HighCraft Builders is proud to welcome our new Office Manager, Kira Koldeway. Kira earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Design and Merchandising along with a minor in Construction Management from Colorado State University. She has spent the last three and a half years working in the Construction industry for two of HighCraft's vendors. Kira was married this past August and lives in Johnstown with her husband Sean.

Remodeling
Success 101

Q: What is "millwork"?

A: Millwork is a building industry term typically referring to interior and exterior trim materials (such as crown moldings or exterior shutters), doors, cabinets, stair parts, and other (usually wood-based) finish materials for a home. The term comes from the practice of producing such materials in a specialty saw mill, or "milling" them from a larger piece of wood into finer details.

Regardless the size or scope of the project, all remodeling construction follows a consistent pattern and pace. Excavation and foundation work -- if needed -- will be followed by the framing phase, which will be followed by rough mechanical, electrical and plumbing work. As soon as those stages are complete, insulation will be installed. These steps follow each other quickly and are easy to see. The progress is exciting!

But when our crews and subcontractors begin to focus on the interior finishes of your remodeled space, the pace seems to slow down and daily progress is more difficult to follow. To the homeowner, it might seem that we are losing focus or paying less attention to the project. In fact, the opposite is true. The apparent pace of work has slowed because finishing work is much more detailed than the previous stages. We must be more focused and pay more attention to the finishing details.

For example, cutting, building, and fastening the pieces of a complex crown molding profile along the ceiling-wall joint of an upgraded kitchen requires several hours of painstaking work by a skilled finish carpenter. Likewise, finishing newly built walls to a smooth, uniform surface is a process that takes multiple cycles of application, drying, sanding, and cleaning to accomplish properly.

There are also more products to install during the finishing phases. The number of cabinets, faucets, light fixtures, door handles, and outlet and switch covers -- even in a remodeled space -- is impressive when you take the time to count them all. Likewise, the proper installation of flooring materials, countertops, and paint all must be done carefully, as they are the features that you and everyone else will notice about the finished project. Your friends won't see the beautiful foundation, but they will surely see a bad paint job!

Finally, finish work signals the last stage of the remodeling process. Both we and our homeowners are anxious to finish a large and complicated job after several weeks of planning, hard work, and the interruption of the family's lifestyle while the work is done. It is hard for the homeowners to remain patient when the work appears to be moving slowly.

By the very nature of its exacting, hand-applied work, the finishing phase of homebuilding is necessarily slow. That does not mean that the work is being neglected! During this final part of your remodeling project, remember that we remain focused on the highest quality installation and application of your home's interior finishes.

Warm regards,

info@highcraft.net
www.highcraft.net

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