Work Published in Magic City Magazine

One of the remodeling projects that I had been working on for the last few years got some nice coverage in the Magic City Magazine. 

Magic City Magazine is a pretty slick publication that covers stories of design, fashion, food, and the happenings around the Billings, Montana area. (Billings is known as the Magic City, hence the magazine name.)

The story covers 2 remodel projects of smaller homes that had some creative and higher quality remodel work done to them. Usually, any of the stories covering homes and design always feature the biggest, most expensive homes, so it was nice to see that smaller homes can also showcase high-end work. 

As you read the article, I know it is difficult to know what I really did in the remodel, but to summarize: I built the arch in the front of the house, built & installed cabinets, did custom built-ins, rebuilt the stairs going to the basement, framing, removed walls, built walls, sheetrock, mud work, built under-stairs storage, built a custom door for that storage, installed doors, trim work, and blew my back out moving sections of bowling alley for the yoga studio floor (that was brutal.) 

The clients and I were both a bit disappointed that the bathroom did not get any coverage, it was pretty sweet. I vaulted the ceiling to follow the roof, installed a skylight, and built a cool modern cabinet for storage out of black walnut. 

 

It was great getting a mention and having my work covered in the article. A big thanks goes to my clients who gave me the opportunity to work on their house and become friends along the way. They had a great sense of creativity and were great to work with. 

Check out pages 25 through 29 of the digital edition of Magic City Magazine. 

You can follow my latest projects on my Instagram feed and, stay tuned, I am working my way back to producing more video;)

Your friend in the shop-

Todd A. Clippinger

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Listen Up - Architecture Speaks

The Challenge of Design

Designing is one of the most challenging aspects of a project. To get ideas for my projects, I read a lot but I also have 13 years of remodeling experience to draw from. This is significant because it means I have seen a lot of buildings and have been intimately involved with them through my remodel work. While working on them, I paid attention to both the design and construction details.

Original bench.

With Lucy's Bench, the project that I am working on, I tore out a poorly designed bench, bookcase, and handrail which had been inflicted in the 70's. There was dark stained oak plywood and HVAC vents screwed to the face of the bench. I knew I could do better than this.

Let The House Speak To You

When I am looking for design ideas, most often the house will tell me what to do if I pay attention. This particular house was built in the 1920's and originally carried the trim details popular in the Arts & Crafts style. Some of those details are gone, yet many remain. To fill in the blanks, I rely on experience and research.

One thing to understand is that there is, almost always, no single right answer. There are always a few solutions that will be acceptable and, ultimately, the client has the final say. I educate and advise but I never force anything on them.  

It is also important to remember that personal taste is subjective. At times, clients have picked what I thought was less than the best answer, but they have never really "blown it" and they have always been very happy with the end result. 

One thing that I hate hearing a contractor or designer say is "It will grow on you." That statement bothers me because it is a red flag that they forced their decision onto a reluctant homeowner and it uses the passage of time to get it behind them. The more time that passes, the more likely the homeowner will just live with it, not entirely pleased with the result but not acting on their dissatisfaction.

Getting Down From My Soapbox...

Full Cloverleaf Perforated MetalWell, I will get off my soapbox now because I really just wanted to share a cool detail and a lesson with you.

I determined that I wanted the vents in the bench to be replaced with a more accurate representation of the period so I ordered perforated metal with a full cloverleaf pattern. 

I had explained to the clients that the full cloverleaf pattern was common "back in the day" for a house in this style. They shook their heads in general compliance as they trust me and agreed it would look nice. 

New bench design. A few days later the homeowners were doing some painting work in the master bedroom and they called me up to ask for some advice. I went up and took a look at the situation and gave my thoughts.

Before I left the room, I noticed a heat vent in the back corner of the closet and it had the same full cloverleaf pattern in the metal. I thought that was pretty cool because it confirmed to the client that I knew what I was talking about. And, while I am not doing a historical restoration, I am being mindful of the period as I designed the project. That was one of those "success" moments that I really enjoy.

The Moral Of The Story

For woodworkers, design ideas should come from places other than woodworking books and magazines. Architecture is a great source of ideas. In fact, furniture is most often designed to complement architecture so that means it is a great source for design ideas.

This topic can fill volumes, but the short lesson for us today is to pay attention to the buildings around you. Take notice of both commercial and residential buildings, especially the old ones. Take notes of the architectural details inside and out. The buildings have a lot to say.

For me, I develop personal relationships with buildings as I work on them so I need to listen to what they say. For the average woodworker, they also have information to share. They have style and design elements on display and great examples of proportional relationships that work well together. Look at these elements as detail and as an aggregate whole. This information will help you design both freestanding and fitted furnishings. 

That is all I have for now. 

Your friend in the shop,

Todd A. Clippinger.

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What's On The Bench...

Old handrail and bookcaseOne of my current projects is not a full remodel, but a replacement project for a handrail, bench, and bookcase.

The house was built in the 1920's and the original design elements expressed much of the Arts&Crafts period. Many of these elements have been replaced over time as the house has been remodeled. Most of these changes occurred in the 1960's and 70's. 

The clients wanted to do something new that would brighten the room. They wanted to replace these items, not get rid of them, and they wanted the look to be more period appropriate. I gave them some ideas and even went shopping with New handrail and wall.them to look at handrails.

The job progressed in a couple of stages. First, I tore out the handrail, bench, bookcase, and plywood wall. Then I replaced the handrail and installed sheetrock in place of the plywood. 

We had talked about the bench and bookcase and I had given them rough ideas, but I did not get out any solid ideas until a few days ago. I presented a couple of ideas in SketchUp and they made a decision. SU makes an impressive presentation.New handrail and bookcase.

Today I will be working on an Arts&Crafts inspired bench that should look more like an original part of the house design instead of something uninspired that came from Oak Express.

So you will have to stay tuned and catch the progress photos as I step into the next phase of the project.

This project has been a fun one. Handrails are always technical with the angles and every cut is critical. This job has been calling on all of my woodworking skills to achieve a successful installation. I am looking forward to completing the bench and getting it installed.

I also start working on the Scott Morrison videos again. Since my schedule hit a big crunch I have not been able to sit down and edit the footage. Sorry to hold you guys up on these videos, but once I take money from a client, there is an impending obligation to fulfill. I went almost a week without posting anything at the ACW or LumberJocks, after getting sick I have been laying catch-up and I have not had the time to sit down at the computer.

That's all for now, I need to head out and cut some wood.

Your friend in the shop, Todd A. Clippinger.

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