The Man Behind It All

I was creating a folder to try and sort all the different pieces Dad has created for us over the years, and I was reminded rather quickly that I could not even begin to count how many times Dad has fixed, built, created, remodeled, or just plain unclogged a toilet.

He rebuilt our farmhouse when I was in 5th grade, late 1985. He remodeled over the years as our family grew and changed. Then in 1997 he built our house. In 1998 he built my sister's house. Years later he helped both the boys build their homes. In 2013 my sister bought the family farm house and Mom and Dad built their "dream/retirement" home, and listened to me when I (with all sincerity) made sure they put the basics on the main floor and made it all handicap accessible. Because, dad is the one doing all the remodels. If we need to take care of him or mom down the road, who is going to rebuild then?  I know they won't most likely ever need it, but better safe than sorry. Plan ahead when you build those retirement homes! Although his wood shop is in the basement... He may just decide to live down there at some point.

I have so many photos of him helping. Helping fix a drain, helping replace a water heater, working in the shop, fixing frozen pipes in the RV... and the list goes on. I'm sure you get the point. He's a handyman. A jack of all trades. A phenomenal builder. And helper to all of us.

 Replacing the water heater... 

 Putting up "cheap" shelves in the granddaughter's dorm room... 

 Fixing drain issues... 

 Replacing our carpet with wood floor... 

 Deck remodel after 20 years... 

 After the deck tear off... 

Front porch remodel... 

While his passion lately is the furniture he is building and creating, he is there every time we ask. "Dad got enough vacation time to rebuild my deck?" So anyway, as family traits go-I got sidetracked, I was trying to organize photos of all his projects and I ended up with dozens of pictures of him doing work, and of course had to share. This is the man behind Blair's Hand Crafted Woodwork, and with any business, the person behind the name is what is important. Knowing his desire for  quality, his hardworking habits, and his love to build and create... that is what is  important to know besides just the furniture he builds. 

Welcome!

Dad & Mom are both retiring this year and moving forward with their passion of building and creating! Mom has her new sewing machine just waiting for a certain daughter to pick out t-shirts for her first attempt at a t-shirt quilt. She's sewn for years and created regular quilts, but this will be the first t-shirt one. Dad on the other hand, has a couple months to go before he is officially "retired", but he has spent the last 5 years taking over their basement and turning it into a fully functional wood shop. He has been building for as long as I can remember. He still holds his General Contractors license, has built more houses than I can count - including all 5 of us kids and his new "retirement-downsized" home (to them downsized means less bedrooms and more space for a wood shop).

My first piece of furniture was years ago. After building our house, we needed a corner entertainment center. Dad built us one out of solid oak. He has transformed many of the rooms in our house over the years, turning old walnut shelves into corner shelves for a kids' room, building custom book cases and closets. My list of furniture and "things" he has built is long, and the items beautiful. He doesn't do "cheap" wood. Every thing is solid and HEAVY. I remember many a time picking up a piece of "furniture" at the store and asking dad to help assemble it, then getting the lecture on how I spent money on particle board that would warp and fall apart and that he could have made the same thing, better, heavier and more beautiful for the same price... Took me a few times, but I quit buying particle board shelving units, desks, dressers, etc...  And now, when dad needs a project or I need something new, he builds it. We will be sharing our photos of everything he has built for us over the years over the next couple of months.

If you want custom furniture, not cheap particle board stuff, that is custom made, a one of a kind piece that in itself is a piece of art, well you have come to the right place. Click the link to add your email to the list and receive our blogs that will contain  all the photos when we post them!

Welcome to Blair's Hand Crafted Woodwork!