The Workshop

What Luke tells clients at the kitchen table, written down. No sales pitch, just how the work is done and how to make good decisions about it.

5 min read

How to Tell Good Cabinets From Bad Ones Before You Buy

Two kitchens can look identical in a showroom and be ten years apart in how they age. The difference is under the paint. Here is what Luke checks.

6 min read

What Building a Curved Staircase Actually Involves

The curved white oak staircase on this site gets more questions than anything else. Most of them are some version of “how.” This is the answer.

5 min read

Why Colorado’s Dry Air Cracks Your Trim (and What to Do About It)

Every winter, somebody calls about a crack that appeared in a joint that was perfect in October. It is not a defect. It is Colorado.

6 min read

Ten Questions to Ask a General Contractor Before You Sign

Luke has been on the other side of a lot of these conversations, first as a subcontractor and now as the contractor. These are the questions he wishes every homeowner asked.

4 min read

Floating Shelves That Actually Float: How They Hold Weight

Floating shelves fail in one of two ways: they sag, or they show a bracket. Neither has to happen.

5 min read

What Drives the Cost of a Basement Finish in the Denver Metro

Basement quotes vary more than any other remodel. Two houses on the same street can be double apart. Here is why, so you can read a quote.

4 min read

Crown Molding With No Visible Nail Holes

One of the reviews on this site says the crown was installed “in a way we can’t see the nail holes.” Clients notice. Here is how it is done.

4 min read

Built-Ins vs. Furniture: When to Build It Into the Wall

A bookcase from a store takes up floor. A built-in gives it back. That is the whole argument, but there is more to it.

5 min read

A Kitchen Remodel, Week by Week

Clients ask “how long” and hear “six weeks” and then wonder why nothing happened in week three. This is the calendar.

5 min read

Deck Materials for Colorado Sun and Snow

A deck in Denver gets more UV than one in Florida and more freeze-thaw than one in Seattle. Material choice is not a style question here.

4 min read

What Changes When Your General Contractor Is Also the Carpenter

Most general contractors manage. Some also build. The difference shows up in the parts of a job you look at every day.

4 min read

The Pre-Sale Punch List: What to Fix Before Listing a Home

One review on this site is a pre-sale list: drywall, cabinet doors, entry doors, grout, a fountain. It closed the way the owner wanted. Here is the list Luke works from.

Materials library

Hardwood

White Oak

The workhorse. Hard, stable, takes stain evenly, and looks right in both a 1920s bungalow and a new build.

Hardwood

Walnut

The accent wood. Rich, dark, and warm without stain. Best used where you will touch it: shelves, benches, a bar top.

Paint-grade

Painted Maple and Poplar

For anything painted: shaker doors, built-ins, trim, pantry shelving. The wood you never see decides how the paint looks in five years.

Exterior

Cedar

The outdoor wood. Naturally rot-resistant, light, smells like a sauna, and turns silver if you let it.

Counters

Quartz vs. Butcher Block Counters

Both kitchens on this site have white quartz. Here is why, and when wood makes sense instead.

Shop knowledge

Rift-Sawn vs. Plain-Sawn Lumber

Same tree, different cut, completely different look. This is the choice behind every straight-grain modern detail on this site.