Reclaim, Refinish, Repurpose

For Earth month, I have been considering a typically non-public portion of my business plan dealing with sustainability, or “going green” as the term goes.  This phrase is something I feel gets strewn about pretty loosely these days simply because it sounds good.  Transparency is another phrase currently common to our ears.  We all must have our secrets or we would never survive business in cut-throat capitalist society.  I will never discuss all my secret plans or talents in my corner of the market or I’d be extinguished by my competition, but I do want to be transparent about my practices and my plans to be more “green”.  I know that to some people it is important to support those who care deeply for the planet and also to simply learn more about how to care for our home planet.  After all, caring for homes is my business.  It is what I do.  I want us all, great great great grandchildren included, to live as well as we can for as long as we can.

In the following paragraphs I will propose some questions to ask that I hope you might share with others.  I’ll make a few statements I have read on informative sites.  Finally, I’ll share some of my practices and goals for the future in effort to be transparent for your knowledge of me and hopefully so I can learn a thing or two from you as well. 

What does it mean to be green?  Is it a product that is sold?  Is it in their ethics?  Do they practice the same image that they sell behind closed doors?  Are all of the above questions just as valid as the next?  I can think of an excellent example.  Galactic Pizza, an eatery on 28^th and Lyndale boasts “planet saving pizza” (sold yet?) and offers deliver by drivers who wear superhero tights and even introduce themselves by their super delivery person names (how about now?).  Here is the truth.  Their pizza is made with all local organic ingredients.  The delivery vehicle is a tiny little rechargeable electric vehicle.  They offer a dollar off each pizza as long as you keep returning the box the previous pizza came in so that it can be composted.  They actually make every effort they can think of to try to conserve, and therefore save the planet. 

So what do you think of other companies that claim to be “green”?  Are they practicing what they preach, or are they selling an image?  Further, how do you know what your money is paying for?

I read an interesting article about the common three R’s and how “Reuse” can actually be broken up into many other R’s that Redefine Reuse into more definitive sections for all those items that can overwhelm us when considering the myriad possibilities of Reuse.  It also talked a bit about how Recycling is actually the least effective R on the list in terms of saving the world.  Recycle is last on the list for a reason.  It is the last resort.  The first and most important, in my opinion is Refuse.  Refusal speaks to me.  If you feel a company is not caring for our home planet, Refuse to purchase from them.  In a culture run by money, your dollars are your vote.  Do not be fooled.  Democracy is only on the surface.  Every four years we get to choose the new head honcho, the face of our land.  Every day we choose which companies succeed with our hard earned monies and therefore those choices are how we actually take care of our own.  If you don’t like the way the fast food industry preys on little children with toys for junk food, don’t buy it.  Ever.  Period.  Another great thing to consider to Refuse is packaging.  Excessive packaging is one of the most wasteful things about our current market.  I have seen boxes inside of bags, inside of cartons, with half a dozen tags dangling off of it for each logo of each company that made their contribution to the product with biggest billboard ever.  Refuse packaging.  It just goes to the landfills.  For materials or foods Refill permanent packaging with bulk items. 

So, if you couldn’t Refuse or even Reduce your use enough to eliminate an item, then you have participated in it, purchased and own that item.  You are now Responsible for it and its disposal.  Where will it go next?  If you have already used the item and cannot Repair the item think about Repurposing it.  Can you cut up that old thingamajig and use it as a doodad or two.  Maybe it could be glued or screwed to that other whatchamacallit to create something completely new.  Can it Rot?  Some people compost things that can Rot.  I just started to compost and don’t know much about it yet but I hope it feeds my vegetable garden well.  I also recently learned that some companies have started taking things as Returns, and even pay for it.  Dell does this.  They take old computers apart and Reuse everything they can and properly Recycle the rest.  So after all that, (did you get it all?) those options have all been looked into and nothing can be done, Recycle.  Hopefully, that information helped eliminate all of your waste.  Probably not, I still throw some things away, but I am doing my best. 

As a small business owner, I am fending off advertisers that are trying to sell me a truck with every ounce of my being.  Gas is expensive first of all, but also as much power as you need to pull heavy stuff every now and then in my line of work, it typically isn’t daily and when it is needed there are other options.  I feel most “Big” contractors have the truck for the image of needing it for big jobs more than they actually need it for pulling lots of stuff.  These days materials can be and often are delivered.  Tools are a bit heavy, but a V6 is likely enough for that.  I still have a bit of Research to do for my own use.  Also I have to add that you shouldn’t fire your contractor based on the vehicle they drive.  This is just my opinion and it might not work for everyone.  My goal is to keep it as simple as I can.  Every estimate I do, I look at every possible way to Restore the original before even considering Replacement.  Replacement means waste.  Also when it comes to home improvement, new is not necessarily synonymous with better.  Let’s look at windows as an example, since it is something I work with commonly.  Can I just tell you how many vinyl windows I see at the dump after doing demo work?  I have yet to find a hundred year old window that I couldn’t Restore.  Vinyl windows are worthless within 20 years and with vinyl, the only option is Replacement.  Sure, they’ll save a bit on the energy bill when they are brand new.  Wait a decade.  Junk, I promise.  When replacing glass, I like to keep old glass in hopes of finding a window that needs a smaller pane that I can Repurpose it for later.  When wood cannot be Rescued from Rot with epoxy, I like to use Reclaimed timber whenever possible, which means pulling nails and cutting it down some to Reshape it into its new place in the world. 

So far, this is about all I have come up with in my little world.  Someday I’d like to learn more about energy efficiency and how to incorporate actual green energy products into my capabilities, but I am not really an installation builder.  I am a Restoration woodworker.  I preserve what already exists.  If you have any suggestions of things I could do to further Reduce my carbon footprint, or how I could fuse my current old world building techniques hand in hand with new energy saving technology like solar I would love to take them into consideration for the future. 

Reflections and Resolutions

I just finished updating my bookkeeping for 2011 which is a task that makes my head hurt.   My books are ugly in every sense of the word.  My categories for receipts make no sense.  It looks like I made a small fortune in December but had no income at all for August or September.  The numbers just don’t make sense and to think math always came easy to me.  They all add up, they are just messy and scattered.  How did that 7 get all the way over there?   Honestly, I don’t know how I got through the year, but somehow I did.

My goals when I started were to expect nothing more than the unexpected and to make beautiful things happen with very little to start with.  Barely dragging through the slow months, I am gearing up for another year, hopefully cleaner, more organized and with a bit more vision of how I would like to grow. 

The accomplishments are as follows (high five):

Outlined a business plan
Purchased and repaired some quality used machinery
Found friends neighbors and family that might need projects completed
Advertised through small inexpensive avenues
Maintained a strong working relationship with another craftsman who helps feed my pipeline 
Developed a new relationship with a fellow contractor who teaches me a bit about estimating and contracting
Built a website (I had the assistance of a wonderful and patient friend)
Completed a half a dozen painting projects
Completed a half a dozen woodworking projects
Completed many small side projects
Produced a handful of original designs and colorizations

The failures were minimal but interesting:

I listened to the helpful associate at a big box paint store who recommended a specific primer for a project that required some special care.  I believe his advice was sound and he went through the process step by step with me before I got started.  The only thing he failed to mention was that the product was oil based and until then we had been looking at only water based paints.  The project was an early start so the little details I needed to be paying attention to like brush selection went right out the door.  I had the procedure exactly memorized in my head so I ran with it.  It wasn’t until trying to wash out my brush in my clients sink and smearing the discolored oily water all over everything that I realized that my brush was ruined and that I had one terrible mess to clean up in her bathroom.  I also suffered the embarrassment of having to say, “Whoops, I am good painter, I swear!  …and don’t worry, I’ll have all this cleaned up, I promise.”  Meanwhile, just under the surface of her patient face, the horror was brewing into a secret fury.  Everything turned out fine just fine in the end with no mess or damage, but I learned that I have to double check all my materials and know what the heck I am getting into without any doubts or questions, preferably before destroying the appearance of anyone’s bathroom.

My first client, I wanted the project so badly that I cheapened my bid in hopes that she wouldn’t keep looking for someone else.  This is a tendency that I continue to have even though I learned my lesson the first time.  I figured my labor earnings of about two dollars and fifty cents per hour after that project was done, but it sure was pretty.  It doesn’t work to be so emotionally attached that the intake won’t pay enough.  I have since walked away from some projects for this reason, although it remains difficult.

I also tried to go national with color, and did get one small project in California, but mostly it was a waste of effort trying to mobilize my idea.  I am letting this rest until color technology catches up with the rest of the digital age.  It just isn't there yet.

Mostly my documentation and office work is awful.  I am a craftsman, not a bookkeeper or a business man.  My overhead is low but incredibly inefficient and time consuming.  I would show you a photo of my office but frankly it is just too embarrassing and I even clean it and reorganize on a regular basis.  So that concludes the notable fail list.   

I heard somewhere that 75 percent of businesses don’t survive their first year.  I certainly didn’t strike it rich, as a matter of fact, I know that I need to earn more in the years to follow than I did this year or I won’t be able to keep this up.  The five year anniversary is the next business marker to overtake.  I believe it was 90 percent don’t make it past 5 years.  After one year, and looking over the failures and accomplishments, I believe that Against the Grain Woodwork will be a name that you can count on in the years to come for quality craftsmanship, pleasing designs and excellent service. 

In 2012 Look for:

Rescued furniture with neo-rustic finishes

More options in specialty paints

Kitchen makeovers without remodeling

...and of course more of the unexpected.

Anything Lost can be Found Again

2011 has been a tough 1^st year in business.  Lots of people are hurting in the pocket book and it is sinking in that riches might not be abundant anytime soon.  It is going to take buckling down hard work to recover, not just some quick government bailout.  The markets aren’t going to just bounce back and return us our foreclosed homes.  We’ll have to lose our mail on Saturdays, consider closing a few schools here and there, cut funding that might help people, and watch our taxes go up in the process.  We know this now not just from what warnings we have heeded from news or state of union addresses but from experience.  Saving has become a luxury that only those who have can afford to do.  Sustainability is more than just a catch phrase it is something to be sought after and lived in every fashion possible.  For a couple of the busiest months of the summer I was bidding jobs as low as I could just to stay in business because the competition was so fierce that I had to for survival.  I was saying yes to projects outside of my comfort zone that ideally I would let go to someone else and I was completing them regardless for as little as I could.  It was hard for me to remain grateful as Thanksgiving approached.  Then a client asked me to do something out of the ordinary, away from the main stream.  She presented me an exhausted bed frame and asked me if it could be made into a bench.  This thought was, perfectly against the grain, just like me.  Though scarce, there is hope.

The bed was a pretty piece in its day, but would likely never be a suitable furniture item again for two big reasons.  The joints were weakening and the panels were starting to fall out.  That first issue could be resolved but the second issue really forced a question of value to the forefront.  The size of it was out of date with current mattress sizes.  It would be too big for a full size, yet too small for a queen.  I am sure it was just right when it was built but not anymore.  Like an education in any industry that involves technology from the past, computer or phone it just wasn’t compatible anymore.  Though an obsolete bed frame and starting to fatigue, I could see why it could be desirable as more than just firewood.  It would only be unsuitable if keeping the status quo, but a bench?  The potential was breathtaking.  The posts were partly carved and partly turned.  The panel work had carvings on it as well.  The footboard had a matching carved panel that if removed and resized carefully would make a perfect drawer face.  The top of the headboard had a chunky flat sawn dentil border with more carvings on it.  All of it was a rich black ash.  The whole work was a wonderful combination of rustic and regal.  “Yes!” I said enthusiastically thinking that making it into a bench for a front entry would be a perfect look for such a magnificently built frame.  How to change its joint work and keep its structure took some ingenuity, careful planning and there was no room for error.  I only had one chance to get the new design and reworking right.  I did make a few new pieces with matching custom woodwork for the sides, only because they never existed in the first place or I would have tried to save them too.  

Creating the idea, I give all the credit to my client who was the real genius in this project.  I have seen broken step ladders and suitcases made into furniture.  I have seen all sorts of discarded things transformed to something relatively useful.  I am hoping with crossed fingers this is the first step toward a new renaissance.  Unfortunately, most of these new salvage trendy rescues, I feel, will be the hot topic for a brief period but lose appeal after a little time passes.  Who will want to look at the same old piece of luggage reworked into a hip chair or coffee table?  There is only so long oddities can sustain themselves as conversation pieces.  Also, anyone can find a post modern storage made of particle board at IKEA and it will serve for a handful of years.  The vision of this more subtle transformation is visually appealing, incredibly useful, will remain structurally sound for half a century or more and is inconspicuous enough that most people will never even know that it used to be a bed.  Materials were minimal.  Nothing was wasted.  The end product will remain and continue to serve in its newly found life.  This was truly a brilliant idea. 

After college the world changed and discarded most of my skills in a career I had been honing with scary precision for nearly a decade.  The world got up and changed and outgrew a lovely piece of furniture that someone found too beautiful to let it be thrown away.  There is no way to know how many people walked past this old bed without a second thought.  Other artisans turned the project down, uncertain how to make the idea a reality.  I jumped on board with certainty that anything that gets lost can be found again.  Another tough year is behind us and new days are ahead.  I’ll always see a reflection of my own history when I see this transforming restoration project in my portfolio.  Surely, the bench and all of us adjusting to new ways will see lots of shoes and witness wonderful miles on them in the years to come.