BEFORE:AFTER:

Farmer's porch, all composite trim, fiberglass columns, composite decking with hidden fasteners. (There's an addition on the back that I built, but I'll post that later.)

40x40 garden window. Those things are awesome for plant lovers! And they really make you feel like you're outside.

This mantle was built around a gas fireplace, and I designed it to house a flat screen tv (note the bracket). Under tv cavity, there is a drawer for the electronics, and we ran a chase so that the wires could be ran from the electronics to the tv without being seen. I didn't take a picture of it, but the drawer front is hinged, and folds down so the client can use their remotes.

Here are some cool pictures of a cool project that I was fortunate enough to be involved in. It was very fun... and very high. 160' to the top, I think. I actually had to work on that little ball thing under the weathervane, which means that I have, at one time, been the tallest man in Gloucester, MA. The company running the project needed someone adept at carpenterial illusion (finish work), so they called me in. I put on my top hat and went to work.


If you look at the detail pictures, then at the finished pictures closely, you can pick out where each of the zoomed in sections are located. Note: I didn't build any of the pieces, just installed them, which is hard enough when you're meeting up 120 year old stuff to brand new.


These finial are solid mahogany, and almost three feet tall. Notice the glue bottle. The unpainted siding is spanish cedar. You can get a feel for how big the tower really is by finding the the finials in the finished picture up top.
Funny little windows, eh?


This is the balustrade close to the top. The rule of the day was "save as much original woodwork as possible". And Words cannot express how messed up this section of the building was. I am amazed that it came out so good.
This section is to either side of the clocktower.
The above column bases are roughly 42" tall, and weigh about 60 lbs. They are made out of Mahogany. Notice my hammer in the middle bottom for a size reference. We weren't quite finished with them in the above picture, but you can see finished product below.
This one is the very bottom most gable in the first picture.

I thoroughly enjoyed myself doing this work. It challenged me daily, and helped me gain confidence as a carpenter. Maybe I' m not a hack after all?

Well, bathrooms are always good for stinky pictures, and this one is no exception. It's actually from a long time ago when I was still in NC working for someone else. I just found it on my pc, but I still did it... honest.

Here is an Ipe (pronounced Ee-pay) deck rail that I did. The balustrade is stainless steel. Very clean, open, and though I didn't place the mums there, they are a nice touch.

I've always hated taking pictures of bathrooms I've done, because you can never get a good picture. So this time I decided to take a video. It's not long, but you can get an idea of how much work goes into such a small space. I know it doesn't look like it, but the entire tub front is held on with magnets and is removable for access to the whirlpool motor. The tile was fairly intricate, but turned out very nice. At least I think so.

In the spirit of showing that I have no limits to what I will do for money (in a carpenterial way, I mean...) here is a picture of a shed that I built. It is 10'x12'. I site-built trusses to make the gambrelle roof, so it's very open on the inside. Talk about storage...

Stairs- Step by Step

I've been meaning to do this for a long time... Here is a set of stairs that I re-worked a few weeks ago. I would like to use it to show you step by step, how I install the skirts and risers. This is for you potential clients who want to know more about the process you might pay me to somplete for you.

The below picture is the before. Typically, the stairs are carpeted, or in this case, just rough. This one is a basement finish, and in any basement finish, one of the challenges is to make it not look like a basement finish, but part of the house. This one was made more difficult by the guy that finished the basement, because he put the walls too close to the stair stringers. You'll see what I mean later...

Here you can see how the other guy, who I will refer to as SBG (Stinky Basement Guy), really made my job harder. Normally, there is space between the stringer (the notched thing that holds the treads) and the wall. Then, all you have to do is cut the top and bottom to length and the right angles and the skirt(the white trim board on the left wall) will slide right in. Notice the sheet rock under the stairs, which is why I couldn't just replace the stringers.
As you can see, though, I didn't have that option, so I had to notch the skirt all the way down. SBG also added 3" of floor at the bottom, thus making a major difference in riser height. (There can only be 1/4" of difference, and I had to work with 3". So I had to sister on new stringers to the old ones, which is harder and slower than you might think. The below picture is after the skirt and new stringer was put in place.


Below, you can see all the new stringers installed, which have to line up with one another, both top and front. You can also see the outside skirt, which has to be perfectly cut on a 46 degree angle and placed back in just the right spot so the risers will all meet perfectly.
Below, you can see the whole thing from the side, outside skirt already installed.
The next step is to rabbet the risers to accept the treads. This done on a table saw, and I set it up so that the cut is slightly angled to produce no gap after installation. In the below picture, the rabbet is the notch cut in the bottom of the horizontal board. The tread slides under the notch, and then is nailed from the back. This locks them together and ensures that the tread will never pop up.
After dry fitting the tread, I use polyurethane construction adhesive. (PL brand is the best I've seen) All wood to wood contact must be glued. I can't stress this enough. It is the only way to ensure a squeak free staircase.

After gluing, I use my hands and a rubber mallet to gently tap the tread into place. You want to make sure that all gaps are taken out so the fit is tight and the heights remain the same. Below you see the tread installed. I use finish nails the secure the tread.
I use my waste pieces to cut stubby little shims, then I drive them home behind the riser and under the tread. This pushes the riser out and the tread up, ensuring a gapless fit. Then I use a brad gun the nail the back of the riser into the tread.
Below you can see the skirts, risers and treads installed on this staircase. I still had a long way to go on this one, but I will post about the rest of the process on another staircase. It's nice to install the newel post early on, so you can have a place to hang your hat...
The tread material is ash, by the way.