Woodmeister Master Builders has once again teamed up with the International Tennis Hall of Fame and Museum as a presenting sponsor for the 3rd Annual Architectural Symposium in Newport RI on May 5th. This year's featured architect is Horace Trumbauer: Residential Architecture.
This one-day symposium is a unique opportunity to examine the architect and his influence on Newport's historic homes. The event will feature lectures by architectural historians and tours of three magnificent Trumbauer buildings:
Miramar – is a private home in the French neoclassical-style on historic Bellevue Avenue.
Seaweed – another private home, "Seaweed" is a spectacular oceanfront estate situated on Newport's famed Cliff Walk and overlooking Bailey's Beach.
Rough Point – a gilded age mansion and the former home of heiress Doris Duke.
Horace Trumbauer was a prominent American architect of the Guilded Age who produced more than 1,000 building during his career, ranging from hotels and commercial building to private homes, museums and libraries. He is best remembered for his residential designs which included Tudor, Regency, Georgian and French Classical architectural styles.
Let's face it.We all have dirty laundry. No, not the dirty laundry of some secret scandal lurking in the closet, but rather, I'm writing about those piles of unclean clothes that seem to accumulate and what to do about it. Not to mention the baskets of clean clothes to be ironed, folded and sorted. Hopefully, this blog post will get you thinking about the possibilities of what to do with handling laundry and some creative ideas for laundry rooms.
Dirty laundry quite often gathers in many rooms of the house – bedrooms, bathrooms, closets, and finally ends up in an unceremonious heap in front of the washing machine.The washer and dryer are usually banished to the basement, far from the bedrooms and bathrooms.Making the chore of 'doing laundry' literally a haul.And the din and racket coming from the whirring machines sound more like a fleet of helicopters than seems necessary for the act of cleaning.
Today, washers and dryers look as sleek and sophisticated as a sport car, are whisper quiet, and are much more water efficient than in the past. There are also so many creative solutions available to help organize and manage the flow of clothes – from dirty to clean – that it might even bring a smile to your face.
January is National Mentoring month. This is a great time to honor and appreciate mentors and how their positive influences make a difference in people’s lives.
At Woodmeister Master Builders, we’ve created a culture of mentoring in which everyone has the opportunity to learn from each other. The following excerpts are from Woodmeister employees throughout the company, who shared their experiences with mentoring and the impact it made in their lives.
Share the gift of mentoring. It can make a difference to someone that will last a lifetime!
Stephanie Lopez, IT Technician
About 7 years ago, I started working at Woodmeister a few weeks after being interviewed at my high school by David Harelson. I was 16 at the time, and a sophomore going against a couple of juniors and seniors for the job. I was very excited to even have the opportunity to go up for a job like this, and when I learned that I got the job, I could not be more ecstatic. Never before had I worked in a corporate environment, and I knew the experience I was about to go through was going to be quite invaluable.
As I learned the flow of things for the first year or so, I made a million mistakes. I sometimes wondered “How could I possibly help my-coworkers fix their tech issues if I can’t stop creating more problems?” I was like a sponge, ready to take in anything I could possibly learn from Dave. I thought of him as a genius since he always seems to have a solution for everything that is thrown at him. Over the years, Dave took me under his wing and showed me the ropes of the IT world. He taught me to have patience and confidence when tackling every day issues.
When I look back and see how naïve I was when I started, I feel a sense of gratitude towards Dave and Woodmeister for putting up with my mistakes with such patience, and for also being so willing to help me throughout all of my transitions at work and in life. Thanks to Dave, I am now pretty much independent at my job, and I have much more confidence in what I do. When people come to me with their technical issues, I now have an instant solution about 95% of the time. I guess I just needed to learn that this knowledge comes with experience, and that I was going to learn that the hard way. There are still so many things for me to learn, and Dave is always there to lend a helping hand. I’m proud to say that I’ve actually taught him a few things myself as I have been catching up with modern technology pretty well.
J.P. Nieto, Finishing Manager
To me, being a mentor is about spending extra time and effort with someone. A mentor guides someone in the development of knowledge and sharing of experiences without holding back information. A mentor does all this without wanting anything in return.
Kim Goodnow, President and Co-Owner
Mentoring is helping, inspiring and believing in others by sharing life, work and personal experiences. As each individual approaches opportunities and challenges where they can apply their gained knowledge through a mentoring process, they believe in themselves, realize their full potential, create their own successes as well as learn through their failures.
Dana Greene, Estimating Manager
Mentoring, to me, is at the heart of what makes us successful. If you want to build something that will stand the test of time you have to start with a strong foundation. By passing down what we have learned from our successes and our failures we help to grow those around us thus strengthening our foundation. When you give to others the knowledge you have gained from experience with no expectations you get more in return than you could possibly have imagined. Here are two quotes I try and emulate in my own life;
"Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others. - Jack Welch "
“An individual step in character training is to put responsibility on the individual.” -Sir Robert Baden-Powell"
Chris Komenda, Marketing Manager
One of my earliest memories is working in my father’s workshop creating things out of wood. As a child, he instilled in me a passion for working with wood that still excites me today. He showed me how to cut and sand wood, and how to put the pieces together with my hope of creating something beautiful. Over the years I’ve learned new woodworking skills and acquired more tools but it is my first experience working with my father that is my special mentoring memory. He shared his gift and love of woodworking with me.
Ted Goodnow, CEO and Founder
We’re in an industry where all of us are responsible for keeping youth interested in this as an occupation, as a career choice, and a good one. That doesn't happen without mentoring. This is a field, an industry, a trade that for thousands of years has been passed down by mentoring and it is not something that you just learn by going to school. So if all of us as leaders in the industry can embrace that and realize that every interaction we have whether it is with a subcontractor in the field, or with our own people in our own offices, over a particular question or issue or subject, that every one of those interactions is an opportunity for mentoring. The only way that mentoring really works is if you don't treat it as something you have to do, but rather something that's just part of how you do your work."
Beth Cohan, In-house Counsel and Site Specialist
To me a mentor is someone who selflessly leads by example, carries themselves as a leader in whatever their respective field or department is, and is an all around positive influence on every person and situation they encounter. I believe that mentors come in various forms, as teachers, managers, and even peers. The different mentors I have had throughout my life have made me the person I am today, and I say that not as a cliché, but as the absolute truth, and I think the same can be said about most people. Mentoring defines generations of people, it teaches us not only specific tasks, but also how to carry on with our every day lives. It teaches us how to behave and interact with others, right from wrong, and many other valuable life lessons.
Mike Connors, Drafter, Design Support Services
To me a mentor is someone who selflessly leads by example, carries themselves as a leader in whatever their respective field or department is, and is an all around positive influence on every person and situation they encounter. I believe that mentors come in various forms, as teachers, managers, and even peers. The different mentors I have had throughout my life have made me the person I am today, and I say that not as a cliché, but as the absolute truth, and I think the same can be said about most people. Mentoring defines generations of people, it teaches us not only specific tasks, but also how to carry on with our every day lives. It teaches us how to behave and interact with others, right from wrong, and many other valuable life lessons.
I feel so lucky to be part of this company because mentoring is stitched into the actual fabric of the organization. I feel as though no task is too difficult because there is a vast network of great mentors here, and every one of them are willing and eager to help with any problem I encounter. This does not happen everywhere, it is unique in my experience to Woodmeister.
Mike Bishop, Manager Design Support Services
My longest Mentorship was with someone that I will never forget, Anthony Polletta. He came in my life in 1998 and has never left. He took me under his wing as his student. He told me that we were going to learn a lot together and told me to buckle up, that this was going to be the ride of my life. I laughed and at the same time he, I could not wait. I felt so pumped up that someone I did not really know all that well was willing to take the time and the effort in working with me.
As the mentorship continued to grow so did my inner challenges. As my confidence grew so did the awareness of there was so much more to learn.
Thank you Tony, for your time, thank you for your energy, your teachings will always be remembered and never be forgotten. You will be with me everyday as I hopefully can become a Great Mentor like You!
When you embark on a remodeling or new construction project it is often the little details that make a difference. Customizing your home with personalized touches and whimsical features, not only add striking spots of beauty but also make for very interesting conversations!
Take for example the mortgage button. Long known as a Nantucket tradition, this little scrimshaw button was mounted atop a stairway’s newel post as a symbol the mortgage was paid off and there were no liens on the property.
Legend also states the actual deed was ceremoniously burned and the ashes put inside the drilled out newel post and sealed with the button. Since no evidence of ashes or even hidden mortgages have been found in salvaged newel posts, the actual burning may really turn out to be a myth. But the buttons survive today and remind us of a nostalgic tradition from the past.
Even if you don’t own a home on Nantucket, you still can add these decorative buttons to your custom stair project. Each mortgage button is distinctly different and can be carved on ancient elephant ivory, whalebone, and even the traditional sperm whale ivory. Whether you decide to burn your mortgage or save the deed inside the newel post is up to you. Adding a custom mortgage button however, is a classic detail that will be lovingly caressed every time you use the stairs!
Recently, we’ve noticed an increase in the use of hardwood lumber for kitchen cabinetry. Hardwood kitchen cabinets are classic choices that offer not only a distinct look to homes but also provide the durability to stand up to the extreme use and conditions typical of kitchen spaces.
It seems, after a few years hiatus, cherry is making a comeback as a popular choice with either a stain or clear finish. Cherry is a great choice for cabinetry. It is very durable and maintains a rich, lustrous finish that only improves with age.
We also recently did a kitchen that was made from Macassar Ebony. Macassar Ebony with its distinct striped patterns of blacks and rich dark chocolate browns is a striking choice when matched with a full fill high gloss finish.
Some new projects that are coming up that utilize hardwoods are several nice custom stairs. These stairs will be created with quarter sawn white oak. Quarter sawn white oak is particularly sought after for its grain pattern. Quarter sawn oak has very distinct stripes or "medullary rays" going across the board. These stripes are a unique feature of oak and the wood is very strong, less prone to checking, warping & splitting – a perfect choice for fine furniture, cabinetry and stair components.
All-wood cabinetry and millwwork is a versatile option that is perfect whether the design is traditional or contemporary and combined with glass, metal, stone and other materials. Style and trends may change over time but it’s nice to see hardwood making its way back into many new projects and homes.
We’d love to hear how you are using hardwood in your projects!
We all look for ways to improve efficiencies and be more lean in our manufacturing processes but rarely look at our office and admin procedures. In our Purchasing Department at Woodmeister Master Builders, we are looking at all of our processes to find areas of waste and unnecessary steps. We are currently implementing a single-piece flow versus batch and queue flow when processing purchasing requests and orders.
In traditional manufacturing, there is a tendency to run large lots, or batches. In the batch and queue flow, you constantly stack work to be completed and other departments need to wait for you to finish all your 'batches' before they can start on just one their tasks. This creates bottlenecks and lots of waste.
With single-piece flow you complete each task before starting a new one. This allows other departments to start their work immediately as we process their orders. Single-piece flow allows for a constant workflow between departments.
Stay tuned for more information on our lean transformation in Purchasing.
We’d love to hear from you on your own lean improvements!
"There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." – Peter Drucker
Summer days and nights are way too beautiful and precious to be spent indoors. When planning your exterior living spaces, today’s families are not limited to traditional decks, porches, and patios for al fresco entertaining. Outdoor spaces are now customized in countless ways for every lifestyle and integrated perfectly with the main house. Here are some latest trends and ideas for maximizing your outdoor living enjoyment – without leaving home.
Pools and Spas
Pools today have come a long way from the rectangles of chlorinated water surrounded by concrete that we grew up with. Most pools are now free-form shapes designed and built to look natural and blend seamlessly with the rest of the backyard retreat. The trend is to use natural materials, such as stone, for both durability and beauty. Optional luxury features include heated pools and spas, salt water, infinity edges, waterfalls, fountains, and misting systems. In addition, lighting is an important element for safety and ambiance. When integrated into the pool and spa areas, lighting gives a warm and inviting glow at night. Pool houses, cabanas, and built-in storage spaces for pool equipment and toys are also part of a complete outdoor living design. Custom built-in cabinetry in these recreational areas can provide for clean, uncluttered lines and easy entertaining.
The recent tornados that ravaged central and western Massachusetts are a stark reminder that Mother Nature is often unpredictable and extreme. Although there may be little one can do to stop the destructive power of a highly rated EF tornado, there are some common sense ways to prepare your home for the upcoming summer storms.
In our spring issue of the Master Builder Advisor we wrote about ways to safeguard your home against weather damage all year round – from water damage to lightning strikes. Late spring and hot summer months usher in the season of thunderstorms and hurricanes. Here are a few ways to protect your property before these storms hit.
Stow away lawn furniture, umbrellas and other outdoor items that can be easily blown away during high winds.
Keep trees and shrubbery trimmed by removing dead, damaged or diseased limbs. Strong winds can hurl landscaping debris at great speed causing significant damage.
Install a whole-house surge suppressor device to protect sensitive electronic equipment and appliances. Electrical surges and fires can be caused by lightning hits to either the house or nearby ground strikes.
Install a whole-house lightning protection system. These systems divert powerful electrical charges safely from rods installed along the roof ridge through heavy duty cables into the ground leaving the home unharmed.
Consider installing permanent storm shutters to cover windows and glass doors. Shutters can be closed quickly and provide the safest protection, especially to coastal homes prone to high hurricane winds.
Flash flooding is often a result of severe thunderstorms and hurricanes. Make sure drainage systems are clear of debris, slope the ground away from the house and make sure sump pumps are working properly.
While no one can control nature and the destructive forces of extreme weather, a few steps of precaution can help protect your home, family and possessions from the devastating effects of unexpected disasters.
Earth Day is a great time to reflect on how fortunate we are to live on this beautiful and bountiful planet. It’s also a good time to remind ourselves how much impact we have on the environment – and how we can make a difference.
Here are four things you can do starting today to reduce your carbon footprint, make a sustainable impact, and help to protect the environment when building or remodeling your home.
1.Donate reusable building materials. The list is long on the many items that can be salvaged, reused and go on to have a new life. Some of the most commonly salvaged materials include: cabinetry, appliances, doors and windows, lighting and plumbing fixtures, lumber, and so much more.
2.Choose sustainable materials when building or remodeling. Choices for ‘green’ products that use creative, innovative and unusual materials - and are beautiful - continue to grow.
3. Perform an energy analysis on your home. This low cost diagnostic test will locate areas of energy loss in your home – plus identify strategies to lower your heating and cooling costs, improve the indoor comfort and air quality, and reduce its carbon emissions.
4. Support local business and suppliers. Much of the energy embodied in materials comes from transportation. So when possible, source for your home building materials and products that have been extracted, mined, harvested, processed, manufactured, reclaimed, salvaged, constructed and sold in your local area.
Thank you Audio Video Design for coming to Woodmeister and showing our team these terrific new products created by Trufig.For discerning homeowners looking to conceal or have smooth surfaces, Trufig creates flush-mountedsolutionsfor electronic devices (switches. power outlets, speakers, touch panels etc). Electronic devices can be flush or hidden mounted into most surfaces – drywall, stone, and wood - then faux finished for an almost invisible appearance.
Trufig was recently awarded “Most Innovative Product” by the ASID’s 2011 Top Pick of the Year. Designers and Architects will love the clean and aesthetic look this product will bring to their projects!
The International Tennis Hall of Fame & Museumand Woodmeister Master Builders present a one-day symposium featuring the works of Peabody & Stearns.
This is a unique opportunity to examine the architects and their influence on Shingle Style design around Newport. Prominent historians will offer lectures and there will be house tours of three magnificent Peabody & Stearns buildings.
"Dramatic Impact", featured in the Mar/Apr 2011 issue of New England Home, showcases the beautiful Vermont home of Seldom Scene Interiors', Wendy Valliere.
Her stunning 'lipstick red' kitchen is the collaborative work of Woodmeister Master Builders.
It happens every year. Just when we think winter will never end, spring suddenly arrives with a gush of warm weather, melting snow and heavy seasonal rains. With this change of season usually comes water – andlots of it!
This year, in addition to the semi-annual changing of the clocks and replacing batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, why not start a new tradition?
Every year when daylight savings time begins, schedule a thorough inspection and cleaning of your basement sump pump. A little prevention can go a long way to protect your home from unexpected emergencies caused by preventable water damage!
So shouts a bold-faced headline in Friday’s (9/24/10) Wall Street Journal!
“...consumers are paralyzed,” said Dean Barber, “they have money to spend but they aren’t going to until they know where the tax burden will lie next year.”
If businesses were looking for a light at the end of the tunnel, it appears consumer confidence may not be coming back for a few more months – at least until Congress votes on whether to extend the Bush tax cuts of 2001, or let them expire in January 2011. Either way, this paralysis is not good news for many businesses struggling in today’s economy.
However, with construction costs and mortgage rates at historic lows, this is actually an ideal time to remodel or start a construction project. The buying habits of consumers have changed dramatically over the past two years, and here at Woodmeister, we have responded too. We have adjusted our pricing structure to reduce costs and improve efficiencies – without compromising the high-level of quality and service we are known for. Architects and designers are also eager to use their talents to create the perfect home.
Wise consumers – especially those thinking about remodeling - may realize that, despite the “doubt,” these are unique times.
By Chris Komenda, Marketing Manager, Woodmeister Master Builders
By Roy Berthiaume, Purchasing Agent, Woodmeister Master Builders
Pools today have come a long way from the rectangles of chlorinated water surrounded by concrete that we grew up with. Most pools are now free-form shapes designed and built to look natural and blend seamlessly with the rest of the backyard retreat. The trend is to use natural materials, such as stone, for both durability and beauty. Optional luxury features include heated pools and spas, salt water, infinity edges, waterfalls, fountains, and misting systems. In addition, lighting is an important element for safety and ambiance. When integrated into the pool and spa areas, lighting gives a warm and inviting glow at night. Pool houses, cabanas, and built-in storage spaces for pool equipment and toys are also part of a complete outdoor living design. Custom built-in cabinetry in these recreational areas can provide for clean, uncluttered lines and easy entertaining.
By Kim Goodnow, Chief Culture Officer, Woodmeister Master Builders
Facebook
Digg
LinkedIn
Del.icio.us
Yahoo