I first began working in construction in 1977, the year I turned 15.
I was off for the summer and saw a vacation home being built next door to my parent’s place and wandered over and watched the carpenters building the new home. I was mesmerized by the way they moved fluently around the job site with a heavy tool belt around their waist and took lumber from a pile and turned it into a home, piece by piece, slowly reaching into the sky. They asked if I wanted to help and I immediately joined in. Little did I know they needed a helper to carry all that lumber, I didn’t care. I was part of this team building a home from scratch and each day when I walked home, I could see what we all had built that day. It was magical and I was forever smitten with my passion.
Soon I went to grad school and got a “real job” in marketing and grass roots lobbying, but I never lost my passion for building. I was always building a project at home, either a deck or a garage or a barn or helping a neighbor build something they needed. After supervising the whole scale renovation of two old buildings in downtown Boston as Director of Operations for an advertising agency, I decided to return to my passion, ready for a lifestyle change. So we started Two Storey Building in 2001 and began building great homes and following the dream of becoming a better builder.
One thing never changed. That was the never ending curiosity to continue to learn, new and different techniques and procedures and to learn about the latest in building science. This is the essence of how to build better. I hope I never lose that passion and always want to share it with others.
The 2016 issue of “Energy Smart Homes” by Fine Home Building is a great resource for learning about how to build better. Every article is worth reading and learning from – here are some of my favorites that relate to the work we do every day:
- “Net Zero as The New Normal” – page 14, as energy codes push us to build low energy homes
- “Is Solar the Solution” – page 30, a way to produce our own energy source
- ‘All Around Efficient” – Designed by our architect Steve Baczek – page 40
- “A Pretty Good House in Maine” – page 60, building better than code
- ‘Products that Work” (pg. 67) – Mineral Wool Insulation, Installing a Minisplit, Caulk This Way
- “Lessons From The Field” (pg. 92)– Techniques for Weather Proof Window Installation , Air-Sealing Can Lights, Detailing Walls with Rigid Foam, Air Sealing Basics
Our Design/Build Architect Steve Baczek is prominent within the issue as is a series of Two Storey Building basement remodeling projects (“Build a Risk Free Finished Basement” pg. 114) built with Steve as the architect.
Be curious, read, absorb, ask questions, enjoy and learn! Put these lessons into practice! Build better homes!
Best, Doug
