HR: Interviews #3: TenonTim

This interview is from the November issue of the “CreativeHands Network” newsletter.
TenonTim has been a member of HomeRefurbers since April 2008.

I asked TenonTim the following:

How did you first get started at refurbishing rooms/ homes?

I guess I learned doing handy man stuff around the house when I was a teenager, helping my Dad out when he built his house.

Tell us a bit of history of your journey from that beginning to where you are today

I’m a furniture maker by trade, but in 1997 my wife and I bought the “worst house in the best neighborhood”, when we move to Maine. The house was a 1930 vintage and needed quite a bit of work. The first several years that we lived in it, I did the things that needed refurbished the most. We added insulation to the attic, changed the windows out to the energy efficient, double pane type, put in a programmable thermostat. This was just to keep from freezing to death every winter or paying all of our pay checks to the oil company. Most of our refurbishing was of necessity, and also included updating some of the electrical circuits and the plumbing, and replacing the rotting front porch, that went completely across the front of the house. So my refurbishing was mostly a matter of making our “new” house livable. Prior to selling it in 2005, I put down laminate and tile flooring, refurbished the bath, built a shop out back, and added a deck. All of this work paid us back with a nice profit when we sold it.

Prior to the Maine house, previous house in Texas was built in the 1950’s, so all of the regular PBS home improvement shows were on my schedule. We moved back to Texas in 2005 and I built my new house from the ground up.

All of the tricks of the trade that I learned in the prior 30 years came into play with this project. I build Arts and Crafts furniture and I always wanted a bungalow style house to put it in, and now I have one. It’s got the modern touches in the design, but it still holds true to the bungalow ideals.

What is the greatest creation while refurbishing homes?

So this [the bungalow] has to be my favorite creation. I’ve learned a lot while doing this house, especially the type of work that I don’t ever want to do for a living, ie, roofing and floating dry wall.

What tips would you give to someone just starting out or currently struggling with refurbishing homes?

I guess the main thing with anything that you do, is learn all you can before you start, and if possible, work with someone that can show you the ropes. Since it’s more than likely your own project,take your time and don’t rush through the job just to get it done. If you’re going to do it yourself, it should be something to be proud of.

Thanks again, TenonTim. Great tips and a very interesting story.. that first home sounded COLD. Oh the memories.

-- ~ Debbie, Ontario Canada