Our Build Life

Snow and then some.

by the Artist

We've settled into winter here at Applewood. A fresh snow came over the weekend sprinkling 5" of white on the lawn and trees. The first snow is very pretty. And now we look like we are living in a snow globe and it feels all "Christmasy". That's nice for December! We can start looking forward to spring come January!

We are just wrapping up two inside projects. Have gotten a good start on the third and fourth. And the fifth project waiting to start will find our crew outside during the winter bitter. We've got good timing!

The Carpenter still has too big of a hat collection. :) And we continue to search for craftsman carpenters to add to our crew. I've been busy preparing for an annual insurance audit and working on my usual social media and design projects. 

We've also been busy interviewing for the "snack manager" position which has been open since last March. We have found a possible candidate and are anticipating meeting her in mid February if all goes according to plan!

We hope you are able to enjoy this busy season. I always say.. just take it one day at a time!

 

 

Greens anyone?

by the Artist

The Carpenter gave up his shop this past weekend for my sister-in-law's 10th Annual Holiday Greens Party. This is the second year it's been held in the shop. For eight years she held it in her home. That doesn't sound too bad. And it isn't if you don't mind evergreens of all sorts everywhere, ribbons, novelties, lots of debris and sap all over. I don't know how she managed. What a mess. But she loved doing it.

Now I'm helping. We take over the shop for one weekend. It's a ton of work but worth it in the end to see how much fun everyone has making their own arrangements. You get to be a florist, stretch your creative wings, have some laughs with friends, and head home with a custom arrangement you made... just in time for the holidays.

One of our current homeowners and her daughter came this year. I have helped her with design decisions and it was so nice that she came. She had a great time too.

Last week I walked into the shop when we were getting ready and I saw what the Carpenter had contributed to the party. He painted some festive art on two of our exterior work stations (old steel entry doors) that were propped up to hide shelves. What a guy. He never ceases to surprise me! He always supports whatever I take on.. even if it disrupts his work space. And that is how loyal he is to his customers. He's there for them. 

And he'd probably be happy to paint a Christmas scene on your door if you ask!

Click on photos to see larger!

Andrew

by the Artist

Today is a sad day here at Applewood. But a happy day for Andrew. Today is his last day. After spending the last couple years with us while he transitioned from college to career he has found a career position in Construction Management in Arizona.

Andrew will be missed. He always has a smile on his face and has a cheerful and helpful spirit. He took on whatever task was set before him with a great attitude.. no matter how messy or boring or tiring the task was. He spent these past two years learning the construction trade from the ground up. 

We wish you all the best Andrew as you begin this new chapter in your life. 

 

 

Click on photos to see larger.

Lofty goals.

by the Artist

Well here we are on the downside to the holidays. Are you ready? I'm not. I have really enjoyed our long fall this year. The Carpenter has too. But as usually happens projects have been inside since spring and now as we head towards cold and snow, the crew will be heading outside! Do you remember when we started the Modern Farmhouse Project http://www.applewoodremodelers.com/modern-farmhouse-by-the-lake/ in the dead of winter last year? Not only was it bitter cold but also bitterly windy as the crew faced the winds off the lake. Here we go again. Makes me want to curl up with a cup of coffee and a good book.

We continue to look for carpenters to add to our crew. One thing that has struck me... over the years we've heard comments... "you guys have high standards." I used to almost feel bad about that. Then I had this thought... not once has a homeowner complained that our work is too excellent for their home. Our standards are too high. Most of our homeowners are so pleased to find a company that strives for excellence. We don't only strive... we meet that goal. And we will continue to meet that goal. In this world of mediocrity and compromise we stand out. 

If you are a carpenter and value excellent workmanship please give us a shout. We would love to meet you! There aren't enough carpenters who really care about the details, about not hiding mistakes, about giving their best effort every single day, and who believe in the art of the craft.

We know you are out there... 

 

News & Blessing.

by the Artist

So much is happening these days at Applewood! So much we haven't been at liberty to share. All good things. We have been blessed with a bountiful fall of work. And as I like to say.. our basket is brimming with apples! Each project has been going well. And we continue to get busier and busier. We love working with our customers and helping them with the needs of their home. 

One of the news I can share.. we just hired a new crew member! He is going to start this Monday. That will make 5 strong! Will share more later about that. We are excited to be adding to our crew. And we will continue to look for more "craftsmen". Only the best for our excellent customers! We take longer to hire to find not just a carpenter... but a craftsman. Someone who will uphold our standards for building, customer service, and who catches the "vision" and believes in what we are doing. It takes longer to find the perfect fit but it is worth the extra time. 

On to another subject... recently I was at Target. I got in line to check out in a lane where the clerk was disabled. At first I was going to go to another lane.. then I thought.. what am I doing? Who cares if it takes longer. Well those of us who chose to stay in his lane were blessed. The clerk had a severe disability.. speech, motor skills etc. No other clerk was standing by him to help. He struggled to grab change out of the drawer and open a plastic bag. Even removing the plastic hanger on the clothing I bought was challenging. But he persevered. I looked around me at the other women in line with me. I could tell they were all touched by him and were rooting him on inside. You could just see it on their faces.

As I walked out of the store that day.. I thought bravo Target! They've gotten a lot of bad press lately. I was impressed that they took a chance on this guy and believed in him.. even if he couldn't check out the customers fast. I was humbled about my own life. My petty complaints. I thought about serving those around me. Not being afraid to try something I am afraid to do. And I thought about the privilege of having a strong body and how I take that for granted.

I wish we could hire someone with a disability. But that isn't realistic in our line of work. But maybe some day when we are much bigger a non physical position would be needed. Estimating, project management, who knows. 

In the meantime I won't forget the experience I had that day. And also to not take for granted the blessings in my life. Very appropriate for all of us this time of the year!

 

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Looking forward.

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by the Artist

It's about time to focus on this blog. Today I'm thinking about the amount of projects we've had going on since summer and what is going to be an even busier November and December. And in the "in between" times the Carpenter continues to look for new crew members. We only need a few good men. They are hard to find apparently. 

We are currently finishing up a lower level remodel including a bath, and a larger interior remodel including two bath remodels. The Carpenter continues to be available to both homeowners to answer their questions. Last night he arrived home at 7. I always say... if you sign on with Applewood.. you will get solid moral support during the duration of your project. And with that comes usually additional work that we do our best to accommodate within project deadlines.

I had another sale last weekend for my chalk painted furniture line "A Painted Apple" in our front driveway. Traffic and sales increased because I put ads for every single piece I was selling on Craig's List. Had good activity for a few days. But still need to contact area shops to see if they want any "painted apples!" The Carpenter gave up on this endeavor of mine (I didn't blame him it's been a hard road) but is back to support me. Last night he came home with an old school desk from the 1960's. I've got plans for that!

Sale day was beautiful. Leaves were softly falling (I didn't need to get the leaf blower out) and the sun shined warm. I met some great people and got some good tips. There are a lot of members in the chalk painting club! 

Oh and in the past couple of weeks we topped 100 Likes (officially 103) on our Facebook page! That is cause for celebration. I started the Applewood page summer of 2012! I'm thankful for each "Like". It takes a loyal hardy soul to follow a construction company! 

 

 

 

Last night of vacation for 2016

by the Carpenter

(this was written this past weekend as the Carpenter sat by a lovely fire. The lake was calm as glass, the air was perfectly still. The moon was full.)

Yep, it's October 15. The Artist and I are on the shore of our favorite lake in northwest Wisconsin. Sitting by the fire, watching the full moon lift above the east shore of the lake and above the tree line across the water. The lake is so calm, I’m tempted to “chunky dunk” (camp lingo for skinny dip). But I won't.

We arrived on Wednesday with the intention of having no agenda for five days. This was a re-do of our lost vacation in July due to a funeral and some medical issues that needed attention, so here we are.

Of course there is some guilty feeling I always have when leaving work. Don’t know why, it’s just there. Fortunately for me that feeling is not as strong as it used to be. There was a day when we had a vacation planned, I would add up the cost of lost time at work and the cost of the vacation and make a justification that it was not affordable. Not good decisions. I never took into account what not taking a vacation cost in terms of refueling, time to rest, sometimes time to heal, body and spirit. Looking back years ago, there would be stretches of time several years long we never got away.

Yes I would have a day off here and there, go hunt or fish for an afternoon, attend the annual fall Olson men's weekend and a few various other things that got me away on occasion. But not the two of us. It was bad for awhile, never getting away.

Things have changed though. It is now a priority. We will be taking two weeks next summer and a year from now again on this same beautiful lake. And if the weather is with us and the ice is off the lake we will try again for a long weekend in May.

Like I said, it’s the last night. My mind is back home thinking of bids, schedules, upcoming jobs etc (don’t tell the artist). I really hate the fact I start my week and I’m still at the lake. I am working on that.

Ok back to the fire, the moon, and the lake, I still have 36 hours before work starts. Oh and the Artist thinks she hears a bear!

PS

Well the bear turned out to be a bear of a beaver! He rambled out of the woods and slipped into the lake. We didn’t know he was that close until we saw him swim by the campsite and crawl back up on to the shore. The amazing thing wasn’t so much the beaver, but what seemed to be following old "rollie pollie." I thought it was a snake at first. It turned out to be a very large Muskie! We watched this water parade for about 30 minutes. There goes the beaver, here comes Mr Muskie. About four times this happened. The Muskie never seemed to get too close, maybe he was looking for Beaver Jr. However, one time during the drive by, we were standing on a dock trying to get a better view, and all of a sudden, SWISH! Ol' MuskaLunger was waiting in ambush mode directly under our feet. His tail hit the side of the dock and off he went. I’m pretty sure I heard him cuss us out as he swam away for giving up his hideout.

​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)

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!