Carpentry Stories

First Carpentry Job - This is the story of my first carpentry job - building single-family homes in Central Texas in the early 1980s. Many things have changed since the 1980s - new technologies, better tools, the internet, but carpentry is still the same.

Self-Employed Carpenter - This is the story of my work and life experiences while building apartments as a self-employed carpenter in Central Texas in the early 1980s.

Estimating Construction Costs - Estimating construction costs can be an abstruse phase of a carpentry project. But if you combine your knowledge of construction techniques with on-the-job experience, you can start to estimate your construction projects with confidence.

Building Decks - This article is about my experiences building decks in central Texas in the mid-80s. Many Texans in the oil and construction businesses struggled to survive after the 1986 Texas oil bust.

Road to Virginia - This story captures the events of my three-day 1500-mile road trip to northern Virginia in my fully loaded Toyota pickup to work as a carpenter after the Texas oil price collapse.

Carpentry Beyond Wood - Occasionally, as a carpentry subcontractor, you might have to work with materials other than wood. My experience involved replacing a bridge over a small creek using Corrugated Galvanized Pipe (CGP) during the coldest December I had ever experienced.

China Coast - As relatively small construction projects go, restaurants can be very challenging because of the framing required for plumbing, electrical, stoves, ovens, walk-in coolers, etc. This restaurant was certainly no exception!