Professional Philosophy 

Remnants surviving as testament and teacher implore where to continue so that each error need not be made again.    -Vaage

Collaboration: For the homeowner and all involved parties, communicating design and building questions directly to one individual gets immediate results.

Product lifetime: This is determined by how long something looks and works like new, not when you are finally tired of spending money on whatever to keep it working.

Quality: I design and build to last so you don’t have to call me or anyone else to fix it.

Reuse: I have found the character in older materials enhances my original design. Also, the structural value of many earlier materials produced exceeds the quality and grade of materials manufactured today.

Recycle: I view this system as an inevitable natural process or as the default after exhausting efforts to re-market goods for some other appreciable value, not as a capital venture to supply demand. If it’s not reusable, redesign it.

Green: An overdue rest is needed for our mines and forests. Solution: Build them like they used to and better so you won’t be going there as often. I observe and employ building procedures that have retained their structural integrity without constant maintenance and with fewer toxic additives.

Local: I wholeheartedly support buying services and materials from friends and neighbors who take the time to make sure I get what I need, and don’t persuade me to buy what’s best for their profit margin. In return, I pay them what they ask because I trust them. If I cannot find what I require locally, then I’ll look elsewhere.

Commitment: There are commitments that are sentences within a contract, and then there is the personal commitment each tradesperson stands by to do their very best.