Replies

1. 
   WorkshopJon | Mar 21, 2004 06:40am | #1

   Ralph,

   You built that yourself? If so, wow, that looks like some pretty fine craftsmanship.  What is your background? ie. skilled trades or just a talented hobbyist (like me????)

   Jon

1. 
   RalphWicklund | Mar 21, 2004 09:03am | #2

   Talented?? I can only dream.

   But, this is what I do for a living. I collect pieces of wood and other things and put them together. Fool a lot of people.<G>

   I'm a General Contractor in Florida and, like Mike Smith and some others, do renovations, remodeling, additions, etc. and handle most of the trades myself. I have a varied background, not all of it involving construction, but as I'm 58 years old I've had plenty of time to do a bunch of stuff.

   For the mantle, I brought a bunch of photos gathered from FHB, Architectural Digest and a couple of other sources to the homeowner and she picked the elements that she liked the most and I married them the best I could. They're happy with the results.

   I must be doing something right because I've already gutted and remodeled their master bath, kitchen and pantry, some trimwork in the dining room and am scheduling a redo of the laundry room and then designing a large front porch addition. Might even post a photo of the front of the house as it is now and ask for some input on the porch down the road.