Recently our Lead Designer Claire Gardner had a chance to work in the field alongside our Lead Carpenter Ryan Shepherd. This is somewhat unusual; usually designers do not really work in the field. Ever. As designers, we generally hang out in the office or drive around to show rooms or visit clients to talk with them. We make the pretty drawings that the carpenters then construct. It is very rare that we put on our work shoes and get dirty, and it is pretty fabulous that she got the opportunity to get some dirt under her fingernails. She was able to use a nail gun, circular saw, and power screw gun- not the normal tools of her trade.

Claire talks a little bit about her experience:

“I was able to see the how new windows were framed  in the existing locations of the home as well as framing of the new addition windows. I also observed how to properly cut lumber and how to calculate for framing the walls. I was able to  hold some of the lumber in place while one of the carpenters secured it with the nail gun. After observing for a while I followed lead and starting nailing the studs to the new addition flooring. 

During the day I removed the old insulation from the existing sun-room and removed all debris from the interior and exterior of the property. I quickly learned how to stack the debris properly to get the most out of one dumpster, rather than just throwing it in an unorganized way. This way we don’t have to get multiple pickups for removal. It saves the client and New England Design & Construction money. One of my favorite tasks during the day was removing the drywall screws in the existing part of the sun-room so that when new drywall is installed it is set up for the subcontractor.”

You can see the progress that Ryan and Claire made on the West Roxbury addition below: