Built especially for me by the Carpenter on a pretty spot of land. Years ago I had even come up with some plans.

We built some larger custom spec homes a few years back and that only fueled my dreams. The last spec home we built was as close to my dream home that I could imagine. The Carpenter and I designed it from "scratch". Even though we built it to sell... I built if for me. And I did get to live there for awhile. And it was a dream. I wanted to stay forever. Not just because of the house but because of the quaint neighborhood where it was located. 

Well eventually you have to wake up. We moved back to our "real" home. I was determined to let that dream go. And I have. I now appreciate my smaller home, and in fact the desire for a larger home is long gone. The desire to live in that neighborhood is gone. (ironically the Carpenter wants to move back in a few years!) Maybe that comes with age. But I also think I've come to appreciate efficiency, smaller organized spaces. Minimalism. I even shop differently. I only buy what I need when I need it. 

And I think part of what has influenced this change in me is the "tiny house" trend. I don't think I could live full time in a "tiny house", but I can appreciate the lifestyle. And the creativity to be able to live that lifestyle. Here is a sweet "tiny house" from Houzz.com that is beautifully designed. http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/70571277?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u3538&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery0

Our company's brand line "Helping you love where you live" resonates with me more then ever now too. Staying where you live, embracing the potential in your home. Making the most of every square inch. Who would have thought that small homes would be trending post decades of bigger is better. That some are downsizing before they have an empty nest. That it's more a lifestyle choice, an intentional choosing of a smaller efficient footprint.

I'm excited about this. Call us if you are too!

 

 

Where is the tv?

I remember my Grandmother's TV/stereo cabinet from the 1960s. It was long and looked like a side buffet. It had a built-in stereo that you accessed from the top and featured multiple doors across the front which were mostly fake. The only ones that opened were where the TV resided which was also built-in.

She had the most beautiful elegant drapes that she hung from wall to wall (the width of the living room) and ceiling to floor- that hung behind the cabinet. (she also made her own tailored clothing, my first pair of bell bottoms- floral corduroy, all my Barbie clothes, my wedding dress and all the drapes for my first home). That TV/stereo cabinet paired with the drapes was the focal point of the room. She was truly a trend setter!

Remember the 80's "entertainment centers" that came into vogue.. where VCR's, stereos and the TV all hung out together in one cabinet sometimes made of lovely fake wood? You can still spot one of these treasures sitting at the end of a driveway with a free sign.

We built two custom homes in the early 2000's that featured the emerging trend of full wall entertainment centers featuring book cases, fireplace, and TV/Stereo cabinet spaces. At that time the trend was still.. hide the TV/stereo behind cabinet doors. It was a beautiful seamless solution to incorporating entertainment systems gracefully into more formal rooms.

Somewhere in the last ten years (I'm just estimating here) TVs came out of their cabinets. They became thin and sexy- no longer resembling their former boxy selves. And to accommodate these new beauties.. a whole new styled cabinet came into favor.. sleek and low.

And somewhere along the way some TVs- or should I say.. flat screens? left their cabinet homes once and for all, and started hanging out on walls. What a change! This all leads to the link I'm going to give you. I find these ideas worthy of passing on to you. Ways to incorporate your flat screen TV onto a wall with grace. You can paint a section of wall, add a textured stone wall the color of the TV, mount in a collage gallery grouping etc. Just check it out here if this interests you. http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/72580906?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u3710&utm_medium=email&utm_content=gallery1

Where possibly can the TV go next? I'm guessing there will be no TVs as we know them. Stay tuned for that!

My Grandmother's cabinet looked similar to this cabinet.. but it had wire mesh over the doors. Actually I think it is still sitting in my Dad's garage! 

My Grandmother's cabinet looked similar to this cabinet.. but it had wire mesh over the doors. Actually I think it is still sitting in my Dad's garage! 

Kitchen trending.

by the Artist

I threw them out! (I am not a saver which normally is a very good thing) I had beautiful brass hardware on my kitchen cabinets. Installed in 1998. I regretted going with brass in 1998 because brushed chrome rushed in and reigned supreme about the time I chose brass. I wanted to change over all the hardware in my home to brushed chrome. But I didn't. By the mid 2000's (approx) oiled bronze was the reigning king. For my birthday one year the Carpenter replaced all my kitchen hardware with oiled bronze bin pulls and knobs. I was so happy.

And now 18 years after renovating our Cape Cod... brass is back! Well thank goodness I didn't replace any door knobs or hinges! And really why is this worthy of a post? Because I am seeing a trend and I'm liking it a lot. Well more then a lot. Kitchens with black or dark navy painted cabinets- bases mostly- white painted walls, white or white with patterned tiles and brass fixtures and hardware. I have four words... bold, crisp, clean. Love. 

I don't write much these days about trends. But this has really caught my eye. Along with the fact that we just completed the Modern Farmhouse project which was full of beautiful white and black exterior/interior details. In particular because this winter I am planning on updating my home. I will start in the kitchen. I can easily change the wall color from sage green to white or pale gray, I can easily paint the base cabinets (well the Carpenter can easily do that), black or dark navy, and I can easily buy new hardware and sink fixture. Because I do have a white sink so the brass fixture will fit nicely. 

Here are just a few photos I grabbed from Pinterest. You can check out the boards I've put together for Applewood here https://www.pinterest.com/applewood8/

And just google or head to Pinterest and research this trend. Home design right now is so beautiful. There is a freshness that has been missing with the past trend of taupes and earth tones.

go to the above Pinterest link for photo credits!

Bits of apple.

by the Artist

I've been thinking about interesting things to write about. I have bits of this and that in my head that might be something to post. There is so much going on.. how to narrow down to share? As this humid summer winds down our life speeds up. I will share the "bits". Because the bits add up to a whole don't they? Or shouldn't they? Shouldn't all our bits of time add up to some greater purpose? I'd like to think so.

We took a short trip to White Fish Bay (outside of Milwaukee) to visit a cousin of mine whom I hadn't seen in 17 years, a couple of weeks ago. We only live 5 hours apart. It was amazing to see him after so long. I used to babysit him and his brother. Now he has his own child. He lives in this amazing historical home. I appreciated every nook and cranny. 

After our visit we traveled up the Wisconsin "coast" of Lake Michigan. We ended up in the town of Port Washington. We had so much fun. That lake is amazingly blue. We walked way out over a very scary skinny concrete pier to a light house. I felt woozy as the waves crashed against the rocks on either side. But it was worth it.

We ended our day at the Green Bay Packers stadium. The Carpenter was awestruck. And he is not a Packer's fan. The funniest thing.. we saw a wedding party exit the bar. The same wedding party we saw at a gazebo getting married in Port Washington.

A recent Sunday we visited my friend (who has started a granola business- ohyumgranola.com) at Linden Hills Farmers' Market where she was selling her wares. It was a beautiful day. It's just the right size market. We then headed to a fancy bakery and enjoyed some fabulous quiche. Yes carpenters do eat quiche! 

This past weekend involved some Applewood work. We drove to a spot near the St Croix river to preview a potential project. I go along when there is possible redesign. As we drove out into the country the Carpenter commented about the yellowing corn. He said "oh I hate seeing that". It means the "old man" is just around the corner. Winter. He hates winter. So much more headaches at project sites. At the house I found a mug from Big Bear Lake, California sitting on the counter. A good friend moved here years ago from Big Bear. The homeowner who isn't living in the home yet doesn't know where the mug came from. Kind of small world. 

The Carpenter is extremely busy with preparing multiple bids. We are scheduling work into November. He has also been meeting with potential new crew members. Our fall is looking bountiful for many reasons. 

Where to start...

by the Carpenter

I think this has been my longest writing dry spell….

Not sure where to start.

Through mid winter to early summer we were at the Modern Farm house project. The Artist has kept you in touch with all of that. We are moving on to new things. I do already miss the interaction we had on a daily basis with the family. It was a good job and hopefully more will be generated from it. Loved working on the beach of in my opinion the most beautiful lake in the Twin Cities.

Onward and upward as they say.

Our next projects are not as large as the last, but just the same, work is work. It does not matter what the projects are, we put the same effort forth every time. That’s what I have tried to instill into the crew for a long time. It doesn’t matter what the job or who the customer is, it’s the most important job and the most important customer. Period! We may not always be able to start your project at the time we discussed in the beginning planning stages, but that’s because we always finish strong to end a job right. That means when we are finishing your job, we are not pulling off just to start something else. We will finish strong.

A couple of other things have taken our time of late also. The Artist's mom passed away on July 5th. Somewhat of a surprise, somewhat not. I know she has talked about this in other posts so I won't repeat what has already been said. I do however want to honor her in my own way. It has been difficult for over 36 years to have a relationship with my in-laws at 1200 miles away. Distance does make a huge difference. A lot of guys would say it would be great to be that far away from their mother-in-law.

I never thought that.

Her and I always had a connection. Now I didn’t get out to PA a lot over the years. 10-12 times maybe since 1980, but it didn’t matter. I always got a big smile, some with tears, always a big hug and always, always a cheerful “how are you”? She really wanted to know. It wasn’t a veiled question just to ask. She really wanted to know how I was. I always appreciated that about her.

She introduced me to iced coffee with heavy cream and sugar. The best drink in the world. A couple weeks ago I made some for myself. I found myself in mid stir, getting emotional thinking about her, realizing that with all that has been going on in our lives, I never really grieved for her, really still haven’t. I’m sure it will happen.

She introduced me to New Hampshire. We were able to get there twice over the years. That was her teen, and adult years vacation land. She was thrilled each time we got there. The "Man on the Mountain", "Polly’s Pancake House", "Rattlesnake Mountain", "On Golden Pond" (Squam Lake), and my first hurricane. Memories that have become even more important now that she is gone.

She introduced me to miniature schnauzers…enough said!

She wasn’t a smoochie touchy feely type of person, but you knew she loved you. You knew by her smile, her greeting, her meals she made for you. Her concern for when you worked long hours, her willingness to mold herself to know what interested you and learn about it. She liked to be your cheerleader.

I regret not being out there for over 3 years before she died. I am thankful that I was out there 3 years ago to spend Thanksgiving with her while she was able to enjoy us as much as we enjoyed being there.

Mom, you are missed. Thank you for all you meant to me. The cool thing is, we will meet again. See you then!

 

 

 

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Between.

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by the Artist

We are in the between time. Just wrapped up the Modern Farmhouse Project. Starting a couple new projects. And in between we take care of the little jobs that have been on the wait list as we gear up and get into the groove with the new projects. 

It all works out. A balancing act for sure. This week as the Carpenter and I looked at the white board to schedule out the week.. I had to write a bunch of question marks. Between times don't go in a straight line. They are fluid. We have to be flexible. Rather.. I have to be flexible. I like plans and orderliness. I'm not good with changing plans or not even making a plan. No. Not for me.

I did take the time yesterday to head over to our completed Modern Farmhouse Project http://www.applewoodremodelers.com/recent-projects/ to take some final photos. Wow. I hadn't been there in awhile. Seeing it totally finished was amazing. What a contrast from what it used to look like. It must feel like living in a brand new house to the homeowners. It would feel that way to me. 

Here are some photos I captured yesterday. The house really turned out lovely. So simple and sleek. So fresh. I think you will agree. I've also attached some "before" photos just so you can see how transformed the house is!

The abundance of now.

by the Artist

I looked out my window and saw a profusion of beautiful Black Eyed Susans that have taken over an old garden. The bluest of blue overhead. The air warm but not wet. A light breeze cooling. It hit me... I am only guaranteed "abundance in this moment". 

We've had a different sort of summer. Our vacation did not turn out as planned. I had spent the winter months planning how I was going to fix up our newest RV. (the playhouse I always wanted as a child I finally got). I set money aside, I had fun outfitting the camper. I just couldn't wait to leave for our very first two week vacation by our favorite lake. Then my mother died and the Carpenter needed surgery. 

With the events of this summer I've been feeling the frailty of life. And it is giving me some anxiety. I normally have a certain amount if I am to be honest. And having your own business adds to that. The Carpenter is much better at being self-employed then me. He handles the highs and lows very well. Me not so much. Oh yeah I said that already.

I walk a fine line on this blog between being transparent about our build life and being positive about our business at the same time. It is a balance. I want to be real. I want to share this crazy adventure. On one hand I can say... we need more work. On the other hand I can say.. we have so much work we need to hire. This isn't for the faint of heart.


But today's epiphany made me realize that all I can do is be in this moment of abundance. It is all I have. We can strive for an abundant tomorrow, a worry free future.. but that isn't realistic. There are just too many things out of our control. 

But I'm beginning to realize that, that is okay. All we have is right now. The future will work itself out. I know that. 

Unexpected.

By the Artist

On the road.

It’s been a busy summer. The Modern Farmhouse project is wrapped up. You can see photos of this project on the link here. http://www.applewoodremodelers.com/recent-projects/

Three weeks ago along with the crazy of finishing up project details.. my mother died. She had been sick for a very long time. It wasn’t expected but it was. Knowing she is no longer suffering helps just a little.

We headed to PA for the Memorial service and to see my family for a brief visit. The Carpenter isn’t fond of flying so we drove. Twenty one hours one way. Kind of intimidating to contemplate. It took us two days to get to my parent’s house. We had a good road trip all things considered.

One thing when you drive.. you see things you would never see if you flew. Little slices of America. Troops of boy scouts on an adventure, two deer running through a cornfield, their coats catching the last golden rays of sunset, a woman riding her horse on early on a Sunday morning, two fawns on a hillside, old barns, a caravan of kids on a missions trip… their cars colorfully lettered… “honk for Jesus”.. we honked like crazy. Some beautiful dogs (of course the Carpenter had to stop to pet the dogs and speak with the owners)… a black English lab with a curly coat named “Curly” and an English Cream Retriever called “Sam”. Another lab on the road trip of his life.. traveling from California to the east coast before setting sail for Paris with his owners.

I was impressed with how many Americans are out there on a road trip. You see the long lines at the airport on the news. You don’t see the busy service areas along the turnpikes. It really was heart warming to see all the families.

The Carpenter commented that all you need to do is smile and say hi and conversations start. He met a guy at one of the hotels where we stayed. When he found out the Carpenter had a construction company he said.. ”hey I’ve been looking for someone to remodel my kitchen”. The Carpenter said… “well that would be nice but you live in Cleveland and I live in White Bear Lake!”.

We arrived back in Minnesota just in time to head out for our annual July camping trip. We were exhausted and very ready for a few days of rest and relaxation. Well we had to cut our vacation short as the Carpenter ended up in the hospital with a serious staph infection. The cause? A stubbed toe and the perfect storm of circumstances that allowed the staph to grow and attack. Sad to say he lost a toe in the deal. He’s had a very wonderful attitude about the whole ordeal. 

The good of this situation is that it has forced him to project manage and meet with customers only, while he recuperates. And this will become his new "normal" after he has healed. It is a very very good thing. I have wanted this for a long time. And now he is finally ready to let go of doing the actual work. I'm sure he will write about this change in his life soon.

Since being home from the hospital.. our crew has managed well. I am encouraged and I think the Carpenter is too. He's able to drive so is getting to the project sites as needed. 

So this is why we have been absent lately from this blog and Facebook. The month of July was a bit of a bust for us. But we are looking forward to a fall of new beginnings, plenty of work and letting this eventful difficult summer pass. Hopefully we can head to our favorite camping spot when the leaves start to change. We will look forward to that!

And we look forward to working with you! 

Second Act.

by the Artist

It's gonna be good!

We're on the home stretch at the Modern Farmhouse Project. When I look back at the start of the project it was bitter cold. The crew had to clear the snow to work. Seems like a long time ago as I sit here feeling the warm breeze coming in through the window. It is hard to imagine how winter could be so cold and how a home could look so different in really a short space of time. The cold and white is gone, and so is the old stucco, the old windows, two old fireplaces, old lighting, old hip roof details, and old rot. Along with warm breezes has come new windows and doors, a revamped roof silhouette, lighting, a more spacious kitchen (with the demise of an old gas fireplace) and more expansive views of the lake. And of course a lot of internal "new" that won't ever be seen but has made the house solid and energy efficient for years to come.

It has been a long process, but with perspective so much has been accomplished. It's kind of like being in intermission waiting for the curtain to go up. It will be well worth the wait!