William's Remodeling, Carpentry, Tile & Painting

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. Repair & Refinish of all types from kitchen cabinetry & furniture, to tile & general painting & staining. I've built & installed custom cabinetry, door hanging & window repair & retrofits,skylight installation, built & hung custom oversize doors, all manner of custom carpentry. I build fences & gates, decks & safety rails, hang & tape drywall, do drywall & plaster repair as well as custom finishes from venetian plaster to crackle finishes on cabinets & furniture. As I stated I'm a Union Trained Journeyman, that means I did a 40/hr., per week on the job training that included tested bookwork 4 times a year. The training covered every facet of building from a bare lot & setting forms for foundation to the finished dwelling/building. Obviously, I read blueprints.

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Understand that the UFBC (Uniform Building and Safety Code) is a set of *minimum* standards. Training makes all the difference, & I try to bring a high level of craftsmanship to my work. If these are important to you, you will probably be very happy W/my work. I try to provide the best possible work that can be done.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. The difference between quality work & something that's just okay is what takes time. No real craftsman like to do so-so work, nor do we like to try to do our craft for cheap. Usually if a price is too good to be true, it is. I no longer "give" information away. That's like shooting myself in the foot. I've answered many questions before in great detail only to have the person hire someone less skilled & who works much cheaper, then they try to walk them through the job, thinking they'll save money. Months later I receive a call asking me to do a repair to a sub-standard job. Imagine that.

Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?

A. You should ask about their work experience & ascertain their competency level. In other words you probably don't want to hire someone who only does framing to build your cabinets. Or a roofer to paint etc. Also ask for some referrals & call them, asking the people you talk to about their experience with the tradesman.

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. Yes, always have as much information as possible about either the existing condition of the building/room in question. Obviously this would include the size of the room/sq.,ft., or linear measurements. The condition of the current materials, as in, is there a number of holes to be patched, cracks in the plaster/drywall, etc,. If for example you have water leaking around your window or door, is the exterior molding rotted, is the stucco badly cracked ? Note that even a minute crack is a veritable freeway to water. Things of this nature are always helpful, but nothing replaces me actually looking at the job.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. I'm a union-trained journeyman, I'm not guessing about the correct procedure. I do my work like it's my house.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. A job well done that satisfies my client. Weather it's a full addition, a small remodel, a deck or fence, a room painted, or a furniture piece refinished,I feel a persons home is their refuge & safe place, so to give them quality work is, I feel, the most important aspect of my service. I approach everything I do with an eye toward craftsmanship & try to do the best possible work.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. How much will it cost & how long will it take. After that do I need a permit, or do I have to have a permit. Often I can't give that information over the phone & must see the job first. I will try to give a span of time W/an hourly rate, this often works for a small job, but more often than not I have to see the job in order to give a firm price. As to getting permits I always advise my client to do so, as this helps protect them when they go to sell. I also help them thru the process known as Owner/Builder in getting the correct permit from the City Building & Safety offices.

Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?

A. Not really...I realize that probably sounds somewhat lame but I'm pretty focused on just doing my work / the job at hand.

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. The cost difference between average & quality work will be returned over time. The old "penny wise & pound foolish" adage springs to mind here. Sure there's ways to save $ & I'm always conscious of trying to do that for my clients , yet the biggest factor is still the quality of the product & the craftsmanship of the worker.

Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?

A. I grew up around it. My father was a carpenter.

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. I am always reading to stay current as possible on new techniques & materials, I talk with everyone from other friends of mine in the trades, to the product rep., at the lumber yard/tile store/paint store, etc. I have friends who are engineers & others who are architects & am always "picking their brains" for things of this nature.

Q. What are the latest developments in your field? Are there any exciting things coming in the next few years or decade that will change your line of business?

A. There's always been new products & materials coming out the whole time I've been in the trade. I do my best to stay abreast of these things & enjoy working with new materials & products. There have been so many changes in the 3 decades I've done this I wouldn't know where to start listing them. A good example might be the recycled non-wood decking on the market. There's also roof coatings that reduce not only the heat build up in an attic, but save greatly on the cooling bill when used. The same product also waterproofs the existing shingles & adds greatly to the overall life of the roof. Now more than ever there's innovations & products coming out to make "smart " houses/buildings & recycled products abound. I try to do as much research as I can W/a new product to find out if it really lives up to it's claims, but ultimately it's my clients choice. I feel an important part of my job is to listen to my client & provide an overview of all the options. This has often led to them making a different decision about doing something & I've received a lot of positive feedback from this.

Q. If you were advising someone who wanted to get into your profession, what would you suggest?

A. If you really love to work W/your hands & head, enjoy taking a pile of materials & turning them into something functional & beautiful then go for it !! After that I definitely recommend getting good training. A union sponsored apprenticeship program is I feel the best overall, but they're hard to land. A vocational/tech., school is also a good way. Learning from buddy Joe or uncle Bob can ( & usually is) be pretty hit & miss..

Q. What is your greatest strength?

A. I would like to think it's my attention to detail. I've always tried to employ the measure twice, cut once adage to all aspects of what I'm doing, from economic usage of materials & leaving the job as clean or cleaner than I found it, to informing my clients of new products or options in design. I have several fellow tradesmen that I recommend & I have a rule about it that can be summed up by the following. "Would I have them work on my home ?"

Q. What are you currently working on improving?

A. Everything. From my skill levels in all the various materials I work with to people skills, time management & product knowledge. Everything has an impact on the overall experience. There's always something new to learn about & improve on.