The People

Builders - Two individuals, Randy and Dave, contributed a lot of their time in this building process.  They both go to the same church, both were/are missionaries, both are trustworthy, and both brought a lot of skill, expertise, ideas, (and tools) to the renovation process.

Randy (Mapel Valley Homes) is responsible for a good majority of the renovation work

Dave, a missionary to Sudan, did a lot of work on this house from June to December, 2010

Dave said:
Work on this Whitneyville home has been a labor of love, an adventure to peel back the layers of history and find the original post and beam with it[]s mortise and tenion and old hand cut nails construction throughout.   The worst of the house had to be faithfully removed and the new put back together.
    It was a pleasure to use 2x6 construction, to see a double roof installed and another air envelope on the exterior wall.   The best insulation available on the market was used on the house.  Radiant heat was installed in all of the floors, which is the most efficient and comfortable heat available.  There was no drywall used in the restoration.  Plaster board was used throughout which is stronger and provides a better moisture transition away from inner walls.  This home is definitely an “Audi” or equal to a[] 45 mpg [h]ybr[i]d.  It will save the home owner thousands of dollars in utilities, and should last another 100 year[s] without much problem.
    This home is oozing with character, history and unique features. The trees surrounding the home also give the house stunning character with the majestic Douglas Firs in the front and the century old White Oak in the back.  We often see deer walking through the backyard as well as large assemblies of turkeys meandering through.  We also have seen a Pilated Woodpecker.    I especially like the upstairs as I took down the old Tamarak  rafters and put up the new knee walls, rafters and dormers.   With the cathedral, vaulted ceilings at 10 feet, this is not [a] cookie cutter ranch home. 

Homeowners - I am a software engineer, but thoroughly enjoy architecture design and hands-on building.  My wife enjoys interior design, and both my sons made a special effort to come home to participate in framing, plumbing, electrical, and flooring work.

Helpers - We tried to make it mutually beneficial for our helpers as well as ourselves.  As much as we can, we like to see the helpers walk away with a new set of marketable skills and experience.  These helpers are diligent, eager to learn, and, above all, have more muscle than we older men do.  Without them, we would have progressed 3x slower.

Ian

"Young Kyle" and Randy

Serge

David and Elliot watching Randy working

Tyson helping out with electrical work

"Big Kyle" and myself

The crew