Our Story
How Refuge Carpentry Was Born
Quit doing a half mans job! Those were the words that came out of my dads mouth right after I had cut a sheet of wood the wrong way. I grew working with my dad in his cabinet shop. I started working a few hours a day when I was just 8 yrs old. I didn’t have the best concept of measurements, or reading cabinet plans. I made countless mistakes, but my dad was always very patient with me, and taught me well. Building cabinets was very fun, and gratifying to see the end result. He always made me feel like anything was possible, and that I could learn any skill.
My brother and I had a great mentor who always did the right thing for his clients, no matter how hard it was. We learned to live by good values, and to do honest work
My favorite thing when I was a kid was going to homes while they were in the framing stage of construction. It was always fun to play on the skeleton stairs and, climb the studs (I don’t think my dad appreciated us playing on job sites too much).
The Turning Point
Up until the age of 15 I was homeschooled. I loved it because I had plenty of time to wake up early, and go work in my dads shop by mid morning. But when I was 15 my brother and I convinced our parents to let us go to public school. I was so excited I could hardly wait to start! It was awesome for the first year as I made tons of new friends, and could have fun as a teenager. But then 3 months into my second year of high school, I absolutely hated it. We were learning the same thing I had already learned homeschooling, and the classes moved at the pace of a snail.
I asked the principle if I could take all the finals to I needed to graduate, and if I passed them, I would be able to graduate. If I didn’t pass them, I would take the classes failed the finals for. Being a good principle (and probably doubting my abilities) she said.. “Sure! If you can pass all the finals you need to graduate, you shouldn’t be here anyways.” So I studied for 4 weeks strait, and took them 2 at a time. I barely passed a English, and history, but did ok on everything else. I PASSED!! I told all my friends, and they were pissed! "Now what?” They all asked.
Rewind to summer. I was 16 yrs old, and going around knocking on doors to see if neighbors would let me mow their lawns, or work on their house. I loved working, and making money. I thought “I can’t wait until I’m an adult, and can do this full-time.” When I passed the finals, and could graduate, I was ecstatic! I told all my friends I was going to get a job in construction building houses. I had finished school on a Friday, and started looking for jobs on Saturday. I couldn’t wait!
Only being 16 meant that I wasn’t qualified for nearly any job posting I saw. Finally after hundreds of job posting, I saw there was one that didn’t specify the minimum age. I called right away. The job posting was for a residential framer, I knew I could do it. While I was on the phone with the owner of the company I told him, “This might be a deal breaker, but I’m only 16yrs old, But I know how to frame.” He laughed and said, kid, don’t worry about it. If you’re strong and can swing a hammer that’s all I care about.
After about a year of doing that, and seeing other trades do their parts I was really catching on to the fact that a lot of contractors don’t really care if the job is done in a way that will stand the test of time. I saw roofing cigarettes burning wholes in the underlayment of new roofs, and siding contractors nailing up broken boards. I often thought back to what my dad told me when I was 8yrs old. “Never do a half mans job.”
Fast forward to today, I’ve worked on over 1 million sqft homes, and seen all aspects of construction. One thing has been consistent throughout that whole time. I want to do thing better, and make peoples homes their refuge. And there it was born. Refuge Carpentry LLC. I started this company for 2 reasons.
Reason #1: I love getting listen to homeowners and hear what it is they want out of their home. A home is much more then just shelter. It’s where memories are made, and families are brought together. It is a safe haven, and a place of rejuvenation. There are ways to make your home nearly maintenance free, and 100% Enjoyable. By testing materials for our climate, and installation methods that ensure long lasting results, your home can be an incredible place, and you wont ever have to worry about spending time and money on repairs.
Reason #2: Its a true heartbreaker to me when I see people spend nearly all their money on a home repair just to later find out it wasn’t done the right way, and that the contractor cut corners, or used bad materials to repair their home.
In conclusion, At Refuge Carpentry, carpentry we have a deep care for our homeowner, and it is our mission to always deliver the best results possible. We only charge as much as we have to so that we don’t have to cut corner, or use materials that will cause problems later on down the road. We strive to always provide the best service from the first time we meet you, until long after your project is complete. With much care, David Bassett.