chip

yesterday a concrete subcontractor came into our office. he was trying to explain how his approach was different; how, even as the president of the company, he was down in the trenches where the work was being done.

"look - and i mean no offense to you Thomas - but i'm not one of these college graduates with no experience on the ground"

i wanted to scream in his face:

"listen to me. LISTEN. who the fuck said anything about college? you see my diploma hanging on the wall somewhere? i did my time in the field, i sweat and bled just like everyone else. even sitting in this chair i'm one of the best carpenters in this company, ask anybody out there. i'll put on my bags and go head-to-head with your top form builder, today, right now, lets go"

but instead i smiled silently


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Roblar Residence, Hillsborough, CA

Bella Vista Residence, Hillsborough, CA

i learned that you do not show up late. if you show up late, you do not have a job.
and so every morning we arrived early. 30, 45, 60 minutes before work, whatever buffer you needed to make sure. some guys would drink coffee over the hoods of their trucks, talk sleepily, eat breakfast.
i sat in my truck with the heater and NPR on low. revving up. getting ready for the day..

Lift Residence, Burlingame, CA

El Cerrito Residence, Hillsborough, CA

 for a short period i was working with dirt. i was driving around on a bobcat alot. or staking heights. even now, i think an operators lifestyle might be a nice one. a straightforward way of building. i remember squeezing red soil in my hands, testing for moisture. driving straight across a pad, never making sudden turns..

Tudor Residence, Hillsborough, CA

Scopazzi Apartments, Crockett, CA

once i flipped a trackless skidsteer onto its side. i've maybe never been more afraid in my life, so helpless in a moment. alarms were ringing, oil was burning, smoke was pouring out of the engine. finally i jumped out and a mexican dude with really big sideburns got in and flipped it back. he was so calm about it. and he didn't tell anybody afterwards..

Press Residence, Woodside, CA

Wells Residence, Portola Valley, CA

a foreman told me once, "if you're doing something with brute force, then you know you're doing it wrong. look for another way". he had white hair and would sing as he walked through the jobsite. he was always singing. later he helped me build my first set of stairs. i remember his hands moving so thoughtlessly over the brass brackets, the steel framing square, the slick LVL..

Sight Residence, San Francisco, CA

Gensler Residence, San Francisco, CA

Tran Residence, Burlingame, CA

literally, don't make excuses. an excuse will get slapped out of your mouth so fast. you can't reach it? build a platform. it's in your way? fucking move it. years and years of this refrain have changed me: "why are you coming to me with this? find the solution and get it done"

Rancho Arroyo Claro, Oakville, CA

Scribe Hacienda, Sonoma, CA

the first time i was in charge of a project. in charge of a client. they fired the guy above me and then said, "can you do it?"
i couldn't sleep at night from the excitement, from the responsibility. a three thousand square foot remodel felt like orchestrating a battalion, an infinite supply chain. i would work all day and spend all night on the computer, making sure the pieces fit. in the mornings the client's wife would bring me pastries and coffee..

Joseph Phelps Vineyards, St. Helena, CA

Silver Oak Cellars, Healdsburg, CA

it wasn't until i saw those steel buildings - hundreds of thousands of feet of production space - that i realized it was true: you can build more with a conversation than a hammer. just a few months before these structures had existed only in my mind and now here they were, rising out of the ground, towering over everything..

Essalat Residence, Granite Bay, CA

Karinya Residence, Deer Park, CA
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in 2009 i was washing 2x12 form boards with a broom
and now i've built all of these things and more.
now architects call me directly, they invite me to gallery openings.

i didn't know i had such a big chip on my shoulder.

but this is all part of the story i'm telling myself
and really, ultimately, probably, that's the most important audience.

atm1